If You Thought That Was Cold

Happy New Year's Eve to you.  If you thought yesterday was cold here in Colorado, it was quite nice compared to this morning.  At 6:45 am the temperature was -20; you got that right, -20.  Now this is cold.  So cold, if we didn't have to venture out this morning, I'd be staying in bed!  Today will be another relaxed day here at home and tonight will sound boring to many of you.  Hubby and I have always enjoyed staying up til the New Year, but since we've retired we are always in bed by 11:00.  We listen to the fireworks, but just aren't interested in staying up; if our card partners from Ca. were with us, we would though.
I hope you have a great last day of 2014 and that whatever you do tonight you'll be safe for the New Year.
It has been a joy this last year, may the next year be fulfilling, joy and love filled, healthy and exciting.
Blessings,
Noreen

Baby It's Cold Outside

Good Morning Friends,  I had a dental appointment first thing this morning and when I checked the temp, it was -5.  Not as cold as during the night, but still mighty cold.  I didn't notice until we got home and decided to shovel the driveway-that's when I noticed just how bone chilling it was.  Now that we are inside, I plan on finishing taking all the Christmas decorations down and getting the house back to normal.  No plans to play outside! 
I hope that your day is filled with peace and contentment. 
Warm Winter Hugs to you!
Noreen

Old Man Winter

Good Morning to you; this is the last Monday of 2014, so let's make it memorable. Winter has definitely arrived in northern Colorado and as long as I can just stay inside, I'm fine. I do have to run to Wal*art today to get a late Christmas present and then off to the Post Office to ship it. I had planned on spending the entire afternoon sewing, but decided I will start taking down our Christmas decorations. I hate to take them down, but I love the fresh, clean look when everything is back to normal, to usher in the New Year. This week will be pretty relaxed(o.k. I'm retired, so every day is like that), other than going to my dentist tomorrow to check my crown and make sure it wasn't damaged during the root canal. On New Year's Eve we typically go out to our favorite restaurant, but since we went out twice last week, we will stay home. In fact, we generally do not stay up past 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. I hope you will be safe and warm today, especially if you live in the snow.
Blessings,
Noreen & Hunter

Christmas Fun

Happy Friday to you! I pray you had a Christmas filled with love, joy and peace. We had a great day with a very relaxed morning followed by a wonderful afternoon with family. I wanted to share Hunter's expectations in front of the Christmas tree. He received a stocking full of new toys, which he loves.

Our family loves to laugh and play together-yesterday was no exception! Here is our Carrie with her hubby-he is such a card!

Two cousins enjoying each other; they are so precious!

Our birthday girl, Kim; we celebrated her birthday at the beginning of the month, but I always remember what a wonderful gift she was 33 yrs ago.

Kim, her youngest daughter and hubby; words can't express just how blessed we are by our family!

Both families had one of our photos from our fall trip, put on canvas; it was such a wonderful gift, which now hangs in our living room.  The trip was such fun and we saw areas of Colorado we hadn't seen before; I think this will make us get out even more in the coming year.
I know this can be a hard time for those who are alone or whose loved ones are no longer on this earth, but I pray you had peace.
With love,
Noreen

Family Holiday Fun

Merry Christmas Friends!  Today our very shaggy Hunter gets to go to the groomer, to which he wonders "what type of Christmas present is this, Mom?" and while he is there our entire family(all 17 of us)are heading to the movies to see Night At The Museum part 3.  Later today, hubby and I will hit the grocery store once more, getting last minute items for tomorrow.  I've been not as energetic as normal so having a relaxed afternoon is what I'm thinking~it feels nice to have almost everything done except food prep for tomorrow.
Wherever you are and no matter what you will be doing, remember you are loved and are important to the world-especially my world.
Merry Christmas from our home to yours.
Blessings,
Noreen

A Magical Place

I have shared that when our girls were young, we always did special activities with family at Christmas time. For several years, my brother and sil took our family out for brunch at the Sheraton Palace in San Francisco. This was no normal brunch-it was so incredible, with a price tag to match. I have never been to a place as opulent as this one since.

