Two Birthday Celebrations

Happy Monday; fall has certainly arrived here in Colorado, with sky is overcast and air cool. Our mountain tops are sprinkled with snow and as I write, I hear the Canadian Geese honking as they fly overhead. Friday night our youngest daughter and family had a birthday celebration for two of their kiddos. Their third girl turned five on Saturday and the baby of the family, their boy, turn one last Monday. It is fun to have two birthday parties at once; although the family does celebrate each individual day as well. Here Little Man is playing with his cousin. Since the families are together so often, the kids feel more like siblings than cousins. I love it.

 

I love A's smile! Such expression.

 

After dinner was over, yes dinner for 17 of us, the kiddos got to open presents. Kim surrounded by littles.

 

Our two oldest grandsons are assuring us that Little Man will be all boy.

 

This little guy loves cars and trucks; he got a variety of dump trucks for his first birthday.

 

Our oldest girl with her two youngest. Beauty, pure and simple.

 

Don't you just love the curls and ringlets?!

 

Miss D got lots of wonderful gifts for her birthday-Lego's and cooking utinsels. Unfortunately, I didn't get many photos of her opening her gifts; I did make sure to get one of her with her cake. Another masterpiece by her dad.

 

Little Man wants to know where his is.

 

By the time he was done with the cupcake, he was covered with green frosting. Somehow we missed getting that shot.

 

We all had a great time; tonight we have Miss F's birthday at Carrie's house. Another dinner with lots of fun is in store for us. Lest you think we are off the hook with birthdays, we have three adults birthday's in Oct. and then on to one a month for Nov., two in Dec. and then we begin again. Have a wonderful fall day!
Blessings, Noreen

Happy Friday

Good Morning to you!  Here in northern Colorado, we are experiencing a cold front today.  It is almost 20 degrees cooler than yesterday and rain is again in the forecast.  It is gray and dreary out; the kind of day you just want to snuggle in bed a bit longer.  This weather is so unusual for us; reminds me so much of northern Ca.-just saying.  We've had a good week, resting up and getting caught up on new episodes of our favorite shows.  I have been stitching non-stop and hope to be finished with the quilting this weekend.  One exciting bit of news is that I got may Restoration quilt soap and Biz out yesterday and began soaking the antique quilt I received~it was so yellow and although the colors were vibrant, I was sure it needed to be washed.  Well after two washings and soaking all day, you would not believe how white the whites look; it amazes me that is it so old.  Now when I put it on our guest bed or eventually hand it down to one of our daughters, I know it will be clean.  Over the years, with the quilts I had been given, many had been in a home where smokers resided and most of the quilts took at least four times being washed before they were clean; so glad it wasn't the case with this one.
Tonight we have a joint birthday party for two grands and then on Sunday have another party for another grand.  Love all the festivities.  I hope you have a great day-I always loved Fridays when I worked.  Now every day is like Friday.
Hugs, Noreen & Hunter

Fall Colors

 

I am pleased to say that my Mums in the front bed are coming back, after being destroyed in the hailstorm in August. The flowering red plant though is not one of them; I hit the market yesterday and the prices had been reduced. What's a girl to do but pick up two. I would have picked up several more for the back yard as well but thought that might be pushing hubby a bit to far. I love Mums; they seem to last until a heavy frost and they come back bigger each year. Nothing says fall like flowering Mums in my yard. I also got this cute garden flag(which I didn't intend to put up until our roof was done and house painted, but couldn't wait)while in Ca. at a Wild Bird store. I love the colors.

 

I always try to pick a Mum that goes with this wreathe but even if this gold one doesn't, it does say Welcome Autumn to me. I hope you have a glorious day, enjoying fall in your area.
Blessings,  Noreen

Family Treasures

Happy Wednesday Friends~As you know, the second reason we went out to California this last couple of weeks was to pick up some family heirlooms. The quilt I shared yesterday is such an incredible heirloom and one I will cherish forever. This table and lamp sat in my hubby's childhood home, until the house sold last May. I have always loved both the inlaid table and lamp and although they don't date back as far as the quilt, they are treasures none the less. I guess since an item is an antique when it is 25 yrs older or older, these would be considered antiques. Of course, that says that we seniors are antiques as well.

