Fort Nana's

Happy Monday Friends, It's the end of June and I'm wondering where the month went? I hope you had a great weekend; we did! On Saturday afternoon 7 of our 8 granddaughters came over for dinner, movies and a sleepover. Cousins who are the very best of friends, loved spending time together-especially at Nana's and Papa's. Here is the first fort hubby has built for the grands, here in our new home. It is bigger than at our last house and may need to expand more, before the next time we have all girls over. Maybe we should just put our tent downstairs-lol, at least it would hold all the girls. As it turned out only four girls slept in the fort; the two oldest slept outside and my peanut shared the guest bed with me. She has been having a hard time adjusting to a move at the end of July. Add tired onto that and she became pretty upset.

Here the girls are watching the movie Tinkerbell.  I love how they all brought their American Girl dolls.

Even Hunter was happy to be surrounded by his girls.  WE had so much fun, ate big meals(they are all going through growth spirts)and even went on a walk.  We went by a nearby pond and were amazed at the size of the tadpoles!  We also went through the neighborhood picking out our favorite flowers and seeing if Nana could name them. I'm pleased I passed that test.
Today has already been full~we took Hunter to the groomer, went by two business where we needed to drop off paperwork for the new house(for our daughter's family), went grocery shopping, to Walmart, to our insurance company and back to pick Hunter up.
 Our dear friends, who used to be our next door neighbors in Ca., are coming for a visit tomorrow.  We are so excited and I know the days will pass so quickly, between playing cards and different activities we are planning. Barb and I may even get in a couple of visits to quilt stores.  I'll be around but probably not daily; so I hope you have a fantastic week and celebrate our freedom here in the U.S. 
Joy to you!
Noreen

Half the day is passed and I'm just now getting to sit down and post.  This morning was so busy: first I ran to a couple of garage sales with my oldest girl, then hit an estate sale, which looked promising but was a bust and then hubby and I had our eyes checked.  He has good news-no big changes, but I had a big change in my left eye and actually found our my current prescription makes my eyesight much more blurry.  The thunder and rain has started, I'm a bit concerned because the repair man is outside fixing our a/c.  Tonight our neighbors are having some friends over and invited us to join them.  Just snacks, which will be nice; the gentleman is German and I'm afraid I might not be able to eat much(due to gluten)and don't want to hurt any feelings.  Most people understand when a person has dietary restrictions due to health issues, but for some older people(he is 85), it is hard to understand.
Tomorrow, I think we will work on putting in a new doggy door and then 8 granddaughters will spend the night.  Fun, Fun, Fun!!!! 
I hope you are having nice, summer weather in your neck of the woods.
Hugs,
Noreen

A New Buddy

It's Thankful Thursday, so I have another blessing to give thanks for. As you know, when we moved into our dream home, we have said it is our last home. I was so surprised when I met the couple across the street and found out they have a 4 yr old male Bichon name Odie. Hunter met him shortly after we moved in and since then we have gotten together to go on a couple of short walks and had two play times. Odie is so cute and they both have similar personalities. He has a much tighter curl or hair compared to Hunter's, but their faces are very similar looking.

This morning after our walk together, Odie and his mom came over so the dogs could run around in our back yard. Odie has never had any beef bones and he smelled Hunter's-Hunter was willing to share and Odie loved it. I even sent them home with one(Hunter has many around the house). I think Pat will be checking the frozen food isle of our grocery store and getting some for him. I remarked that it is so good for their teeth and helps prevent tarter; you have to be careful you don't get ones that will splinter or break off. When hubby and I were kids, we never had our dogs have their teeth cleaned, because they always had bones and never had tarter. I've got to get ready for my girlfriends; we should have a fun lunch catching up. Just wish I could get together for lunch with many of you. Hope you have a fabulous Thursday! Blessings,
Noreen & Hunter

