Saturday, January 22, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Greetings from Peoria
We have been here a week. Yes, it is very cold and I hear it is near 80 in Phoenix but the grand kids are keeping us warm and laughing. We fly out tomorrow. It has been a fantastic week with everyone. Matt arrived Friday afternoon and Grandpa Butch and Mitch arrived that evening. Saturday was Drew's 4th birthday so we celebrated as best we could considering he had a fever and later found out it was strep. Poor kid! The motrin kept it at bay and he enjoyed his day which consisted of presents, birthday cake and his favorite thing: bowling! Andy took him sledding one day. Drew loves playing in the snow. I went out and shot video for awhile. I am not too used to the cold anymore! :-)
I have lots of pics and videos to sift through but did get one edited (sort of) to enclose. The kids love to dance and we got a real kick out of them. More to come as I get them finished.
I have lots of pics and videos to sift through but did get one edited (sort of) to enclose. The kids love to dance and we got a real kick out of them. More to come as I get them finished.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Still staying busy
Mark and I are keeping ourselves busy putting finishing touches just about everywhere on our winter home. We are pretty much done indoors for now with the only thing left: putting cabinet hardware on the kitchen cupboards. This week we started on some landscaping in the back yard. It looks pretty rough right now with landscape rock needing to be added and some dirt hauled away but Mark did install brick edging around our little lawn and that is going to look really great when the rest of the yard is done. I planted a rose garden in one area yesterday with Mark's help and cannot wait until the bright pink and white roses bloom in time. Looks a bit ugly at the moment. :-) The front yard renovation will begin towards the end of January. There is grass in the front and we want to remove that and have a total desert look which is easier to leave in the summer than a grass yard!
We are both VERY excited to be flying to Peoria, IL on the 12th to attend Drew's 4th birthday party! We are NOT excited about the weather that will greet us but that is minor compared to seeing Drew, Kayley, Megan, Matt and Andy! Matt is driving from Omaha to Chicago and then coming to Peoria in time for the party. So glad we will get to see everyone this trip.
Some pics of our work in the back yard. As I said, look very tough right now but it will be better in the future when our rock work is done!
Mark installing the brick edging around our yard.
Out with the old, in with the new
The brick edging installed
Another angle
We are both VERY excited to be flying to Peoria, IL on the 12th to attend Drew's 4th birthday party! We are NOT excited about the weather that will greet us but that is minor compared to seeing Drew, Kayley, Megan, Matt and Andy! Matt is driving from Omaha to Chicago and then coming to Peoria in time for the party. So glad we will get to see everyone this trip.
Some pics of our work in the back yard. As I said, look very tough right now but it will be better in the future when our rock work is done!
Mark installing the brick edging around our yard.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Happy 2011
I just got used to writing 2010....where does the time go? Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful year and may it bring you much health and happiness!
Mark and I didn't do a thing for NY's eve or NY's day. Well, we did do lunch at our favorite restaurant, Manuel's, yesterday but that was about it. It is so cold here that most celebrations had to be miserable! We have covered our plants for three nights straight and will probably do so again tonight. It is supposed to start warming up a bit and for that I am thankful. It isn't all that bad during the day but it has been in the 20's at night. Very uncommon here! But, still better than if we were on the Iowa farm. :-)
The 28th we attended the Insight Bowl in Tempe to watch our Iowa Hawkeyes beat the Missouri Tigers. The game wasn't until 8 p.m. but we left around 3:00 in the afternoon and drove down to the campus and hit the tailgating bars and had dinner. It was so much fun and such a great game. It made for a very memorable 36th wedding anniversary!
We also spent the cold days finishing all our cornice boards in the home. Now every window looks fantastic! Next project, landscaping. Labor intense, that! But, I love to do landscaping so I am looking forward to the challenge. Not sure if Mark is quite as enthusiastic for this job as I am...