 

 

I can tell you that the inlay on the table is beautiful and that the lamp is handpainted. Hubby and I love antiques but don't decorate with just antiques; we are more a mix of traditional and antiques. We still haven't decided where the table will end up, but for now it works perfectly where it is-at least until Christmas, when we put our tree up.
I hope you have a great day; we will be glued to the t.v. this afternoon watching the final race of the America's Cup Sailing race in San Francisco.  Go USA!
Joy to you.
Noreen

Antique Family Quilt

Good Morning Friends~It just boggles my mind that we are at the end of September, where did the month go? One of the reasons we made the trip out to Ca. was to pick up some family treasures and bring them home. This quilt was one I didn't know about or have any idea I would be gifted. Hubby's sister was given it, for her wedding present, by their grandmother. I had never seen it before and what a treasure it is. My sil was told that their great grandmother had made it in the late 1890's or early 1900's; it has been well cared for and is in incredible shape. I've compared the fabrics to one I have, probably made by the same great grandmother; I will say the fabrics match but the one I have is shredded and very thin. When I first received the antique quilt, I took it to a woman who does restoration and was told that the batting was made of horse hair and wool. The quilt I just received is vibrant and although yellowed with age, there are no frayed edges or tattered fabric. It has been stored in a plastic garment bag with moth balls for the last 20+ yrs. I am anxious to get my restoration quilt soap out and give it a good washing to get rid of some of the yellowing. I do plan to have this on our guest bad once it is cleaned and fresh. For those of you who love quilts, I knew you'd love this one.

 

 

 

I am so thankful that  my sil blessed me with this quilt. I love family heirlooms and this is certainly one I will hold dear. I am thankful it wasn't just given away to a thrift store, when our family will use it and take good care of it.
I've already walked and heading out to get my hair cut.  Still battling a bit of a cough, but it feels so good to be home.  I hope you have a joy filled day!
Blessings, Noreen

Happy Monday

 

Good Morning Friends~ I hope this finds you well and enjoying the first of fall. We are back home and getting all the chores done; now I have time to visit with you all. I am feeling better today-amazing how being in your own home helps. This is an old barn we found in Lincoln, Ca. on our way to my hubby's sisters house. I loved this! We had such a good time on the trip, except for the cold. It seems there is never enough time to spend with everyone. It is cold here today, raining and windy-feels more like winter than fall. We are still in the process of getting all the house repairs done; we got a new garage door that is insulated and quiet. Hopefully the roof will get put on this week; the rest we are waiting on our insurance company to approve because the bids came in much higher than they gave us. Whatever you are doing today, enjoy it!
 Hugs,
Noreen & a very happy Hunter to be back at home

On The Road With A Cold

Sunday greetings to you. We are spending the night in Park City and shouting out to all our Utah friends.  While  every visit was so good, I came down with a cold or allergic infection on Friday. Not to fun when you are making tracks across the salt flats and empty a box if Kleenex. If that wasn't bad enough, Ive developed a cough too. Can't wait to be home; unfortunately I won't get to see our grands til I am I over it.
Have a great day! Noreen

Happy Saturday

Greetings to you! I am happy to say we are on the road again, headed towards home. Our trip was so busy but so fun; even though we've been gone for 9 days, it seems longer and I'm ready to be home. I'm missing our family and friends, especially our pup. Last night we  nstayed with some good friends in Nevada City; they have three dogs(a mini Aussie, a Cockapoo that we love and a Yorkie), so I got my dog fix. I had hoped to visit you all but it just didn't work out-so I'll see you next week.
Hugs today, Noreen

Happy Tuesday to you~We spent yesterday down in Carmel; the guys played golf and my girlfriend took me down to Big Sur.  Such a beautiful area; we enjoyed a wonderful dinner, time with our dear friends before heading back to the bay area today.  I was a bit upset, last night, when I found out my Face Book account had been hacked.  Thankfully, my daughter also figured it out and intervened for me.  If I am your friend on FB and have been for awhile, please ignore any new requests to "friend me".
Tomorrow we head up to Santa Rosa, our old town, to stay with our bff's Jim and Barb for two days.
It is hard to believe we have been gone less than a week; I'm missing my girls and our grands; of course I'm also missing our pup Hunter.
I hope you've been well; I had planned to get around to visit but it just hasn't happened.
Until I get back home, be well my friends.
Hugs, Noreen

