Computers and snow villages etc

I have been working on putting up the Snow Village. Got a couple new tables. Trouble is the back row is out of my reach and it needs more stuff. Maybe Lenny can reach it. I don't want to take the tables apart because ..well it would be a lot of moving things. I found some blue stuff yesterday at Walmart that looks like water or ice so can have a little lake. I have an ice fishing shack and a dock so really needed a lake. Anyway I will take pictures soon. Then Friday my computer woiuld not open up..it will in safe mode. I took it to BB because its under warranty and they said warranty does not cover so would be $130 for them to fix it. If I didn't have the warranty would be $200. Good deal, huh? I brought it home with me unfixed. I will try to do it myself some day when I have nothing else to do for an entire day or and consult Steve and B.I.L. After trying to use lenny's I decided his was ready to be retired. Its like 6 years old so probably ready to be retired. So I bought a new laptop.Does not seem much different from Vista. He is happy with the old computer, but guess if its all you use you don't know any different. My foot hurts. Plantar faciitis was the verdict...my podiatrist is ready to be fired too. I got all my information from Googling it. She says you have to be careful because that information isn't always accurate." Well its all I have because you did not give me much information". THEN she gave me some information about it. But not enough so I may just continue to take advice from google and friends and relatives who had it or know someone who did. She did give me prescription for anti inflamitory drugs but my regular dr would probably do that. Its feels better if I wear shoes 24 hours a day and don't take long power walks. We are going to drive to New York on Wednesday. Lenny's Mom is such a good cook! Hope the weather doesn't give us a bad time. I always remember the terrible blizzard in Cleveland we drove through a few years ago. Stay tuned for Snow Village photos...then have to figure out the photo deal on the new computer. Can't have changed too much?! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Erin's new Puppy. AUGIE DAUGIE

 

AUGIE, the new granddog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Kitchen

We are part way done redecorating the kitchen. The cupboards are painted and look great. Why did we wait so long to do it? I always hated the countertops and they even look better. Next we have to get the wallpaper off. We watch way too much HGTV so always have ideas, but we will keep it simple.

ERIN FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

 

First day of School

Erin started school this year. She was very excited and was all ready to go early. She had said she would walk to the bus stop by herself. Its across the street. She did decide Mom and Dad and Grandma Glee could walk with her....Pictures were taken and all the usual stuff. "We", meaning Lenny are working on our kitchen. I did do some things like pick out paint colors and made 3 trips to Lowes to buy hinges and door handles. Who knew there were so many kinds of hinges. There are just plain ones that are not inset. I purchased those first. Then there are the inset ones which I purchased second. THEN there are the inset ones with little springs in them so they close all by themselves. Those I bought on the third try at getting it right. They are being installed as I speak. There actually was a small problem there too as in the bins of 50 different hinges at Lowes they are all mixed up. I should have examined all 35 packages of them to make sure they were all the same. We have 5 packages that are a different color of metal. People must just pick them up and throw them back in different bins. Its nice to have lots of cupboards but 35 doors is a lot when it comes to paying for them. Thats 35 handles too. Luckily the drawers do not have handles or pulls, whatever they are called. Looking good. I will take pictures when the job is done. Next project is to remove the wallpaper. I have a feeling that when we are done people looking to purchase a house will say they would have bought it if it only had old dark wood cupboards and lovely out-dated wallpaper! Looks like no one will ever buy it so we may as well have it look better for ourselves.

Erin with the balloon flower hat

 

Emily..The birthday Girl

 

Princess Jade

Jade will be three years old the end of this month. All my granddaughters except Erin and Kass are born in August, so a busy month for this family. We went to Minnesota on Thursday so we were there for Emily's 9th birthday party. Was a really great party. Jade liked Emily's toys and playing with the "big" kids. The photo is of her all dressed up as a princess. Sometimes she is batman too or various other super heros or cartoon charactors. Emily liked to be a princess too, in fact she IS a princess. Erin and Kass kind of liked dressing up as dogs. That Scooby costume of Erin's is well loved and well worn and straining at the seams. I think she needs a new Scooby costume, although she plans to be Dorothy (Wizard Of Oz) for Trick or treating this year. Oh, Kass does not pretend to be a dog any more.

The little princess

 

OUR LITTLE FIRECRACKER!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KASSIE! All my granchildren hold a special place in my heart and all grandmothers know what I mean. Fifteen years ago I watched Kassie come into this world..I was the first person to see her except for the medical people of course. That mop of dark hair and big dark eyes made her look just like her grandpa who had left this earth 15 months before. He certainly loves our Kassie as he adored all his grandchildren. When I came out of the hospital that 4th of July night fireworks were going off all around me. It certainly matched my happy mood after meeting Kassie for the first time. Kassie you have been a constant joy these fifteen years, making me laugh at times and also making me proud of your achievements and talents. You are a wonderful special person. So have a fun birthday. All those fireworks really are for you! Love from your Grandma.

OUR LITTLE FIRECRACKER!!!