Greetings to you.  It's Wednesday and I'd love to say I've been out walking or riding, but actually hubby and I ran some errands.  All the shower heads in our home are so high, even for hubby, that we decided to replace the guest shower head with one that was more easily accessed~meaning it is on a slide bar and can be hand held.
Last night as we sat out on our deck, I realized just how old and dirty the indoor/outdoor carpet was.  We talked about borrowing our girls carpet shampooer, but seriously I'm not sure if it would handle the cleaning.  We know it has been hosed down but it was pretty yucky...so what's a girl to do but check out our big box hardware store.  I found one that will work, nothing fancy, but nice and clean.  We removed the old run and cleaned the deck; actually hubby got down on all fours and scrubbed it.  Once it dries, we will put the new rug down and move the patio furniture back into place.  At least it will be nice and clean and I won't think twice about walking barefoot on it.
Tomorrow my two blogging friends, from down the road, are coming up for lunch.  I had planned on serving them salads here, but our a/c is broken and won't be fixed til Friday.  If the weather was 75 or closer to 80 it would be fine, but we are looking at 90 degrees plus. There won't be a cool place to sit-so I've opted that we will go out to lunch, where there is air.  We normally go out, but I had wanted to make it easier....oh well.
I'm pleased to  announce that we have found a home for our daughter and are under contract.  Tomorrow we have a home inspection and baring any major issues we will move to close at the end of July.  Our girl and family won't be able to move into until the 1st or 2nd of August, that will be here soon enough.  Thank you all who lifted up this need for us.  It was getting a bit stressful when all the houses we were putting bids on would sell out from under us.  I am so thankful for the house we found! I think it will work perfectly for them and once they settle in, they will be happy.
That's about all for now; hope you are having a great week so far.
Hopefully, whatever issues blogger was having yesterday is fixed. 
Happy Day to you!
Noreen

Some Guy Time

Happy Tuesday to you.  I wanted to share what our guys did while the girls had their Tea Party.  In the past,  we girls have such fun-but somehow my brother was always left out.  Well not totally, because we've always had family time.  This trip however, while we girls were having tea and lunch my brother took all the guys out to lunch and then they hit Toys-*-Us.  Now, our grandsons are really into Lego's(even at 13 and 11); they have thousands and even have a blog dedicated to all that they make.  My brother opened his heart and his wallet to them and said they could pick out a couple of things.  He gave them a dollar amount(a very generous dollar amount)that they could each spend. Talk about kids in a toy store-oh my.  I wish hubby had sent me his pics so I could post them here-maybe I'll post them another day.  Not only did the big boys get toys, but our "little man"-age 21 mos. got a trike, a lawnmover and a small lego set.  To say that all three were thrilled is an understatement, because my brother was as thrilled as they were to give to them.  Our grands are the closest to grandchildren he'll ever have; they have done their best to nurture the relationships so that our grands have extended family they are close to.  Truly, it made it such a special time and memories were made for the future.  Life is short and I love how engaged my brother and sister of my heart are with our family.  When our girls were young, Sue would take them out shopping every couple of months.  They would spend the night with my Rich and Sue and truly felt pampered.  My brother wasn't involved in the shopping, so missed out on boy time.  He got his fill this time and I'm so very thankful. I am thankful for such generous people we have as family-he is the best brother a gal could have and Sue is so much more than a sister-she is a best friend too.  I was disappointed they only stayed two days, but we are hoping that they might find a little condo somewhere in our vicinity that would enable them to visit more often.  We'll see.
I hope your week is starting off well.  Ours is! We had friends for dinner and cards last night, it was lots of fun to catch up.  The rest of the week is packed and next week our dear friends from Ca. arrive for five days.  I simply can't wait!!!!
Blessings,
Noreen

Our Tea Party

Happy Monday Friends! I hope you had a wonderful summer weekend. We had such a great time with my brother and sister-of-my-heart. It was two days crammed full of activities and Saturday morning came too quickly. I understand that they had some other places to see while here, but seriously it was just too short of a visit. On Friday, our daughters hosted their quarterly tea party and it was such fun!!! Here are some of the photos from our time together.  The girls decided to have our tea and lunch outside, so this is what we saw when we got there.  Isn't it just wonderful!

