A Great Family Retreat...

Well we had a great weekend on the lake at my Uncle Elton's home. The weather was perfect in the high 80's, sunny and a cool breeze! The food was good and so plentiful! Here is my cousin Tammy's new boat being brought into the dock.

Tammy is actually letting cousin Mike at the helm!! I bet he had a key made for it before he left. No, actually I bet he has one for himself before next reunion!

The weather was just beautiful and we all got a little sun on us! Here's cousin Tony from Texas and my niece Chelsea and boyfriend Austin( remember the prom pics) and my mom enjoying a spin around Grand Lake!

Some more cousins sitting on the dock catching up.

My sister in law with her daughter Brooke and my daughter Taylor catching some rays this morning before loading up to come home. Many of my aunts and uncles bring their dogs. They are always fun to watch get reacquainted! Only one fight broke out amongst the canines! Tammy had a new puppy who was fun, Bella kept finding sticks and running around thinking she had stolen them from everyone! We had homemade biscuits and gravy, sausage, eggs, sandwich stuff, BBQ chicken and every salad you could think of. Snicker cake, Paula Deen''s Orange brownies, homemade molasses cookies( to die for, we kept hiding then so everyone wouldn't eat them!) homemade sweet breads, brownies, and wine coolers!!!! When my moms family cooks, after a meal it looks like another family could some in to eat again! We always overcook for a gathering. My mom is the youngest of 16 kids. 13 survived adulthood and so many are gone now but we have such a large number of cousins and in laws that it's always a crowd! We had a fun fun weekend and we came home just dog tired, but anxious to do it all over again next yr. Got my laundry started and the suitcases put away for awhile. Mike and I hit the pool after we got home and then went for a motorcycle ride tonight. We have the prettiest wheat and corn fields around here. It was just picture perfect. I'll have to take a picture one of these evenings from the bike! Well it will be so good to sleep in my own bed tonight. Last night Chelsea's boyfriend Austin decided he would stay at the lake with us overnight, so we split our motel rms into girls and boys. Us girls rms were a little crowded and we didn't get to good a night sleep so tonight I will sleep!!!! Have a great Mon. Mom and I are still working on her tag sale for Fri and Sat. oh she has so much stuff. We have only tackled the attic and the garage is already full.!!!!

New Family Photos

It's so late, but I just sat down for the evening. I got our Christmas family photos back today. My cousin took them and she is the one who went into premature labor. Baby Jasiah is doing fine! We got them divided up between my mom, SIL and myself. I love the one of the three girls! The one on the left is our daughter Taylor, next is my niece Chelsea and then my niece Brooke. The other photo includes our dog Scooter. The photos were taken at our home. On another post I will show you our whole family picture. Mike and I took a road trip today to a flea market less than an hr. away. I found an old wire soap dish and a strainer of some kind. Ill have to post them also. We got home and I went and bought groceries. Made a casserole for dinner tomorrow and some ww taco soup for my lunch this week. I have my first weigh in tomorrow night at WW. Well I had better get to bed. It will be 6am before I know it. Have a great Monday!

What a Wii little mess!

What a Wii little mess we have here. The packaging of the new Wii Taylor got for Christmas, or should I say Taylor and Mike. He loves golf and bowling. They are in there now.We spent the most part of the day stocking the new potting shed and clearing out the old potting shed. We took out the shelving and threw a bunch of stuff away. I will be making the old shed into a craft shop this spring. i hung old galvanized tubs on the south side of the shed. I will have to go out tomorrow and take some pics. i never think to so that when I'm in the midst of things. Tomorrow I may run to a flea market about 20 miles away from town, I haven't been there in yrs. Today I sat and ordered family pictures we had taken at Christmas. My cousin took them, then went into premature delivery. So we are just now ordering. I will post some when I get them. I can't pull them off the photo story until I purchase them. That is a picture of the old clothes I bought at the goodwill for the wool. I have since cut them into usable cloth. Well I had better get up to my sewing rm. I have been staying up until 12 or so and then wanting to sleep late in the morning. We go back to school on Mon. and i will have to hit the floor at 6am again,YUG. I have always been a late night person, but like to get up later. Well have a great night!