In later years, we all gathered at the Cliff House in San Francisco; it wasn't as opulent, but we loved the tradition of brunch with our family.  So many cherished memories!
Today is cold and windy; we had a touch of snow yesterday but none today.
I'm off to another doctor appt. this morning, hopefully it will just be an in-n-out.
May your Christmas be merry and bright!
Noreen

Childrens Christmas Program

Last night our grands were part of a Christmas program at their church; we always look forward to going to this celebration. It is a long evening, but so worth it! Here are most of the children, I love seeing them.

Our oldest grandsons have been taking guitar lessons for quite awhile and the youngest decided he was ready to perform. He wasn't nervous at all and did a fantastic job. Way to go Ben!

With all of us, I know our days are full-so keep a song in your heart. My posts will be shorter than normal this week, but I'll do my best.
 Blessings~
Noreen

Christmas Pin Collection

Many years ago(when my girls were in elementary school)my sister, sister in law and I began collecting Christmas pins to wear each year. A friend of mine had this tradition with her mom and I loved the idea; even if we weren't together each day throughout the season, the pins would remind us of the love we shared. Yesterday, I visited a blog and the gal displayed her Christmas broaches, I thought I'd do the same. These cute whimsical pins weren't family pins, but I found them so cute. The second photo down was a pin a friend gave to me and I love it; unfortunately, it is very heavy and so I only wear it on a heavy dress coat. I haven't worn any pins yet this year, but now that they are out, I will be.

Let's see-these are my sister pins, except for the pin in the middle stating that Jesus is the reason for the season.  This was the season in our lives when we took our two daughters, sister and sister in law for lunch and to the Ballet in San Francisco.  It was so fun for the girls; we eventually switched up the activity-like a play or a Dickens fair.  My girls had such fond memories of these times and we look forward to when their girls are old enough to begin the tradition.  It was always a very expensive day and generally my sil covered most of it.  I often miss my sister during this season; we had so many fun activities we did and she loved being with the family.  Another tradition was that we would pile into our van or car, turn on Christmas music and go look for homes decorated to the hilt.  Even now, hubby and I will go out looking for homes done up for Christmas.
On a side note, I found my salad and bread dishes yesterday-they were on another shelf in the basement.  Today will be a relaxed day~I have to drop off a birthday present to a close friend and then will begin wrapping all the stocking stuffers.
I hope you have a day filled with joy and sweet memories.
Blessings to you!
Noreen

Holiday Dinner

Good Morning Friends~I am back to feeling fit as a fiddle(never quite understood what that expression meant)and as busy as each day will allow. After last weeks dental work etc., I am now happy to be back to my normal energy. Of course, I'm taking lots of pro-biotics and also an immune booster, so hopefully I'll be good for the year. On Tuesday night, we had some friends over for dinner; I wanted to share our tablescape with you. O.k. almost-these photos were of my Christmas tablescape last year; I did my best to replicate it, but never got a chance to take any photos. I will say though that when pulling these photos I realized, much to my horror, I have no idea where my Christmas salad plates are. I knew I had something that I was missing, but honestly couldn't remember what. I have a salad bowl that matches these and used it too. I'm definitely going to be on a search for these dishes tomorrow when I have a whole day free.

I love this setting and also realized I never found my Christmas tree bread plates; I bet I have a box I never opened, sitting somewhere downstairs. We had a lovely dinner of bbq'd Salmon laid on top of Quinoa with Cranberries, Green Salad, a rustic Olive Bread and gluten free Chocolate Mouse Cake for dessert. 
I'll definitely be on a search.  Moving does that to you!  I knew I was missing some things from Harvest, but didn't spend any time looking for them.
Yesterday two granddaughters came over and we finished the sewing projects and they wrapped them.  Today I have a Dr. appt. and also two granddaughters coming to also wrap up our projects and wrap them.  Tomorrow is a wide open day.
I hope you are enjoying time with your loved ones and friends.  I am looking forward to a relaxed weekend, spent catching up with all of you.
Blessings to you!
Noreen

