just me

Big News

Today before we got started making candy we got a gift from Levi and Robin. I just couldn't wait to share it.

This new little addition to our family is due to make his/her appearance in mid July. My feeling is that it is a girl, even Levi says that he thinks it will be a girl. I guess that time will tell. We are very excited, and I can't wait to put a photo of my new grandbaby in this frame.

On Thanksgiving we learned that our son Stuart and his wife, Erin are expecting. Their baby is due mid June. They will be finding out what the sex of the baby is sometime in January.

We are going to have a busy, but exciting summer.

Candy Day

I am up early this fine Saturday morning. Today is the day that our family gets together with my sisters family to make Christmas Candy. We all go to my parents house and make numerous pounds of candy. This is a Christmas Tradition that we have been doing for as long as I can remember. It is the one event of the year that all of the family attends.

The  best part of this tradition is that all of the grandkids and their spouses have learned to make Peanut Brittle from my dad. He is the Peanut Brittle Master Chef. He has perfected his skills and everyone looks forward to the peanut brittle every year. Dad has never used a candy thermometer and his candy turns out perfect. He cooks it by smell, when is smells right it is done. My son, Levi, makes it the same way. Actually we all do, but Levi is the best at it.

The candy list:

• chocolate fudge
• peanut butter fudge
• chocolate covered cherries
• coconut  "mounds" bars
• mints
• peanut brittle

I am very excited today, Renae is coming home from Gillette to make candy. She has not been able to  attend for the last 2 years because of her job. She recently got a new job and is now off on weekends, so we will get to see her more often. YIPPEE!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Happy Thaksgiving

On this day of thanks, I would like to wish all of my family and friends a Happy Thanksgiving.

Ten things I am thankful for:

1. Gods love and plan of salvation
2. my husband, Tony.
3. my children (Levi & Robin, Kayla & Nick, Renae & Del, Stuart & Erin, Michael & Beth)
4. my grandchildren (Danika & Kaya, Spencer & Abi)
5. my parents, sister & nephews (Dad & Mom, Marla, Skyler & Taylor)
6. friends both near and far
7. freedom
8. my job
9. good health
10. love & forgiveness

What are you thankful for? Take some time today to reflect and say thanks!!

Enjoy your day!!

Splish Splash...

I was taking a bath.

Last week Kayla had to have all 4 of her wisdom teeth removed. She has had a hard time with it and was in quite a bit of pain. She needed me to help out by giving Kaya baths. I of course was thrilled to help. I had to take some photos of course.

 

Can you believe this cute little peanut is 9 months old? Where does the time go.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Holy Schmoley

What a surprise!! I just logged in to do a quick post and my typepad has changed. I have known that the format as going to change but did not know when the change would come. I will have to play around with it and see what I can do.

My arm is a bit better as long as I don't do too much with it. I kind of over did it yesterday. We helped a friend get moving done. I was very careful not to lift anything, I just wrapped breakables in newspaper. I guess that it must be the repetative action that was the problem. It is a bit on the sore side today.

I found this on a few blogs today and thought that it would be fun to play along. I have highlighted the things that are mine.

How many have you done? I bolded the ones that I've done

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when youʼre not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Sen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangeloʼs David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someoneʼs life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

So... what have you done? This was fun!

Have  great day!!

Guess what I am a Bette!!

My friend, Lesli, posted this quiz on her blog today and I had to try it. After I took the test and read the results I was surprised at how right it was. So much of it fits me and the way that I am. Check out the quiz here.

You are a Bette -- "I must be strong"

Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Stand up for yourself... and me.   
• * Be confident, strong, and direct.   
• * Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.    
• * Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.   
• * Give me space to be alone.   
• * Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.   
• * I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.   
• * When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette   

• * being independent and self-reliant   
• * being able to take charge and meet challenges head on   
• * being courageous, straightforward, and honest   
• * getting all the enjoyment I can out of life   
• * supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me   
• * upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette   

• * overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to   
• * being restless and impatient with others' incompetence   
• * sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it   
• * never forgetting injuries or injustices   
• * putting too much pressure on myself   
• * getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Bettes as Children Often   

• * are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit   
• * are sometimes loners   
• * seize control so they won't be controlled   
• * figure out others' weaknesses   
• * attack verbally or physically when provoked   
• * take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Bettes as Parents   

• * are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted   
• * are sometimes overprotective   
  
• * can be demanding, controlling, and rigid

I have not been blogging much lately, I have not been able to. I have somehow damaged my rotor cuff in my right arm and in quite a bit of pain. I went to the Dr today and we are starting the process of trying to get it healed. I will only be doing short posts for awhile.
I will try to post a few more photos of our vacation in the next few days. 