I never had these types of gatherings when I was young; I think the only fancy party I went to was my sister's bridal shower.  I am thankful our granddaughters are learning, early in life, the art of hospitality.  I used to be overwhelmed with more than six people at a luncheon that I was hosting; now having 14 of us together is the norm. 

The adult table.  Plates were a mix of china-some of our girl's and some of our families, such as my sisters(she is deceased)and even my mom's china.

I love our girls creativity.

Tea sandwiches-most were gluten free. It looks like they are in the sun but they were moved after the photos.

Tea pots with flower arrangements.

My sister's Silver Tea Service; we didn't use it for hot tea, it was too warm a day. I love how she was honored.

All the girls pretending to be drinking tea. Most of the teacups were from my mother-in-law; when her estate was divided our granddaughters were given the teacups.

After lunch, all the tea cups had dessert put in them. 

We had such a delightful time and the girls even got new American Girl doll dresses and outfits from Ca.  My sil and brother are so very generous with our adult kids and our grands(us as well).  The love they share is incredible!

I've got to get a move on and take Hunter for a walk.  We are having friends over tonight for dinner and cards.  We are playing a new game called Euchre, we haven't played it before so hope we can figure it out.  I hope you have a fantastic day!

Joy to you~

Noreen

Thankful Thursday

Once again, I need to pause and give thanks for the many, many blessings in my life.  I am thankful that we are able to look for a new home for our youngest daughter and her family; I am thankful that our Ca. house finally sold.  We were so blessed to live in our home for 18 yrs and also to have great tenants the last six and a half years.  I am thankful for my hubby's hard work and early investments in real estate that provided such a great home, actually homes, there for us.  I am thankful for hubby's sister who ended up buying our home there and that she plans to keep the same family renting it. I am beyond thankful for our current home; I pray it will be our last home.
I am thankful that my brother and sister of my heart are arriving today for  a quick visit.  They will only be with us for two days, which is just too short, but I am thankful that they are coming. I'm thankful that we have a home large enough to give them their space, so maybe next time they'll stay longer.  I am so thankful that they have been pretty healthy; some hiccups along the way, but in general they are very active and well.  I am thankful for family time; tonight the whole gang will go to Red Robin for dinner-all 19 of us.  Tomorrow the girls have a tea and they guys will have lunch here.  Tomorrow night Rich, Sue, hubby and I will go to our favorite restaurant. 
I am thankful for the dinner invite from new neighbors; they are such a nice couple and I'm anxious to try the Korean food she is preparing for Sunday. 
I am thankful that I know my Savior, my Provider, my Shepherd and do not need to fear what lies ahead.
I hope you have a long list of things you can be thankful for today. 
Pause and enjoy life!!!
Blessings, Noreen

Tired Pups

These two dogs are so very cute! They get along so very well and even though Petrol has been food protective prior to this visit, she hasn't been this time around. Of course, if Hunter doesn't finish all his kibble, she will scoop in and eat it. Hunter is a social eater and does so much better eating when he has friends here. Thankfully, Lily will be coming on Saturday to spend the night. This photo was taken after a walk and a full day of playing.

Last evening another incident occurred that just showed me how close these two are. I had come upstairs and was getting some things from the pantry, to put downstairs, for my brother and sil. I closed the door and went back downstairs to arrange the snacks. All of the sudden, Hunter starts barking(a very unusual sounding bark)and wouldn't stop. I decided to investigate and sure enough Petrol had been in the pantry when I closed it. Hunter was sitting outside the door barking to let me know.
Thank you all for the anniversary wishes; we had a lovely day and evening.  Today will be a day of cleaning and shopping-getting the house all set for our loved ones.
I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.
Blessings,
Noreen

Happy Annivesary Babe

Thirty six years ago today, hubby and I stood at the altar pledging our love to one another, forever. Our song was Always and Forever by Heat Wave and it has stuck through the years. Many thought we wouldn't make it, but I believe our lives and marriage we ordained in heaven. One such story is that on one of our first dinners at my parent's house, we were all sitting enjoying ourselves; I happened to pull out a plate that was given to my parents when I was born; it had my name on it and is a plate I cherished. For some reason, hubby turned it over and the potter's name was John B. Taylor. My sweet man got a very funny expression on his face, because only the middle initial was off. We all got quite a chuckle out of this, but I don't think he was laughing. Here we are on our wedding day; I can tell you that I wasn't sure this day would take place-he was a hard guy to catch. You can tell how in love we are just be looking at our faces.