Happy Tuesday friends,  It's hard to believe that Christmas is in a little over a week!  Having the abscess on my gum, that I had hoped would clear up after the root canal last week, and then coming down with a bladder infection this weekend really slowed my pace.  I'm finally feeling better; it's not fun when three different antibiotics wreck havoc on your system. 
Yesterday, my youngest girl hosted our Christmas tea~it was such fun.  Kim went to a lot of work and the little girls loved the card making and the cookies.  I am so incredibly blessed by our daughters; we reminisced about their childhood and friendships they formed.  Holiday traditions continue on with both girls; it is fun to see.  Today, we have a meeting this morning and then will head to Whole Foods, we've got some friends coming to dinner tonight.   I am also going to get something to boost my immune system, especially with all the flu bugs going around.  This is not the time of year to be under the weather. 
I hope you are all enjoying this season and staying healthy. 
Blessings to you today!
Noreen

Hunter's Christmas Present from Mr. Chewy

Happy Monday friends, I hope you had a wonderful weekend and got some things accomplished for Christmas. Hunter received a package last week in the mail and was so excited about it; some wonderful treat awaited him from Mr.Chewy.

These treats are so different from any Hunter has received before and he was very excited to give them a taste.

He immediately wanted to take his treat and savor it, plus get away from me, in case I decided he only needed a little taste.

Mr. Chewy says this about the treats:
These puffy-textured Texas Toothpicks Rawhide Dog Treats from Merrick are made from pure beef tail and provide both a crunchy and chewy treat for your pup to enjoy. They're perfect for any aged dog and contain no artificial preservatives, colors, or ingredients.
Key Benefits

• Contains a minimum of 50% crude protein
• No artificial colors means less mess when he slobbers
• Satisfying, crunchy and chewy treat
• Good dog treat for healthy gums and teeth

I loved the fact that these treats did not have any odor to them, like many animal products.  Hunter gives them a 4 paws rating,he loved them.

This is Hunter after his busy weekend.

It was an interesting weekend for me~the root canal went as could be expected, but I came down with a bug on Friday, so haven't been doing too much. I'm wanting to lay low so I am all better for Christmas; I still have a couple of things I need to get, but hopefully it will be quick and easy.
Thank you to Mr. Chewy for this wonderful program, we love you all.
A very grateful Hunter and Noreen

Such A Blessing

Happy Friday Friends~I have the neatest blessing to share with you today.  I've been very behind in sending out Christmas Cards to our family and friends; in fact, last year I also joined a Dog-Bloggers Card Exchange and it was so much fun.  Hunter received many more cards than hubby and I got and I had looked forward to it this year.  Then life got in the way; it does that for most of us, but somehow I just wasn't getting cards done for all my blogging buddies.  I had seen throughout blogland that many friends were sharing ecards that a very talented lady made; I decided to email her and see what could be done.  Today I received an email with this Christmas Card to share with my online friends.  So it is my great pleasure to introduce you to this dear gal, who helped me.

www.zoolatry.blogspot.com

 

 Ann is very well known and also loved by many, besides being incredibly gifted.  So, if you don't know her, go say hello-you will love her blog.  

Ann, words can't express just how much this means to me.  

May the love you share, come back to you a hundred-fold.

 

Have a great weekend my friends.

Noreen and Hunter

Love Unexpected Book Review

"All Emma Chambers ever wanted was a home, but when her steamboat sinks just outside Presque Isle, she’s left destitute and with no place to stay.

An unlikely solution arises when the lighthouse keeper arrives in town. He’s just lost his wife and is having a difficult time caring for his child. So a traveling preacher gets the idea that the keeper and Emma might be the answer to each other’s dilemma. After a hasty marriage, she finds herself heading to the lighthouse with this handsome but quiet stranger. Nothing in her aimless life, though, has prepared her for parenting a rambunctious toddler, as well as managing a household.

