Thursday, May 29, 2014

Rejuvenation




I woke up this morning feeling rejuvenated after my day away yesterday. I guess I don't often get a full day just for me, and I probably should make the effort to do that more often. The lilacs are in full bloom this week and are smelling so good! I'm also thinking that I should wipe down the outdoor furniture and sweep out the porch so we can enjoy it. Spring and summer go by so quickly in Minnesota.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Gwen


Bling Power!


Debbie and I had a chance to get together with Gwen today. She was in state visiting her mom up north, and so we met halfway at the Casino in Hinkley. We didn't gamble, but ate at the buffet and then spent the afternoon strolling around, sitting on benches in the sun or shade, and catching up on each other's lives. Some years ago we found these bling rings at Macy's, I think we spent about $5 each on them. Now when we meet up, usually once a year, we wear them and say BLING POWER! Kind of silly, I know, but some traditions just must go on.

Wordless Wednesday


Sunday, May 25, 2014

Weekend at the Lake










no boundaries



one lone veggie dog


This weekend I decided to bring up most of my DVDs to the cabin. We don't have any TV reception there, and sometimes it's nice to have something to watch. A couple of our neighbors have antennas which allow them to get one or two channels, so we're thinking that might be something for us to look into. It is kind of silly to pay for dish for the amount of time that we're there.

Anyway, it was a lovely weekend. We found a toad sitting under the cover of the gas grill, and he peed on me when I rescued him. There was a dog wandering around and peeking into the porch. His owner just sort of yelled at him from a distance but never did anything to actually keep him out of other people's yards. He seemed like a likable enough dog though, he just didn't have any boundaries. He sort of reminded me of Tristin. 

We grilled brats on the grill for us, and one lone veggie dog for Katie. She said it was delicious.

We took a leisurely cruise around the lake and looked at all the cabins. Someone had made a loon house that was in the water, which was pretty cool to look at. And you could hear the frogs at night, which was a nice sound to drift off to sleep to.

The one thing I wanted to do but didn't, was make some bread in the bread maker. I looked for a bread mix in the store, but they no longer had any! Don't people use their bread makers anymore? At home I have all the ingredients in my pantry, but a mix is so much easier to carry in the car. Guess I'll have to put together my own in a bag and bring it up with us the next time we go.




Thursday, May 22, 2014

Comings and Goings





Jake is home for a few days, and then needs to drive back to campus on Monday to start his summer research job. Katie drove back to Duluth today, but we were all able to go out for supper together last night, including Nick. That turned out to be really fun!

My house is trashed with all the comings and goings. I spent some time tonight clearing the piles of papers growing in our bedroom, and that did help my mood. Quite a bit, actually. Maybe I can vacuum up all the animal hair tomorrow ….

Saturday, May 17, 2014

A Weekend of Celebrations







Katie is home! We made it back from the airport around midnight and then spent some time looking at the things she'd brought home from Seoul. She gave Bruce and I some Korean Wedding Ducks which are supposed to represent peace and fidelity. So beautiful! I gave her a bowl of homemade bean soup, and then we all went to bed.

Bruce and I woke up early this morning to a bright, blue sky and sunshine. I felt amazingly well rested despite the few hours of sleep I had. I think I was so relieved that the week was finally over and that Katie was home with us.

Bruce went up north to fish and I went to a wedding! Vicki and Bobbi got married in the chapel at work with Pastor Marty officiating the ceremony. Katie slept in until five in the afternoon.

And, Katie has now graduated from college. She wasn't able to attend graduation because of being in Korea, but I don't think she minded too much. I decided to give her one of my favorite things, a crockpot and vegan crockpot cookbook. The pattern on the crockpot reminded me of a dress she wore to prom in high school, which is why I had to get it, of course. Isn't she beautiful? 

Friday, May 16, 2014

Friday




Katie should be in Dallas at the moment, soon to board her last plane to fly home. I made that pot of chili for Bruce, and then made a pot of bean soup for Katie and I to eat this weekend. I hope she likes bean soup! Her room is clean, even bought some almond milk for the fridge, so everything is good.


Thursday, May 15, 2014

Time's Up




Katie comes back from Seoul tomorrow! I'm getting a little nervous now and just want her to be home. I think I'll need to keep myself extra busy tonight and tomorrow, maybe time will pass by quickly. And, since Bruce is going fishing with the guys this weekend, making a pot of chili for them will be a good distraction. What else can I do? Oh, I know. Katie's room is a bit trashed by Tristin, so a little pick up in there would be welcome.  

Monday, May 12, 2014

Mother's Day 2014















I had a nice Mother's Day. I wasn't able to see any of the kids in person, but they all wished me a Happy Mother's Day on Facebook, and that was fine. We went over to Mom and Dad's for the afternoon and had a good visit. I really like their new place. It has views of nature and sounds of trains, and just feels like home. Afterwards we dropped by to see Grandma Gloria, but she was already sitting down to eat. We decided to just let her be as she was actually staying seated and had a happy, contented look on her face. We'd been able to spend some time with her on Saturday, but just wanted to peek in again. And the people working there told us she'd had a good day.

Then Bruce and I stopped to look at plants and discussed what we should plant out front. The Japanese Yew are looking sort of pitiful after the long winter we had and we're thinking that they just might need to be replaced. We'll have to figure out the flower situation, too. Maybe some zinnias. We ate at Noodles and then watched The Godfather. It turned out to be a pretty good Mother's Day, and maybe next year there will be even more of us together.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

New Beginnings






The irises, rhubarb, and peonies are coming up. I have no idea of how my flower garden will do this year, though. Last year the daisies didn't do well, and they are usually so strong and so tall. I think the deer got to them. Anyway, too early to tell. I'll just have to figure things out later on.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Getting Ready






We drove up to the cabin one evening this week so Bruce could check on the boat lift. He was worrying that something hadn't been secured tight enough and the boat could be damaged. I guess it was an easy enough fix because there was a little time to cast off a few times before dark. Jessie loved being able to go with, of course. She has to be with her people at all times.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Weekend Update








It was kind of a busy weekend. We went up north Friday night after we got home from Honor's Day at St. Olaf. Curt was going up also, and he and Bruce wanted to get the docks in. There was still some ice on the lake when we arrived, but it was gone by Saturday morning. Today we went to visit Grandma Gloria. The people at the memory unit are so wonderful! The gal in the picture with Gloria is Lynn, actually someone I knew years ago from church. She is especially wonderful.  :-) Pumpkin and Cleo are doing fine, too.