Here we are now; a lot older and wiser and we've stuck it out. We are so incredibly blessed and I can't imagine life without him. There is no one that could ever make me as happy as he has.

Life has had hard times and sweet times, but I wouldn't change a day.  You are still the one, Babe; I love you with all my heart.
Always and Forever Yours,
Nor

Faithful Friends

Happy Monday Friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and spent some time with your favorite Father. We celebrated on Friday night and it was such fun, which included our Carrie attacking her dad with a can of whipped cream. My hubby has always been such a good sport and they ran around Kim's back yard; I stayed inside(didn't want to get covered)and laughed. Our weekend was filled with chores and a bike ride; I was sore last night from the ride-we just haven't been doing enough of it lately. I'm hoping to change that this week. Yesterday, our youngest girl's family left for a four day vacation, so we have Petrol here with us. Hunter is over the moon to have his buddy here. I will say that Petrol, after playing bitey-facce with Hunter, began to smell like a dog and since she slept between hubby and I last night, I decided to give her a bath this morning. It is so easy bathing small dogs and one that doesn't need to get blow dried. Speaking of this morning, I was all set to take Hunter over to Kam's to walk with Lexie, since they will be gone for two weeks(my bff is going to Europe for two weeks). Petrol wanted to go and I knew it wasn't a good idea, so told her she had to stay home. Hunter wouldn't leave her, he sat down next to her and wouldn't budge. So he stayed home too; I know he was happier being with her. I will take them both for a walk later on. I thought it was so sweet though that he wouldn't leave her behind. Here is Petrol still a bit damp from her bath.

They are so cute together; believe it or not, Petrol is so much smaller than Hunter.  Hunter loves how much she will play!  I even used some new conditioning spray on Hunter-it helps keep him clean and detangles any mats.  I plan on applying it as soon as he gets groomed next time. 
Well, I'm working on laundry and also on my quilt, before I head to the pool with Carrie and her kiddos. 
I hope your day goes by quickly and is filled with smiles.
Blessings~
Noreen, Hunter and Petrol

Happy Weekend

Happy Friday to you! We had a wonderful time with our grandsons last night, watched a lego movie and then watched one of my favorite movies from the 90's-A Far Off Place with Reese Witherspoon.
The boys had never seen it and it had been a favorite of their mom's, so I had purchased it last fall.  It was as good as I remembered and the boys liked it, but they did say their sisters wouldn't.  I imagine that in about 5 yrs the girls will like it.  The boys are ages 13 and 11 and so very easy; we had hot dogs, coleslaw and fries for dinner with watermelon for dessert and pancakes and bacon for breakfast.
Apparently there was quite a debate between the boys and their sisters as to who would have a better night; I'm thinking both sides would say they won.  In a few weeks we will have 7 of the girls over for a sleepover.
Today, we ran errands and then looked at six houses; thankfully there was one that really stood out.  We will know by Sunday whether our offer will be accepted or not.  There were two other houses that might be potentials; hubby and I favored one over the other, but time will tell.
Tonight we are celebrating Father's Day with the family; one family is heading to the mountains for four days starting Sunday.  I never made it to the pool today, maybe tomorrow. 
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Joy to you!
Noreen