Emma soon suspects Patrick may be hiding something from her, and then she hears a disturbing rumor about the circumstances surrounding his late wife’s death. It seems as if her wish for a home and family of her own could end up leading her once more into turbulent waters."

I love Jody Hedlund's historical romance; she has a way of weaving a story that intrigues the reader and keeps you in suspense until the very end. I have only read one other book written by Jody and realize I need to add more to my library.  This story was one that kept me reading, wanting to find out what the secret was behind Patrick's life.  I loved the description of the coast line of Michigan and reading the duties of a lighthouse keeper in the 1850's.  You quickly grow to dislike certain characters and embrace others.  I found this a delightful book and now realize I must read more of her stories.

This book was provided to me free of charge from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for my honest review; I received no compensation for this review.

If you haven't read anything of Jody's, look for her books.

Noreen

Twice As Much Fun

 Greetings to you! I finally got my computer back from hubby and wanted to share the photos of our birthday party last weekend. Our two granddaughters have birthdays within several weeks of each other and so they have a joint birthday party. Twice as much fun! The older of the two turned seven and the younger turned five.

The girls were thrilled with all their gifts and the entire family had so much fun!
I'm hoping hubby is almost done with the tax program, so I can get back to my regular posting.
Tomorrow I have the root canal and hope it will be easier than the last one I had. 
Our day is sunny and warm-yippee! While I do enjoy our snow, I'm really enjoying the weather we are having this Dec., mainly because hubby is happier when it's warm.
I hope you day is filled with warmth-either in the weather or your heart.
Blessings,
Noreen

Happy Tuesday to you. Baby, it's cold outside! This morning Hunter and I walked with Kam and Lexie and the temp was about 27 degrees, much to chilly to walk even with gloves on. Had I known that it would be that cold I would have had my snow jacket and heavy gloves on. Hubby decided to compile all our tax info(with selling three houses and buying two there is a lot), before the first of the year so our CPA could get a head start. That means however he has confiscated my laptop, thus not allowing me to post photos as easily.
We also went to the Post Office and waited over 30 minutes; they were short handed and there was a long line.
Yesterday I asked what your favorite tradition was for Christmas; our was laying out new pj's on Christmas Eve for our girls and also watching special Christmas movies on Christmas Eve.  One not too thrilling memory was hubby and I wrapping all the presents, that had been hidden away, after our girls went to bed; some Christmas Eve nights I stayed up til after midnight. When the girls went to bed there was nothing under the tree, but Christmas morning all the presents were there. Also, we always cut our tree down and tried to go to the same Christmas tree farm. Now, we have a fake tree and it is easy to put up.
I hope your season is filled with joy and sweet memories!
Hugs,
Noreen

Happy Monday~I hope you had a wonderful weekend; ours was so full, but with fun activities.
I will tell you that I went to the dentist on Friday and he confirmed my idea of what was happening with my crown and gums-I have an abscess and need a root canal. I've been taking my antibiotic, but my gum is still pretty swollen; at least it isn't painful. I am bummed!!!  However, it seems that technology has improved since I had my last one in Ca.  It sounds like it will be a fairly quick procedure-only an hour and should be an easier recovery than last time; I can only hope!
Saturday found hubby and I Christmas shopping-we got a majority of it done.  In the afternoon we headed down to Longmont to pick up a children's kitchen that our daughter found on Craigs List.
In the evening, we went over to our oldest daughter's to celebrate two of their girls birthdays; they are three weeks apart and it is just easier having one party.  Yesterday, hubby and I went to some friends for a football party; thankfully the Bronco's won; we enjoyed the food and game.
Today, I had hope to upload some photos here, but need to get out and run some errands.  I didn't sleep much last night, so feel a bit slow today. 
I hope you are enjoying the holiday season-what is your favorite part or tradition that just makes Christmas? 
Hugs,
Noreen

Christmas At My House

Happy Friday, Most of you have seen my decorations, but I wanted to share them once again. I'm not going to describe each display. Enjoy!