A few photos from the tailgating and bowl game:
Mark and I didn't do a thing for NY's eve or NY's day. Well, we did do lunch at our favorite restaurant, Manuel's, yesterday but that was about it. It is so cold here that most celebrations had to be miserable! We have covered our plants for three nights straight and will probably do so again tonight. It is supposed to start warming up a bit and for that I am thankful. It isn't all that bad during the day but it has been in the 20's at night. Very uncommon here! But, still better than if we were on the Iowa farm. :-)
The 28th we attended the Insight Bowl in Tempe to watch our Iowa Hawkeyes beat the Missouri Tigers. The game wasn't until 8 p.m. but we left around 3:00 in the afternoon and drove down to the campus and hit the tailgating bars and had dinner. It was so much fun and such a great game. It made for a very memorable 36th wedding anniversary!
We also spent the cold days finishing all our cornice boards in the home. Now every window looks fantastic! Next project, landscaping. Labor intense, that! But, I love to do landscaping so I am looking forward to the challenge. Not sure if Mark is quite as enthusiastic for this job as I am...
A few photos from the tailgating and bowl game:
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
How we spent Christmas...
We spent all day finishing our cornice boards. Merry Christmas, huh? Oh well, it was a nice gift for us, even if it did involve labor. Ha! Hope your day was more fun. I am certain that it was!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Christmas Eve
This is our very first Christmas by ourselves with no family around. I thought it would be harder, but it isn't so bad because it absolutely does not feel like Christmas to me. I am sure that is exactly because there is no family here and being in AZ, it is hard to get into the spirit of Christmas in 70 degree weather!
Mark and I spent the day making cornice boards for our windows and sliding door. We accomplished one window and the sliding door. It takes a long time! We decided to go with a southwest fabric as that contains a lot of color from our decor. We are both quite pleased with what we have done so far and come Christmas day we should get them all done...hopefully. :-)
Megan and family are spending Christmas with Andy's family in Le Mars. They had some dicey roads today on their journey (gotta love that Iowa weather) to Grandpa Thiel's home, but thankfully they are there now safe and sound. I think they will be going to Omaha later in the week and then should be able to see Matt for the holidays.
Well, have to go put the finishing touches on our Christmas Eve traditional dinner...frozen burgers and a salad. Ha! Merry Christmas, all!
Our patio door before:
Patio door after the installation"
Closeup..we are fixing those holes! :-)
Mark and I spent the day making cornice boards for our windows and sliding door. We accomplished one window and the sliding door. It takes a long time! We decided to go with a southwest fabric as that contains a lot of color from our decor. We are both quite pleased with what we have done so far and come Christmas day we should get them all done...hopefully. :-)
Megan and family are spending Christmas with Andy's family in Le Mars. They had some dicey roads today on their journey (gotta love that Iowa weather) to Grandpa Thiel's home, but thankfully they are there now safe and sound. I think they will be going to Omaha later in the week and then should be able to see Matt for the holidays.
Well, have to go put the finishing touches on our Christmas Eve traditional dinner...frozen burgers and a salad. Ha! Merry Christmas, all!
Our patio door before:
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Being sick
Mark was pretty sick all last week with a cold and he finally went to Urgent Care on Friday. They said he had bronchitis and I don't doubt that as his cough was pretty rough. After three prescriptions he is doing much better and now I am feeling crummy today....dull headache, sore muscles, etc. I suppose he just had to give it to me! I won't wait as long to go to the doctor as he did! I don't like being down.
The weather is still beautiful here, setting several records last week. It cooled down a little the last two days and we even had some rain but it still quite warm, especially when my brother Kevin told me it was 3 degrees in Iowa. Yikes! I hiked several times this week, Mark put up some more shelving in the garage and we have been measuring our windows for cornice boards. I cannot wait to see the finished product and bought the fabric today as it was 50% off. (Still rather expensive, though!)
Well, that is it. We have just been puttering around our winter home and enjoying the weather. Stay warm, my cold weather friends and family!
The tall cactus in the middle is there temporarily. Andy gave that to us when they moved and I want it to be in our front yard when we landscape.
I planted two vines along our west wall.
My geraniums were just planted. Cannot wait until they are huge and beautiful!
Me with our good friend Alice from our townhouse days. We went to Greasewood for drinks and food and it was warm and fun!
