Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
A week on the farm!
Thursday, June 9th Drew and Kayley arrived with their parents. Matt also arrived that evening. This was the official birthday for Kayley who turned 3 on the 9th.
Friday night we drove to Fort Dodge to visit Grandpa Butch who had a room at a hotel with a pool. The kids enjoyed swimming and we all ate dinner at the hotel's restaurant, The Cellar.
Saturday Megan, Kayley and I went to a shower for Brooke Swanson at Barb Peterson's home. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone and Kayley was very good at the shower! Following that we had Kayley's actual birthday party with gift opening and a delicious "princess" cake. Grandpa Butch came to the farm for the celebration and spent the night with us.
Sunday Megan, Andy and Matt all headed home and Drew and Kayley stayed at the farm. I was a bit concerned that they would get homesick for an entire week but they were little troopers and did just fine with grandpa and grandma. We had a fantastic time! The big hit for them was swimming in a little pool I bought for their visit. When we weren't swimming we were driving the golf cart all over the farms, spraying water from the hose, picking up sticks, cleaning grandma's car from splattered bugs and playing pool in the basement.
This past Sunday we loaded up my car and I returned them to their parents in Peoria. That is a five hour drive and they did great on that, too! Drew got pretty excited when he started recognizing landmarks for Peoria and he said he was excited to see mommy and daddy! I stayed that night in Peoria and left Monday morning for the return trip to the farm. It is VERY quiet at our house now...too quiet for my taste! :-)
Some videos and pics of our very fun week:
Friday night we drove to Fort Dodge to visit Grandpa Butch who had a room at a hotel with a pool. The kids enjoyed swimming and we all ate dinner at the hotel's restaurant, The Cellar.
Saturday Megan, Kayley and I went to a shower for Brooke Swanson at Barb Peterson's home. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone and Kayley was very good at the shower! Following that we had Kayley's actual birthday party with gift opening and a delicious "princess" cake. Grandpa Butch came to the farm for the celebration and spent the night with us.
Sunday Megan, Andy and Matt all headed home and Drew and Kayley stayed at the farm. I was a bit concerned that they would get homesick for an entire week but they were little troopers and did just fine with grandpa and grandma. We had a fantastic time! The big hit for them was swimming in a little pool I bought for their visit. When we weren't swimming we were driving the golf cart all over the farms, spraying water from the hose, picking up sticks, cleaning grandma's car from splattered bugs and playing pool in the basement.
This past Sunday we loaded up my car and I returned them to their parents in Peoria. That is a five hour drive and they did great on that, too! Drew got pretty excited when he started recognizing landmarks for Peoria and he said he was excited to see mommy and daddy! I stayed that night in Peoria and left Monday morning for the return trip to the farm. It is VERY quiet at our house now...too quiet for my taste! :-)
Some videos and pics of our very fun week:
This video is pretty hilarious at the end!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Misty day at the zoo
Mark and I met Megan, Drew and Kayley at the Omaha zoo yesterday. Their aunts Kim and Jenny were also there along with cousins Macie, Noah and J. D. The weather was far from perfect but they had a good time. Kayley enjoyed the animals immensely but I think Drew was having more fun pushing the stroller and trying to keep us all away from getting too close to the windows of the apes and tigers! (He is still a bit of a worry wort but that is his caring nature!)
After the zoo the ladies all took their children home for a nap. Mark and I drove to Kim's house around 4 P.M. and took Drew and Kayley back to Matt's house to spend the night. We took them to dinner at Dave and Buster's and of course had to play some skee-ball. Drew loved that! Had enough tickets to buy a tiny little car...total cost was $10.00. :-) Why was I never smart enough to open a place like that or smart enough to make a zillion Thomas the Train engines for a tidy profit?!?!?!?
Movie from the zoo and Dave and Buster's"
After the zoo the ladies all took their children home for a nap. Mark and I drove to Kim's house around 4 P.M. and took Drew and Kayley back to Matt's house to spend the night. We took them to dinner at Dave and Buster's and of course had to play some skee-ball. Drew loved that! Had enough tickets to buy a tiny little car...total cost was $10.00. :-) Why was I never smart enough to open a place like that or smart enough to make a zillion Thomas the Train engines for a tidy profit?!?!?!?
Movie from the zoo and Dave and Buster's"
Monday, May 23, 2011
Windy.....every single day!
I am getting a bit tired of the wind out here on the prairie! I mow and I am covered with dirt and grass. I try to water and the water blows every which way but on the plant that needs it. But, it is still better than the killer tornadoes that seem to be popping up everywhere lately. Very scary weather pattern right now!
Mark finished the beans this past week so all is good in cropland. We received a little over an inch of rain so now everything has moisture. Next on the list will be spraying the corn and beans.