I hope you have a wonderful day and weekend; I'm off to the dentist now and hoping I don't need major work.
Blessings~
Noreen

A Hearty Meal

Good Morning Friends, I mentioned that I was going to try a new dish yesterday and wanted to share the outcome. I will state up front, that I did not stage the table as I should have and probably would have added something more to the plate. It was wonderful and I'm thankful I remembered to take some pictures for you. The dish is called One Pot Paprika Chicken Thighs and I got it from the blog Reluctant Entertainer. I had tried many of her recipes and find them all so tasty. I will have a link at the end of this post. Here is our kitchen table; I love the placemats and candles.

Here is the dish; I served it on a white plate in hopes that it would stand out more-should have centered it though. It is a combination of chicken things, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and seasonings.  The recipe said to serve it with rice or quinoa, we chose brown rice; however I think next time I will serve it over fresh spinach or another vegetable or bread to soak up the sauce. 

Hubby really loved it and said it is a keeper; I can see having friends over this winter and serving it as well. 
Here is the link to the recipe: http:eluctantentertainer.com/2014/09/one-pot-paprika-chicken-thighs/
My gum is still swollen, despite gargling with warm salt water, so tomorrow I'm going to the dentist to see if I need antibiotics.  I had hoped I could clear up whatever is going on by myself, but don't want to wait too long and have the pain become unmanageable.
I'm off this morning for a cut and color and then have sewing with grands.  One of my closest blogging buddies, Kathy of Empty Nest But Full Heart, told me she takes her Christmas Tree photos with her IPad-I tried it and guess what, they were the best.  I'm still wanting to play a bit more before I share with you. 
Have a day filled with love and joy!
Noreen

Happy Birthday Hunter

Our sweet pup is three today; he has made our lives so rich and full of laughter.  When we got Hunter, I had my mind set on another breed; I'm so glad we were led to him.  I know I've said in the past that we had never had a small dog since before we were married and I can honestly say I've turned into one of those ladies with a small dog.  We've given him his new toy and a new treat this morning.
Others news~I did not get to make my new dinner; Little Man took a tumble and his parent's had to take him in, so I went over and fed the kiddos and hung out til they got back from the ER.  It is such a blessing to be so close-I can get to each girls' house within 10 minutes max.  You would not believe how many times this has come in handy, for one reason or another.  Little Man is fine, but his nose will smart for a few days.  I can't imagine if they lived out in the country and it took me 15-30 minutes to get there, especially with having night vision problems.  We are so thankful for the angels that were around him yesterday.
Today I'm off to the chiropractor with hubby and then will be finishing getting ready for sewing class this afternoon.
Have a great day!
Hugs, Noreen & Hunter

Good afternoon friends,  This morning I decided to take some photos of our tree and other decorations.  I even got out my instruction manual for my Nikon, wanting to get better shots of our tree.  My problem is that the photos are never crisp and clear; I know there has to be a setting that will help, but for the life of me I couldn't find it.  I did try several, but it never worked out.  If any of you have Nikons and can help me, I'd appreciate it. 
Here in Colorado it is so windy today, not like up in the Rockies but it is still blowing.  My neighbor and I are supposed to take the dogs for a walk, but I'm wondering if we will.  This afternoon my dear friend is coming over for tea and a late celebration of her birthday.  I've also got a new chicken recipe to try tonight-sounds so good, if it looks as good as the photo has shown I will post the picture tomorrow.  Speaking of tomorrow, Hunter turns three; I've gotten him a special treat and a new toy.
I hope you've had a great day so far and are staying warm.
Hugs,
Noreen