The weather is still beautiful here, setting several records last week. It cooled down a little the last two days and we even had some rain but it still quite warm, especially when my brother Kevin told me it was 3 degrees in Iowa. Yikes! I hiked several times this week, Mark put up some more shelving in the garage and we have been measuring our windows for cornice boards. I cannot wait to see the finished product and bought the fabric today as it was 50% off. (Still rather expensive, though!)
Well, that is it. We have just been puttering around our winter home and enjoying the weather. Stay warm, my cold weather friends and family!
The tall cactus in the middle is there temporarily. Andy gave that to us when they moved and I want it to be in our front yard when we landscape.
I planted two vines along our west wall.
My geraniums were just planted. Cannot wait until they are huge and beautiful!
Me with our good friend Alice from our townhouse days. We went to Greasewood for drinks and food and it was warm and fun!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Quiet week-end
Mark and I don't have a lot planned this week-end. Mark is working on my honey-do list which I keep adding to daily. I hope he doesn't just protest and head back to Iowa! :-) Oh well, he can't go now because they are having a blizzard today. :-( I am assuming Matt and Megan are getting similar winter weather. Looks like Drew and Kayley will have snow to play in with their new winter gear.
Last night we ate at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It was as delicious as we remembered! It is only a few blocks from our home so I imagine it won't be our only visit this winter.
Our big project will be landscaping the front and back yards. There is grass out front and I want to get rid of that and put in desert landscape. I do not like watering that lawn all summer while I am not even here plus it is a waste of precious desert water! The hardest part will be removing the sod although planting and spreading rock won't be a walk in the park!
Tomorrow we are going to Greasewood (a western-type outdoor bar/restaurant with live music) with a friend who was a neighbor when we lived at Megan and Andy's townhouse. She is a lot of fun and a very positive person so we are looking forward to seeing her again.
The pictures below show Mark putting up our Christmas lights, the end result and also our neighbor's light show, which makes ours look like a night light! I also posted a pic of a cactus that the hikers on North Mountain decorated for the holidays. It is right by the decorated tree that I posted a few days ago. There is also a picture of our new garage shelving that Mark installed this week. There are no basements out here so this was a must and I just love the shelves. The garage is finally back to being a garage. :-)
Mark putting up Christmas lights
Our neighbor's great decorations
Our less impressive decorations!
Santa cactus on North Mountain trail
New garage shelving courtesy of Mark!
Last night we ate at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It was as delicious as we remembered! It is only a few blocks from our home so I imagine it won't be our only visit this winter.
Our big project will be landscaping the front and back yards. There is grass out front and I want to get rid of that and put in desert landscape. I do not like watering that lawn all summer while I am not even here plus it is a waste of precious desert water! The hardest part will be removing the sod although planting and spreading rock won't be a walk in the park!
Tomorrow we are going to Greasewood (a western-type outdoor bar/restaurant with live music) with a friend who was a neighbor when we lived at Megan and Andy's townhouse. She is a lot of fun and a very positive person so we are looking forward to seeing her again.
The pictures below show Mark putting up our Christmas lights, the end result and also our neighbor's light show, which makes ours look like a night light! I also posted a pic of a cactus that the hikers on North Mountain decorated for the holidays. It is right by the decorated tree that I posted a few days ago. There is also a picture of our new garage shelving that Mark installed this week. There are no basements out here so this was a must and I just love the shelves. The garage is finally back to being a garage. :-)
Mark putting up Christmas lights
Our neighbor's great decorations
Our less impressive decorations!
Santa cactus on North Mountain trail
New garage shelving courtesy of Mark!
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
My farmer arrived
Mark made it to Phoenix on Monday afternoon, around 2:30. He left Omaha Sunday morning and drove ALL the way to Santa Rosa, NM that first day, over 900 miles! I only made it to Tucumcari when I came and thought that was as far as any human could drive in one day. Guess I was wrong since he went on another 50 miles! That made for a very short day on Monday plus gaining an hour. It is so great to have him here. The valley has greeted him with beautiful weather, near 80 every day and looking to set a record this week-end.
We started right in working on our garage. I am painting it and he is going to put up lots of shelving so we can get our junk off the floor and allow us to get both vehicles put away at night. We are taking a break this afternoon and putting up Christmas lights outdoors. This neighborhood gets very festive so we don't want to look like old scrooges!