Are you all getting ready for Thanksgiving? I am so glad that my sister is cooking dinner again this year. I will do Christmas dinner. Well time to go, typing is making my arm hurt. Have a great day.

Vacation day 6/Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!!

Today we went back to Animal Kingdom because we all wanted to ride Expedition Everest again. We all loved that ride. We took another safari ride and enjoyed getting to see all of the animals. I would love to go on a real safari sometime. I would just love to be able to get some really great  photos of the animals walking around in the wild. The giraffes and elephants are my favorite animals when it comes to zoos.

After spending most of the day in Animal Kingdom, leaving to go to Downtown Disney as we had dinner reservations at the Raglan Road. It was a quaint little Irish Pub. We all had fish and chips, all except for David and he had a steak. The fish was so good. After dinner the guys went to a concert at the House of Blues. Joe Satrioni is a guitaris that both Tony and David love. Lesli and I just bummed around in all the shops, had ice cream and took photos. It was  very enjoyable evening. There were so many people dressed up and they were not just kids, rather kids of all ages. It was so much fun just to watch the people.

Here are some photos from today:
Well that is all I have share for today. More to come!!

Hollywood Studios-Day 5

Today we went to Hollywood Studios. I must say that this is my least favorite park. I loved the Tower of Terror and the Lights, Motor, Action. The parade was also very good.
and now on to the photos...

Thanks for sharing this day with me. We have just enjoyed ourselves so much. Just a few more days and we will be done with our vacation. Why do the always have to go so fast??

Vacation day 4/Happy Birthday

Today is day 4 of our vacation and I am celebrating my birthday. Normally I don't like birthdays but today is an exception, I get to spend it in Magic Kingdom!!!! WOOOOO HOOOOO!!! (I miss celebrating with my family, but they all called or texted me) I do not ever remember being anywhere but at home on my birthday, so this is really special.

We started the day by having a nice hot breakfast at our resort and then off we went to The Magic Kingdom. I don't know what it is about the Magic Kingdom that I love so much, but it is my favorite park in Disney World. I think that it is because it is so much like Disneyland. It is just the most magical place and I feel like such a kid at heart, you know No Worries, Hakuna Matata.

I love all of the big rides and believe me we did them all. Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. We also did them all more than once. I have thought about it and I am not sure which one was my favorite, I just love them all.

We had dinner at Tony's Restaurant on main street. It is an Italian Restaurant that is fashioned after the one in the movie "Lady and the Tramp". The food was very good. I had Chicken Parmigiana, salad and for dessert I had Pistachio Creme Brulee. I absolutely loved it. Creme Brulee is one of my favorite desserts of all time!! (that and my Mom's carrot cake)
Tony and I had to share some spaghetti since we both love the movie "Lady and the Tramp".
Now to share some photos:

And this is how the evening ended in the Magic Kingdom, Happy Birthday to Me!!! This is one of my favorite photos from the trip.
                     

Come back tomorrow and I will share some more fun stuff.

Vacation day 3

Wow this vacation sure is going fast.

We went to Epcot for the first time today. It was a very interesting park. There were some good rides there and lots of interesting foods. We listened to a band called British Invasion. They were like the Beatles and they really sounded like them.

The day started off after we got to Epcot with all of us buying a jacket. It was so very cold and the wind was blowing. It was just plain miserable. Everyone at the park was buying jackets, Disney made lots of money today.

Here are a group of photos from today:

Epcot was a wonderful place to visit. I especially like getting to see Princess Aroura. She was such a good actress and so in character. She asked me if Tony and I met "once upon a dream"? Of course we told her yes.

On our vacation tomorrow is my birthday and I have some wonderful photos to share, so come back check them out.