Good Mornday friends. I hope you are well and embracing this new day! It would seem we just got out of Dodge, aka northern Coloado in the nick of time before the flooding started. In fact, if we waited another day our trip would have been cancelled. We've had a great time with family, spending the day yesterday inSan Francisco watching the Americas Cup sailing race; this was the reason for the trip. Hubby grew up sailing and this was a incredible event for him; I lo Ed it as well but not the crowds that made me feel like a sardine! Today we are headed for Carmel to spend time with our dearest lifelong friends. On Wednesday we head to our old neighborhood to spend time with our traveling buddies. I haven't had the Internet time I expected so haven't visited. Have a blessed day. Noreen

Thursday Blessings

Good Morning Friends~I hope you have had a great week so far!  Hubby and I are taking a road trip and thought we'd leave on Friday but hubby decided it would be easier for us to leave a day earlier. As we drive through Utah, I will be hanging out the window  shouting hello to Goose, two cool Doods-Murphy & Stanley, and some other blogging buddies.
We will be back in our old stomping ground for the week; I'm hoping to post photos of our days and see if you can figure out where we are.  We've got a neighbor watching our home and Hunter will be with Lily, so if we are delayed a day it will be fine! 
I will touch base with you as time allows.
Blessings and hugs,
Noreen

Fun, Fun, Fun

Last Friday, when my girl and her kiddos were here, they brought their miniature Schnauzer with them. Petrol is such a smart dog and gets along well with the other two. It is wonderful that our daughters dogs get along with Hunter-makes it so easy to swap dog sitting. Here are the three of them.

 

For some reason, we couldn't get all three to look at me for a shot. Can you tell that dogs in my home get spoiled?!
 Have a great Wednesday.
Noreen & Hunter

Paul and Silas

Happy Tuesday friends! Here in Colorado, it feels like winter in northern California; I always compare our weather to what we grew up with in Ca. It started raining last night with lots of thunder and lightning; parts of the state got hammered with hail-in fact, several feet of small hail. No bike riding today; rain is in the forecast for several days-yes I am a wuss, don't want to slip and slide on my bike. Yesterday, I told you about the play our grands were in-Paul and Silas; here are the photos. There will be lots, because we have loved ones that weren't here. Enjoy!

 

Jesus,played by our oldest grandson, healing the woman with the issue of blood.

 

Jesus blessing the loaves and fishes; the children gave out sandwich bags filled with gold fish crackers.

 

Love the guard!

 

Paul in prison, as played by our second grandson; our oldest granddaughter is in the back, with the white head covering.

 

 

 

The apostles, filled with grief after Jesus was crucified. The little girl on the chair is our Peanut, who had serious health conditions to overcome-it is such a blessing to see how far she has come and how well she did acting in this play.

 

Peanut is the one of the far right.

 

The apostles being told that Jesus has risen, just as He said.

 

Even as Paul and the prisoners sang and worshiped while behind bars, it was fun to see our 10 yr old grandson singing in front of such a large audience.

 

I have to say this next photo is one of my favorites! After Paul was freed from prison.

 

 

Front and center, the two girls in the blue dresses are two granddaughters; look at the smile on our girl's face on the left, it was so infectious.

 

Just in case you think we had something on our lens, do not fear-it is makeup on our oldest granddaughter's face.

 

Our Peanut

 

A big thank you to my wonderful hubby who took these photos, even with a younger grand in his lap. I was also holding and helping with several younger grands; to be honest I thought I might not be able to take pictures if I started crying.  Let's just say there were lots in the audience who were shedding tears. We are so proud of all the hard work the children  and parents put in.
 I'm starting to feel disappointed in our photo editing program, because even when the photos are sharp and clear in Picaso, they never come out the same on blogger.
I hope you have a great day!
Noreen