This morning I hiked North Mountain once again. I really enjoy the challenge of this trail and see lots of familiar faces now. They have a small desert tree near the top that the hikers decorate for Christmas every year so today I brought a snowman ornament up and hung it. (See pics below). My broken little toe is still killing me so I am still unable to get in my hiking boots. Thank god for Teva sandals! Mark thinks I am doing nothing to help my toe heal by hiking every day. I am sure he has a point. :-)
Yesterday we purchased tickets to the Insight Bowl here in Tempe since the Iowa Hawkeyes are playing. We have never been to a Hawkeye bowl game so couldn't turn this down. After purchasing we learn their star receiver was arrested on a drug charge and won't be playing. :-( That kid probably just lost a lucrative career in the NFL and is headed for the pen instead. So sad.
Well, that is all for updating. I will tell more later when I know more!
We started right in working on our garage. I am painting it and he is going to put up lots of shelving so we can get our junk off the floor and allow us to get both vehicles put away at night. We are taking a break this afternoon and putting up Christmas lights outdoors. This neighborhood gets very festive so we don't want to look like old scrooges!
This morning I hiked North Mountain once again. I really enjoy the challenge of this trail and see lots of familiar faces now. They have a small desert tree near the top that the hikers decorate for Christmas every year so today I brought a snowman ornament up and hung it. (See pics below). My broken little toe is still killing me so I am still unable to get in my hiking boots. Thank god for Teva sandals! Mark thinks I am doing nothing to help my toe heal by hiking every day. I am sure he has a point. :-)
Yesterday we purchased tickets to the Insight Bowl here in Tempe since the Iowa Hawkeyes are playing. We have never been to a Hawkeye bowl game so couldn't turn this down. After purchasing we learn their star receiver was arrested on a drug charge and won't be playing. :-( That kid probably just lost a lucrative career in the NFL and is headed for the pen instead. So sad.
Well, that is all for updating. I will tell more later when I know more!
Friday, December 03, 2010
Enjoying my life
I have been back in AZ since Tuesday. I cannot complain about the weather, of course. It has been in the mid to upper 70's each day and always sunny. I think that is my favorite thing about being here....so much happy sunshine!
I have been shopping, hiking and replanting my frozen, dead geraniums. All my plants bit the dust while I was in Iowa for Thanksgiving. It seems Phoenix had a very "unusual" freeze for November. No kidding! It about killed me to throw out my tomato plants with their brown little fruit dangling. :-( I didn't buy any new tomato plants as I have decided Costco tomatoes taste just fine and will stick with colorful flowers instead.
I have the Christmas tree up and decorated but there won't be any presents under it unless Mark brings me some. Hint, hint... Everyone else is getting money from us, thus, no packages!
Below are pics from my hike this morning on North Mountain and also one of our orange tree which is starting to turn. Hope Mark feels like eating a lot of oranges this winter!
I have been shopping, hiking and replanting my frozen, dead geraniums. All my plants bit the dust while I was in Iowa for Thanksgiving. It seems Phoenix had a very "unusual" freeze for November. No kidding! It about killed me to throw out my tomato plants with their brown little fruit dangling. :-( I didn't buy any new tomato plants as I have decided Costco tomatoes taste just fine and will stick with colorful flowers instead.
I have the Christmas tree up and decorated but there won't be any presents under it unless Mark brings me some. Hint, hint... Everyone else is getting money from us, thus, no packages!
Below are pics from my hike this morning on North Mountain and also one of our orange tree which is starting to turn. Hope Mark feels like eating a lot of oranges this winter!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
A VERY Happy Thanksgiving
We had such a great time over the Thanksgiving holiday. Megan, Andy and the kids arrived on Tuesday evening and the fun truly began. It was so great to see Drew and Kayley, I could hardly stand it! Matt came on Wednesday so the immediate family was complete.
Thanksgiving Day the festivities continued with the arrival of Kevin and Julie, Larry, Jody and Lane, Angie, Jake and sweet little Jesse. I made all the traditional Thanksgiving fare and Julie added crab stuffed mushrooms, Angie a salad and Larry and Jody brought pumpkin pies. No one walked away from the table hungry....well, maybe Drew. He told me he only likes pizza, hot dogs and yogurt. :-)
Everyone went home on Sunday so Mark and I found it very quiet on the farm that day. I was once again going through grandchild withdrawl for several hours!