Happy December

Greetings friends~All around our town and area, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving, filled with good food and lots of laughter and fun.  We had a wonderful time with my brother and sister of my heart, as well as our entire family.  The food was plenty and the fun, well when you get 20 of us together there is  bound to be lots of fun and laughter.  Hubby and I began decorating the house as soon as my brother and sil left; it is almost complete.  We did not hit any of the Black Friday sales; the only places we went on Friday were to lunch with all the girls in the family and then to Target so my sil could buy our girls and their families some new outdoor decorations.  Saturday was another day of finding new places here for all my decorations.  Yesterday was so cold that after church, hubby and I just huddled downstairs and watched football all day.  It felt good to have a lazy day after a week filled with a full schedule.  This week will be a repeat of last with everyday being filled up.  I've got the grands coming for sewing and time will be spent with friends and family.  I do have one thing I'm really hoping to avoid-I've got a crown that I had done last summer that is giving me grief.  I'm just hoping that it is a minor irritation and not something major.  So I'm hoping I don't need to schedule a dentist appointment.
I hope you are doing well and that your day is filled with smiles.
Blessings,
Noreen

Happy Thanksgiving

From our home to yours, Thanksgiving Blessings to you.  We will be busy today with family and fun, but I hope to get around to say hello later today.
Hugs,
Noreen

Happy Birthday Miss A

Tomorrow is a very special day in our family~five years ago our oldest daughter gave birth to a Thanksgiving baby.  It is so hard to believe that five years have passed.  Miss A is the spitting image of her mama; she has the brightest smile and such a sense of humor. In fact, yesterday she told me that if she plays a joke on someone, she will say "gotcha", so all afternoon she would tell me something in her very dramatic way and then add on "gotcha".  Love her to pieces.  We will be celebrating her birthday with her older sister's in another week or so.  We are so blessed with this priceless little girl; she makes this Nana smile a lot.
I'm off to a restaurant to see if I can find a certain pie-Boysenberry, for my brother and then to the market for more food, then housecleaning, bathing the dog and running to the pet store. Tomorrow my brother and sister of my heart are arriving; we will have a wonderful family Thanksgiving.
I hope your day is filled with an abundance of reasons to give thanks.
Joy to you.
Noreen

Happy Monday to you.  Here it is 5:00 p.m. already; I've spent most of the day helping with a Christmas project that I thought would be pretty easy.  It was a busy day to put it mildly!  After that I headed for our daughter's house and watched her kiddos while she took the oldest to the dentist.  It was so relaxing to go and sit in front of their fire and watch the kiddos play.  I'm home now and Hunter is so happy to see me.  I have no idea what we'll do for dinner-maybe salads.  Tomorrow promises to be another busy day; I'll finish up grocery shopping, do some household chores and bathe Hunter so he is nice a clean.  I'm hopeful to get back to blogland, but I can't promise anything.
Please know that I am sending you warm hugs and wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving.
I'll be back as soon as I am able.
Noreen

Happy Friday Friends. Today, I want to find out what your traditions and favorite things about Thanksgiving are.  
I remember growing up and having the traditional feast of turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, stuffing, gravy, string beans, rolls and of course dessert.  We always had pumpkin pie as well as mince meat pie.  When my brother married the most incredible woman around, Sue took over the tradition of Thanksgiving at their house. I think she did this because it was easier than splitting the holidays; she also hosted Christmas eve dinner.  Sue is a Martha Stewart when it comes to entertaining-she is the hostess with the ability to put on a five star dinner and entertain as well-making sure everyone is happy. It is a trait both my girls learned from her example.  Those were the days that having more people for dinner than our family scared the wits out of me.  Since we now have 17 in the immediate family, I think I've mellowed.  Our meal has changed a little bit-we now have to have gluten free items as well as the regular.  I'm thankful that our daughter Kim and her hubby make the most incredible gluten free dishes from scratch.  Instead of mince meat pie, there will be apple and of course, some gluten free tarts for those of us who are gluten free. There will be two types of stuffing and the gravies will have just plain gravy and another one with giblets. 
We were never into watching the football games, so there will be lots of catching up with everyone.
My brother and sil will be here, as well as Carrie's mil.  After dinner we will play Tripoly, an old family favorite. 
So what are your favorites about this day we celebrate?  What foods can't you do without?  Will you be home or away?  Will your meal and day be formal or relaxed?  We will be relaxed, especially with the snow in the forecast. 
Today hubby and I are hitting the grocery store for the main items; we cook one turkey to take with us, so everyone has left overs.  I also make the sweet potatoes, but without the marshmallows on top. We also need to run a couple of errands; the pie for my brother will be picked up on Monday or Tuesday.  I dread Costco, you know it will be crazy!!!
I hope you have a fantastic day and wonderful weekend. 
Blessings and Joy,
Noreen