We are going to spend the coming week-end with Matt in Omaha. We are looking forward to seeing him. Megan and family will also be in Omaha that week-end and we get to babysit Friday night so they can go out with Andy's brothers for the evening. Friday afternoon we are going to the zoo. They have the BEST zoo and we look forward to going with Drew and Kayley!
We had a very "close to dead" tree go partially down in the wind. I have been wanting it down for several years so mother nature decided to help me out with that project. Part did NOT go down so Mark took care of the rest of it. Now, what to do with the huge trunk still there?!?!
A video of part of the tree coming down. This is for Drew as he likes stuff like this. :-) Also, some stolen pictures of Kayley from Megan's Facebook page.
Mark finished the beans this past week so all is good in cropland. We received a little over an inch of rain so now everything has moisture. Next on the list will be spraying the corn and beans.
We are going to spend the coming week-end with Matt in Omaha. We are looking forward to seeing him. Megan and family will also be in Omaha that week-end and we get to babysit Friday night so they can go out with Andy's brothers for the evening. Friday afternoon we are going to the zoo. They have the BEST zoo and we look forward to going with Drew and Kayley!
We had a very "close to dead" tree go partially down in the wind. I have been wanting it down for several years so mother nature decided to help me out with that project. Part did NOT go down so Mark took care of the rest of it. Now, what to do with the huge trunk still there?!?!
A video of part of the tree coming down. This is for Drew as he likes stuff like this. :-) Also, some stolen pictures of Kayley from Megan's Facebook page.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
90's to 40's
Only in Iowa can you get that type of fluctuation of temps in less than a week! The cool weather did bring some rain with it so it wasn't a total waste. Our corn is "popping up in rows" and he should be able to plant the beans as soon as it dries a bit. Mark held off on the beans because it was so dry. He said the sweet corn should be ready August 1st. Cannot wait!
I planted a bigger garden this year since I am home now to take care of it. Lots of tomatoes and some green pepper, cabbage, eggplant, green beans, onion, zucchini and cucumbers. I haven't planted that many items since I was in my 40's but with food prices getting higher I thought it a good time to do so! Plus, I love fresh vegetables.
I also put in several knock-out rose bushes in various spots and transplanted other perennials. I also planted my usual bed of zinnias and canna bulbs by the driveway. I keep threatening to do something different there but I just love the color that those produce.
This morning I stopped by to visit Jan and Clayton and ended up staying almost 3 hours! Guess we had lots to catch up on after a half year apart! It was so great to see them looking so happy and healthy!
Well, that catches me up on our routine of the past two weeks. Andy did send me a video of Kayley "reading" to her baby which I thought was very cute. Drew gets into the act, too, and I am not sure what language they are talking in but thought it worth sharing! :-)
I planted a bigger garden this year since I am home now to take care of it. Lots of tomatoes and some green pepper, cabbage, eggplant, green beans, onion, zucchini and cucumbers. I haven't planted that many items since I was in my 40's but with food prices getting higher I thought it a good time to do so! Plus, I love fresh vegetables.
I also put in several knock-out rose bushes in various spots and transplanted other perennials. I also planted my usual bed of zinnias and canna bulbs by the driveway. I keep threatening to do something different there but I just love the color that those produce.
This morning I stopped by to visit Jan and Clayton and ended up staying almost 3 hours! Guess we had lots to catch up on after a half year apart! It was so great to see them looking so happy and healthy!
Well, that catches me up on our routine of the past two weeks. Andy did send me a video of Kayley "reading" to her baby which I thought was very cute. Drew gets into the act, too, and I am not sure what language they are talking in but thought it worth sharing! :-)
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
2200 miles
That is the total I have driven this past week. Needless to say, I am tired of sitting in a car and tired of buying very expensive gas! I left Phoenix last Monday and spent the night in Dalhart, TX. Tuesday I drove to Matt's home in Omaha to spend the night. He took me out for a birthday dinner at the Texas Roadhouse and then we went for a drive looking at beautiful lake homes in the area. We then watched the movie Hangover before calling it a night. That movie was quite hilarious.
Wednesday morning we went out for breakfast before I took off for the farm. It was good to get back to the farm and Mark but the weather was really cold! Matt said I came home a month too soon and I have to agree with him. Hopefully it will begin a warming trend soon!
I was home Thursday and then Friday I decided it was time to hit the road again and I drove the 320 miles to Peoria, IL to see Drew and Kayley. Megan had signed up for a March of Dimes walk in honor of Kayley so I couldn't miss that! I had a fun week-end with my grandchildren and hated to leave them come Monday morning.
Now I am back at the farm and waiting for it to become warm enough so I can start working in my gardens. I am anxious to finally plant a big garden after a 4 year layoff! I just need the weather to cooperate. There were frost warnings last night so it isn't time to do so quite yet.
Some pictures and a short video of my Peoria week-end.