I flew back to Phoenix today. Had a long stop in Denver but finally arrived here around 2:00. All my patio plants were dead. Several nights of freezing temps did them in good! It is NOT supposed to get that cold this early so I was really surprised to find my geraniums and tomato plants all goners! :-(
I hope everyone also had a wonderful Thanksgiving and am sure everyone is getting ready for Christmas now.
Some videos from our week together:
Thanksgiving Day the festivities continued with the arrival of Kevin and Julie, Larry, Jody and Lane, Angie, Jake and sweet little Jesse. I made all the traditional Thanksgiving fare and Julie added crab stuffed mushrooms, Angie a salad and Larry and Jody brought pumpkin pies. No one walked away from the table hungry....well, maybe Drew. He told me he only likes pizza, hot dogs and yogurt. :-)
Everyone went home on Sunday so Mark and I found it very quiet on the farm that day. I was once again going through grandchild withdrawl for several hours!
I flew back to Phoenix today. Had a long stop in Denver but finally arrived here around 2:00. All my patio plants were dead. Several nights of freezing temps did them in good! It is NOT supposed to get that cold this early so I was really surprised to find my geraniums and tomato plants all goners! :-(
I hope everyone also had a wonderful Thanksgiving and am sure everyone is getting ready for Christmas now.
Some videos from our week together:
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Baby it's cold outside!
Only in the upper 20's here in Iowa! Thankfully there is no snow or ice. That would be much worse although it would be prettier to look out the window! I had forgotten (not really) how dreary winter can be in Iowa with everything brown and the wind howling. I think the worst part is rarely seeing the sun. Why does the midwest have so many cloudy November days?!?!
Oh well, the weather will not be a concern once my children and grandchildren arrive! I am looking forward to that day immensely! I plan on having the Thanksgiving dinner here and my brother and some of his family are coming. Haven't checked in with my other brother yet to see if he can come. Must do that Kevin!
I am a bit upset that our upstairs dish receiver is not working and they cannot come fix it until the 27th! Nine days without a TV would about kill some people off I would think! Fortunately, the receiver in the basement is working. I wish I had stuck with DishNet as we never had any dish problems with them. It seems to be constant with DirectTV. Grrrrr.
Well, until I have photos and videos of everyone when they are home I guess I will sign out. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there!
Oh well, the weather will not be a concern once my children and grandchildren arrive! I am looking forward to that day immensely! I plan on having the Thanksgiving dinner here and my brother and some of his family are coming. Haven't checked in with my other brother yet to see if he can come. Must do that Kevin!
I am a bit upset that our upstairs dish receiver is not working and they cannot come fix it until the 27th! Nine days without a TV would about kill some people off I would think! Fortunately, the receiver in the basement is working. I wish I had stuck with DishNet as we never had any dish problems with them. It seems to be constant with DirectTV. Grrrrr.
Well, until I have photos and videos of everyone when they are home I guess I will sign out. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Fun with sis
I had a great time with sister Sharon during her visit to Arizona. I took her to the airport bright and early this morning for her flight to New Mexico so she can visit her son Erik and his children before heading back to Florida.
She arrived last Wednesday and stayed with Lisa that night. I picked her up in Mesa (Lisa's home)on Thursday and we went to my home for the rest of the day and evening. Friday morning we hiked and then met Lisa and her sons Nick and Aaron for happy hour at Dos Gringo's in Old Scottsdale. She went home with them for the week-end. Then Sunday I drove back to Old Scottsdale and met Sharon, Lisa, Aaron (1), Taylor and Dan for dinner at Oregano's. Megan, it is still is as good as you remember!
Sharon came home once again with me and stayed until her flight this morning. We hiked three times despite my broken little toe. I couldn't get my hiking boots on so I threw on my Teva's and away we went! We also worked in two visits to Terravita, Sharon's former home in Scottsdale. She was able to see many old friends so that was great for her and them! I think they wished she still lived there. :-) I don't know if the feeling is mutual, though. Sharon seems to be very content in The Villages of Florida!