Christmas Is In The Air

It's Thankful Thursday and I am so very thankful for this little guy.  Well, all around our house you can see signs of Christmas.  I've still got all our harvest decorations up and right after Thanksgiving, we will begin to see if we have enough Christmas decorations.  Hubby and I got a few things today and there is a craft fair on Saturday, that I will attend, so if I see something that catches my eye it will probably come home with me.  Hunter is always such a good sport with our Christmas shots.  It was much easier to get this photo than to pick out a Christmas Card for hubby and me. 
I hope you are remembering to give thanks every day. 
Blessings,
Noreen & Hunter

Happy Wednesday to you.  I can't believe how tardy I am in posting, but life seems a bit hectic this week.  I haven't even walked yet today and not sure if I will or not.  Hubby's chiropractor is borrowing hubby's old car and so in exchange, he offered to give me a free adjustment.  I have only gone to one chiropractor, back in 1996 and had a very bad experience with it-so swore I'd never let anyone touch my back again.  Well, I went today and it was quite interesting and hopefully beneficial.
I will go back and see him on Friday for the results of a scan he did.  We also stopped at Target and got a couple of Christmas ornaments; I'm getting more and more in the mood to decorate.  The rest of the week is filled with misc. commitments-I volunteer to help with Operation Christmas Child and then of course we will get getting ready for next week.
The weather is still brisk here but so gorgeous, sun is shining and the sky is blue.  Are you ready for Thanksgiving?  Will you be staying put or heading out?  My brother and sil will be here and everyone is so very excited!  Our oldest daughter will be hosting the day, plus we will have games to play and memories to make. 
May your day be filled with joy today!
Noreen

Outdoor Tuesday

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood(do you all remember that song?), actually it is beautiful but cold.  Today will be another easy day-I've got to run to the store this morning and then will walk with my buddy Kam(she was hospitalized last week,so we will take it easy). This afternoon another friend is coming for tea.  Yesterday, I got chores done and was able to sew.  I have 10/15 blocks done on the first square and hopefully will finish the last five today or tomorrow.  Yesterday, hubby and I also took Hunter out for a 2 mile walk-he loved it.  It was brisk, but such a pretty day.  If winter stayed like this the entire season, I'd be very happy.  I do need to encourage Odie's and his mom to pick up their pace a bit, it would be more beneficial for all of us.
Hope you have a warm day today.
I am thankful for blue skies and sunshine.  I am thankful for the love that surrounds me every day.
Blessings,
Noreen

Birds Of A Feather

Happy Monday to you! May this be a day that you walk in gratitude and thanksgiving, for life and love. One of the joys of living in a new home is getting used to different species of birds and wildlife here.  I have always loved Doves and are pleased that they love our Pergola; this was the site that greeted us this morning. The snow is beginning to melt and the sun is shining; it looks like it will be a fantastic day.

Another bird that is new to us is the Black-billed Magpie. I saw these constantly in the islands, but have never seen them here in northern Colorado. They weren't here all summer or fall, but just started making their appearance this last week. I'm thinking I need to research them more; I do know that they are related to a crow, but am surprised they are wintering here.