 

For The Love Of All Thats Holy!

For the love of all thats Holy! It is sure hot and will be hotter tomorrow. Kassie uses that expression.."For The Love of all thats holy". It just struck me as funny. Poor Kass has the flu (we think SWINE). Kerry had it last week. Times like that I am glad to be many miles away, although I think we had it earlier when we had the two month cough. Its so hot I bought a pkg of english muffins rather than bake bread. I have not bought bread products in many months but just did not want to run the oven. I had not written in this blog for so long that I had to stop and think what was my password. Been into facebook lately. I reconnected with several friends tht I had not communicated with much in years. I really enjoy the entire family that keep things lively on there also. My kids, neices and nephews are all very funny people..at least they keep me laughing. All the quizzes show up everyones true selves because we know they are all very accurate!!! NOT!!! Well, I better go check my farm. I think I should have something to harvest soon.

FARM TOWN

Farm Town is moving right along. We have really added to the ADDICTED list. Susie, Ann, Gayle, Lauren and Celeste have all fallen into the trap. Then the younger generation has fallen into it also. People in the know realize that Grace and Kassie are in over their cute little heads. Actually Kerry is usually really Kassie (or Kass Kerry) and Grace is being Susie. I have been known to plow and plant for Kerry and Kass when they don't have time and Celeste has been known to be doing lauren and Katie's farm work. It all gets confusing sometimes. You just never know who you are being farm neighborly with. I have reached level 30, by buying 4 barns and God only knows how many silos I have bought and sold in order to move up a level. I have a green house now so really don't have any more goals. I could try to reach the top level and buy a mansion but I am just a simple down to earth farmer and I am happy with my simple down to earth little white farmhouse. All the guys have very nice farms too, but we may just not know who really is doing the farm work...Is Gayle doing Dave's??? Is Alison doing Brocks??? Or vice versa??? We may never know. Jim and David P. may have hired help also...we don't really know do we???? I am confusing myself and that is not real hard to do. Kathy has a nice farm too. Bev, Sheryl and Janet won't have anything to do with us. They don't want to get addicted. Then there is Be-jeweled. I give up on that. My fingers don't work that quickly and I am usualy on the bottom as far as scores go. I think people cheat on that one but can't figure out how. Well, I have to tear myself away from my computer and do some laundry. Then I will be ready to harvest when Kerry gets home from work.

Upstate New York, Afton

We had a good 4 day weekend in New York. It rained two of the four days but that was okay. I took some photos of the busy downtown area. Our flights went great. We stayed at a motel near the airport saturday night as our flight left at 6 a.m. and Afton is like over two hour drive from Albany. It was party time at the motel, It was prom night as there were limos all over. Now that I think that is a good idea so kids are not driving and probably cheap enough if their are a lot of kids. However they were having some wild party stuff going on. Someone knocked on our door a couple times looking for their pals I suppose. Took me two nights to catch up on my sleep. Our weather has been great. I think I will go to Lowes for paint samples tomorrow so we can paint the bathroom. Rather "Sarge" can paint the bathroom and I will supervise. Have a nice Holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

 

The Flowering Crab Tree

 

OUR LITTLE BASEBALL PLAYER

 

Blossums Everywhere

Our entire yard is blooming. 12 apple trees, two cherry trees, two flowering crab trees. Lilac bushes are about to bloom. No wonder I am sneezing. Of course we have lots of dandelions also. Very few people around here bother to spray for dandelions, Most of the lawns are an acre and a lot of them are quite a bit bigger than that so guess it would be quite a job to be trying to control the weeds when the neighbors don't. I took a picture of the flowering crab that looks like its hugging itself. It is such a vivid bright pink the picture does not capture it.

ORIOLES

The orioles are here. It is so amazing how they show up each spring on exactly the first of May. They must have little calendars built in. We fixed up the feeders yesterday with the orange oriole food, a half of an orange and some grape jelly so when they came they would stick around. We get tons of them so maybe they return to the same place every year. I just started a loaf of Italian bread for our neighbor who is having cataract surgery today. We drove to Ann Arbor two days in a row so Sarge could sigh up for the medical benifits at the Veterans medical center and to see a dr there. It all went very smoothly except for when their computers went down while waiting for prescriptions. I went to Verizon and signed up for Friends & Family plan so can talk unlimited to 10 people. My daughters and I get on the phone and chat while playing FarmTown and I was worried I would go over our minutes. That game takes a lot of time. Also is a drain on cellphone batteries! I went in to get a new battery. They cost $40 and a new phone was free so I got a new phone. Its purple. Nothing fancy because I don't text or watch tv or get emails or surf the net on my phone. I have a netbook for those things! Now I have to remember to send in the rebate so the phone is in fact "free". It has been raining so much the grass/dandelions need mowing again, but probably too wet yet after yesterday's downpours. I should have a photo of the Orioles...maybe later.

Motorhome

 

I'M TOO SEXY FOR MY SHIRT!!!

 

WORK VAN

 

Cherry Tree