Now it is quiet and I look forward to spending Thanksgiving in Iowa and seeing Drew and Kayley. I cannot begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to that!!!
Some pics from her visit:
Our good friend Marilyn at her home in Terravita
Hiking at Squaw Peak in my sandals
Dinner with friends at Terravita Country Club
She arrived last Wednesday and stayed with Lisa that night. I picked her up in Mesa (Lisa's home)on Thursday and we went to my home for the rest of the day and evening. Friday morning we hiked and then met Lisa and her sons Nick and Aaron for happy hour at Dos Gringo's in Old Scottsdale. She went home with them for the week-end. Then Sunday I drove back to Old Scottsdale and met Sharon, Lisa, Aaron (1), Taylor and Dan for dinner at Oregano's. Megan, it is still is as good as you remember!
Sharon came home once again with me and stayed until her flight this morning. We hiked three times despite my broken little toe. I couldn't get my hiking boots on so I threw on my Teva's and away we went! We also worked in two visits to Terravita, Sharon's former home in Scottsdale. She was able to see many old friends so that was great for her and them! I think they wished she still lived there. :-) I don't know if the feeling is mutual, though. Sharon seems to be very content in The Villages of Florida!
Now it is quiet and I look forward to spending Thanksgiving in Iowa and seeing Drew and Kayley. I cannot begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to that!!!
Some pics from her visit:
Our good friend Marilyn at her home in Terravita
Hiking at Squaw Peak in my sandals
Dinner with friends at Terravita Country Club
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Feeling sorry for myself
I think I broke my little toe yesterday morning. :-( I plowed in to a step ladder, barefoot, and today it is black and blue and I can only walk with a limp. Sharon comes here on Thursday and we were all set to hike. Ain't gonna happen... I am trying to decide if I should see a doctor but I recall always hearing "there is nothing they can do for a broken toe" or was that a broken nose? Anyway, I am not a happy camper and am cursing my clumsiness! My mom was always severely stubbing her toe so maybe I came by it naturally?
Monday, November 01, 2010
Halloween
Well, I am glad that is over! I never did get too fired up about Halloween and this year was no exception. For the first time in my life, though, I had trick or treaters! Living on a farm in Iowa doesn't work well for little goblins and the townhouse we lived in the last three years we saw "maybe" ten or so kids. The street we are on now had a huge turnout. I ran out of candy and had to shut the light off! Next year I will have to buy more candy or head to a movie. :-)
I sowed the winter rye grass in the back yard and will now watch to see if it grows. I also planted a lantana along the west wall and decided to try two tomato plants in pots. I am going to be in Iowa November 18-30 so I am worried about the pots not getting watered while I am gone. I think I will run landscaping drip lines to both pots so they don't die while I am celebrating Thanksgiving.
I do my 5.5 mile hike every other day. I am hoping to work up to every day but will start venturing out to other trails so I don't become bored with this one! I don't know exactly how many different trails there are in the valley but I would bet money that I could go a LONG time and never take the same one. Some are just not comfortable doing alone, though. I like the ones with lots of people on them and no mountain lions! :-)
Since I missed out on seeing Drew and Kayley in their costumes I stole some pictures from Megan's FB page. Drew actually wore his Thomas the train costume for trick or treating. Hurray!
I sowed the winter rye grass in the back yard and will now watch to see if it grows. I also planted a lantana along the west wall and decided to try two tomato plants in pots. I am going to be in Iowa November 18-30 so I am worried about the pots not getting watered while I am gone. I think I will run landscaping drip lines to both pots so they don't die while I am celebrating Thanksgiving.
I do my 5.5 mile hike every other day. I am hoping to work up to every day but will start venturing out to other trails so I don't become bored with this one! I don't know exactly how many different trails there are in the valley but I would bet money that I could go a LONG time and never take the same one. Some are just not comfortable doing alone, though. I like the ones with lots of people on them and no mountain lions! :-)
Since I missed out on seeing Drew and Kayley in their costumes I stole some pictures from Megan's FB page. Drew actually wore his Thomas the train costume for trick or treating. Hurray!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)