Photos of the Magpie are courtesy of the Audubon Society.
Today will be a quiet day as hubby is off to the golf course for some misc. jobs and the laundry is calling me. I may even get a few hours of sewing-yippee. I am hoping that the sidewalks are clear enough for a walk with Hunter.
Today I am thankful for: The Giver of Life, life, health, faith and grace, salvation, love and family, Hunter, God's creation and the different seasons, joy in the little things, friends, sunshine and snow, books to enjoy on a cold day, a warm home to shelter us from the storm.  How about you-what things in life are you counting as blessings today?
Joy to you~
Noreen

Comfort Levels In Your Home

O Happy Day!  It is clear and sunny out; there is still lots of snow on the ground, but there is a hope that much will melt by this afternoon.  I love living here with the beauty of the Rockies looming in the distance.  I love the seasons here, but for some strange reason-possibly our long, warm autumn, I'm just not ready for winter quite yet. I don't mind that our routines slow down a lot and it gives me plenty of time for sewing and reading plus visiting you all, but it just feels too early.  I was pleasantly surprised today to find that we didn't have any condensation on the windows this morning.  I will say that we turned our furnace a degree higher last night to see if that helped.  So my question for you today friends is if you live in a cold climate with snow, what do you keep your furnace at during the night.  Back in the late 70's, we were taught that it is healthier to have the furnace set at 55 degrees. So for the past 36 yrs, we have kept it that low; however this year we turned it up to 60-62.  Last night we left it at 63, just to see if it made a difference. I know that it is always the outside air being so much colder than inside that makes for condensation, but wondered if we'd sleep a bit better. 
I know some of you that live in snow country probably have a wood burning stove.  Here in Colorado-at least in our area, people just don't have them.  I know that wood burning fireplaces are outlawed; we have two gas fireplaces and several space heaters.  We will be getting a bigger, more efficient space heater tomorrow.  We do keep the house a bit cooler than some-generally the highest the temp goes in winter is 68 degrees. 
So tell me what your keep your thermostat at. I wonder if that info we got back in the 70's about keeping the temp down to 55 at night is really accurate, or maybe it was for those of us who suffered allergies, could it be that it was for those who live in California verses living in snow country?
I hope you have a fantastic weekend!!!
Enjoy every moment of life.
Noreen

A Heat Wave

Good Morning to you~well this morning the skies are clear and sunny and we are up to 11 degrees. Wow! After yesterday's lows, it will be quite nice out today.  Yesterday, we ran over to our daughter's house to work on some Christmas photos(this is not the one), but I wanted to show you what winter in Colorado is all about.  Another thing we've learned about our house is that we get condensation on the wood windows every morning(ice too), so we've taken to wiping them down each day. I'm hoping this will be the only really bad cold snap this winter.  As for the small bits of ice, I'm thinking we may need to keep the temp up a little higher. 
Yesterday's sewing went really well; I decided to shorten the time to an hour, which may or may not continue. Last night, we had one set of grands over while mom & dad went out to dinner. We watched The Dog That Saved Christmas; I must admit it got me in a Christmas mood.  If you haven't seen the movie, by all means look for it. It is similar to Home Alone, but the story of a dog who literally saves the day.
I hope you are all enjoying the weather, regardless of what the temps are. 
Joy to you!
Noreen

Silly Papa

Happy Wednesday Friends, It is officially winter here with temps colder than Anchorage, North Pole and Fairbanks. In fact, this morning we were the coldest metropolitan area in the U.S. We had a temp of -1, that is cold! On Monday, we went over to our youngest daughter's home to spend some time. Our Little Man has an incredible sense of humor for being just two; he also has everyone in the family wrapped around his finger. He and Papa were sitting at the table when he grabbed Papa's reading glasses and put them on-upside down. Don't you love it, especially the Nuc. Papa, of course, had to follow suit. We were all cracking up. Our grands all bring us such joy!

Yesterday was another busy day, despite the weather.  Our oldest grands had rock climbing last night and we had to help out-isn't that what grandparents are for!  We have as much fun watching and cheering the kids on.  In the afternoon, my best friend here-Kam, was taken by ambulance to our local hospital.  I wasn't able to get there last night, but saw her this morning. We are pretty certain she'll be released today; apparently her potassium levels were very low which caused dizziness and some other symptoms.  She sure had us all scared. 
Today, I have sewing in the afternoon with two granddaughters; hopefully I will have all the supplies ready and the roads won't be too bad-one benefit of having family so close-you don't have to go far.
May your day be blessed.
Noreen