Winter Band Concert

Hi Ladies, just a short post tonight before taking the daughter to dance class. last night we attended the winter band concert. the 6-8th grade band preformed. they do improve with age. i'm proud to say my daughter is 1st chair in the flute section, meaning by trying out she received the highest ranking of her instument!! we are very proud of her. she picked up the flute several yrs. ago and was really a natural. she has those long fingers for it! my niece is a 7th grader and also plays the flute she too preformed. they both did a great job. the picture of taylor and her friend whitley, they have been best friends since preschool! its great to have a best friend, she also plays the flute. pictures and ice cream at braums after the program, always! the picture of the canister set is in my Hoosier cabinet. i have made a set to sell at the craft show this sat. and i wanted to take a picture of mine to display with the set i'm selling. i like them! well i had better get going. my husband is pheasant hunting up in western kansas with guys from work for the week, so we stopped by subway for dinner, taylors favorite place to eat! its cold and dreary outside. a good night to set by the fire and sew!!! have a great rest of the week. ill post some pics of my craft show!!

Parade Day

Happy Fall To Ya'll,

Today is the big Neewollah Grande parade, I have just a few minutes to post a few pics of the kiddies parade yesterday. the weather was nippy, but lots of little kiddo entered the parade downtown. The first few are of cousins in their cheerleading outfits along with "Cousin Mongo".

Taylor and cousin Brooke playing thier flutes in the IMS Middle School band!

Dads Favorite Hobby

Hi everyone, well back to work tomorrow. It was a beautiful weekend though. Dad did begin to paint their house. They chose a cafe cream with white trim. My folks live in a log house. Its been red and blue and now cafe cream. His plan is to paint one side every week. His cars keep him busy. Both my parents retired the same day 9 yrs ago. My mom was a hair stylist for 30 some yrs. and my dad is a welder. He keeps busy in the garage customizing cars. He tries to build and sell one a yr. This is the one he just finished up and as you can see he has one already started. My husband and brother also have the "custom bug" they also share the hobby. Ill have to post our car and garage sometime. The neighbors refer to Mikes garage as the (toolshmahall) Well I had better turn in for the night. Everyone have a great Monday. Ive got a crate of Carmel apples to take to school tomorrow. Thanks Pickled Peppers Patch!!

Continuation of Family on the Farm

I still don't know how to download more than 5 pics at a time, so this is the 2nd part of my blog tonight. Anyway, the next few pics. are the dear husband of mine and my sister in law Dana filling their tummies with the yummy food. And my cute niece Chelsea giving us one of her beautiful smiles, (see Chels, I told you you'd be on my blog!) Like I said before, music is a big part of my family. Now not all of us can carry a tune, most can, unfortunately not me. I don't sing. however this cousin can and did. Most of the reunions after the meal, there is a mad dash to the microphone. Whoever gets there first gets the part. The rest of us "Nothing Cousins" just get up to do the dishes. We did have a good time, we laughed all day and love each other alot. Its always good to get together!!

A Weekend at Green Acers!

Ok, last weekend we had a family reunion on my moms side of the family. Now she is the youngest of 16. Granted not many of her siblings left, but this has left me with tons and tons of relatives. We try to get together once a yr. at differant locations. Music and food are a big part of our family. Lets start with the food. You never leave our reunions hungry. We can get up from a meal and it looks like the next bunch could come in to eat. the girls like to cook. this day we had smoked ribs, quail, chicken, brisket and even smoked bologna! Cornbread, salads and fried potatoes to die for. I mean die for, those fried potatoes could hav been on the desert table!! Speaking of the desert table. It must have had 20 items on it!! We love our sweets. The next photo is dear cousin Kathy! whom by the way just turned the big 50!!!! Happy Birthday cousin Kathy! This is her interpation of "Craft Time" or how to repurpose a solo dixie cup in to a octopus, I think she said! (Sorry I downloaded her twice, but after all she is 50) The next two pics are of my daughter Taylor and niece Brooke along with thier cousins, sisters Jaylah and Joee, and yes the mutton bust'in I was telling you about. Well this little guy was the first to try mutton bustin, but seconds acfter this phot was taken, that sweet little soft sheep, dropped the little guy and stoppled his cute little face. Well needless to say the girls where going to have none of that! We like our faces to much.