Wednesday morning we went out for breakfast before I took off for the farm. It was good to get back to the farm and Mark but the weather was really cold! Matt said I came home a month too soon and I have to agree with him. Hopefully it will begin a warming trend soon!
I was home Thursday and then Friday I decided it was time to hit the road again and I drove the 320 miles to Peoria, IL to see Drew and Kayley. Megan had signed up for a March of Dimes walk in honor of Kayley so I couldn't miss that! I had a fun week-end with my grandchildren and hated to leave them come Monday morning.
Now I am back at the farm and waiting for it to become warm enough so I can start working in my gardens. I am anxious to finally plant a big garden after a 4 year layoff! I just need the weather to cooperate. There were frost warnings last night so it isn't time to do so quite yet.
Some pictures and a short video of my Peoria week-end.
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| Andy "said" he was digging a garden plot but with his mother-in-law visiting I wondered exactly what he was digging! |
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| Ah, thankfully it WAS a garden plot! :-) |
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| Having a snack at the park |
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| Kayley thought it was fun up there! |
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| Drew is old enough to know that this can't be safe! |
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| March of Dimes walk on Sunday afternoon in Peoria |
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Mark's cactus
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| The cactus last night |
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| How it looked this morning! Beautiful |
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Great week with the grandchildren!
I just returned to Phoenix after spending an entire week at Megan and Andy's home in Peoria. It was glorious seeing Drew and Kayley again. Oh how I have missed those two kids! Fortunately the weather was quite nice, too.
Mark and Matt drove to Peoria on Friday and stayed through Monday morning so it turned in to a great family get together. We bowled, went to bicycle "Safety Town", watched the Masters and visited the park many times. All in all it was a wonderful trip for this granny. It was very hard to leave, though.
Some pictures and video of our week together:
Mark and Matt drove to Peoria on Friday and stayed through Monday morning so it turned in to a great family get together. We bowled, went to bicycle "Safety Town", watched the Masters and visited the park many times. All in all it was a wonderful trip for this granny. It was very hard to leave, though.
Some pictures and video of our week together:
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| Kayley is all smiles (as is Drew!) after receiving a new baby during potty training for a job well done. |
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| Drew and Kayley have a beautiful park with a pond by their house. They discovered much fun at water's edge. |
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| Kayley picking grandma a "flower" |
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| Kayley's before and after picture for the team page at March of Dimes |
Sunday, April 03, 2011
The desert is full of color
Well, at least our landscaping is in bloom! I have also noticed a lot more color on my hikes recently. It really is a beautiful time of the year in the desert!
Mark left for Iowa Friday morning. Spent the first night in Dalhart, TX and yesterday drove to son Matt's home in Omaha. They were going out to dinner and then settle in to watch the Final Four. Mark will leave sometime today for our farm. I imagine he will be glad to be home after so many hours on the road. It is really quiet and lonesome here without him but I just cannot face being in Iowa this early because all it does is rain and the wind blows constantly, making it seem much colder! I will just enjoy this beautiful time of the year here and I will have Mark call me when it is at least 70 degrees there for three straight days....then I will come to the farm! Ha!
Wednesday I drive to the Mesa airport for a non-stop flight to see Drew and Kayley in Peoria. I am super excited about that visit. I am staying for an entire week! Mark and Matt are still driving up that week-end so it will be a great family reunion for us all. I did notice that there is rain forecast for 5 out of the 7 days I will be there...see what I mean about the midwest? But, I will be with my grandchildren and I will finally be able to post video and pics of Drew and Kayley! I am getting tired of putting up only plants. See below. :-)
Mark left for Iowa Friday morning. Spent the first night in Dalhart, TX and yesterday drove to son Matt's home in Omaha. They were going out to dinner and then settle in to watch the Final Four. Mark will leave sometime today for our farm. I imagine he will be glad to be home after so many hours on the road. It is really quiet and lonesome here without him but I just cannot face being in Iowa this early because all it does is rain and the wind blows constantly, making it seem much colder! I will just enjoy this beautiful time of the year here and I will have Mark call me when it is at least 70 degrees there for three straight days....then I will come to the farm! Ha!
Wednesday I drive to the Mesa airport for a non-stop flight to see Drew and Kayley in Peoria. I am super excited about that visit. I am staying for an entire week! Mark and Matt are still driving up that week-end so it will be a great family reunion for us all. I did notice that there is rain forecast for 5 out of the 7 days I will be there...see what I mean about the midwest? But, I will be with my grandchildren and I will finally be able to post video and pics of Drew and Kayley! I am getting tired of putting up only plants. See below. :-)
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| I planted this bare root rose garden in February and it is really showing color lately! |
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| My potted plants took a bad hit from the frost in January and never really recovered. |
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| Mark purchased this little (but expensive!) cactus for our landscape. We never once thought it would bloom this year!!! |
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| Beautiful red blooms |
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