Thankful Thursday

Good Morning to you.  It is hard to believe it is Thursday already.  We are having rain and cloudy skies here today; cool temps that remind me of California fall days. There are so many things to be grateful  for today, I'm sure if you pause and think you'll find many things too. 
I am thankful that the door was closed yesterday to our building a house for our girl's family.  Now, we continue to look and wait for the house the Lord has for them.  I am thankful that it doesn't rest of my shoulders. 
I am thankful that our two oldest grandsons will be spending the night tonight with us-the first of many sleepovers here at Papa and Nana's. 
I am thankful that I happened to see a DVD next to the checkout at the grocery store yesterday. It was only $5.00 so I scooped it up-I knew it was an older movie because it had Christopher Reeve in it and also one of my favorite actresses-Jane Seymour.  The movie is "Somewhere in Time" and I give it 10 stars.  What a sweet love story, similar to the Lake House or the Love Letters from years ago. It says it was from 2000, but Jane Seymour looked so very young and those were the years we watched Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman-I think this was produced before 2000.  If you get Net Flicks or stream movies from Amazon and like the twist of time travel(with fantastic costumes and scenery)this movie is for you.
Today is pretty relaxed, we are going to look at three more houses. 
I hope you have a fantastic day.
Blessings,
Noreen

Dog Treat Review

Happy Wednesday friends. Last week Hunter got a special package in the mail from Mr. Chewy. Many of you participate in the program where you can have your dog sample products and you post a review on them. This is a great way to try different brands and products that you might not normally try. Andrew, who heads up the program, is a wonderful fellow and we are so thankful for this program. For June, I thought we'd try a brand we haven't tried before-Pure Vita freeze dried Beef Liver and Sweet Potato treats.

The treats are a good size as you can see.  Hunter loves anything sweet potato and he isn't really keen on beef, unless it is ground beef or steak.  Picky boy; but I have to say he has gotten a lot easier and less finicky that he used to be.

He immediately went for the sweet potato but after he finished it, he ate the Beef Liver.

 I love this program and if you aren't familiar with it, check out http://Chewy.com

Here is some important info about the ingredients, especially that it is made here in the U.S.

Single source protein

Rich in antioxidants;
Contains Pomegranate

Balanced Omega 3
& Omega 6 fatty acids

Complete and Balanced
Nutrition for all life stages

• Made with only two ingredients: beef liver & sweet potato
• Great for dogs of all life stages
• Grain-free, freeze-dried treats
• Reclosable bag to lock in the freshness
• Made in the USA!

	Freeze-Dried Treats
	United States
	Adult All Stages
	Grain-Free No Corn No Wheat No Soy

This morning has been busy; I took Hunter to meet two friends and their humans at our town lake. We thought we were getting an early start, but by the time we were finished it was already hot. This afternoon the temp is supposed to drop and get cloudy, so I wore jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. I think I was as hot as the dogs. We came home, I changed and began helping hubby put up wire fencing-you see next week Petrol will be with us as my girl & her family will be away. Petrol, although a registered Miniature Schnauzer, is almost the size of a toy. The other day the family was here and Petrol got out of the wrought iron fencing. Thankfully, she came when I called-but still it worried me. So hubby finished up putting the chicken wire up while I weeded and helped in small ways. 
We have a meeting with our Realtor this afternoon, it should be interesting.
I hope you have a chance to enjoy some sunshine today.
Blessings,
Noreen & Hunter

Babies No More

Well my friends it has happened~our youngest granddaughter turned one last week. We no longer have any babies to snuggle with, toddlers yes, but no babies. Where did the year go? Could it be major life changes happening-such as two moves and another one on the horizon(no we are not moving). Our sweet little E, such a mirror image of her mama, is embarking on being a walking toddler. We celebrated on Saturday and unfortunately Kim's family were all sick so couldn't join us. It was such a wonderful evening! All of Carrie's kiddos have resembled her, but E has the same facial mannerisms and expressions that her mom had as a little one. It is like stepping back in time. She is such a sweet girl and she already loves dogs. Her laughter is contagious and she is adored by her family and the whole clan. Sister and brother are trying to teach her to rip open the wrapping paper; I think she has a handle on it.

Nana made sure to buy at least one present that was a dog.  She loved this little purse and it almost looks like Lily.

It brings back so many memories to watch her; the years pass so quickly. 

We had a great time together.  Today is going to be really warm here, so I'm hoping that we will be going to the pool.  We are still searching for a home for Kim and her family; waiting upon our Lord  to lead us to one. 
Hubby is off golfing today, so I'm thinking I may iron some fabric and start cutting for my Alaska quilt, I bought last August.  I am anxious to begin sewing again; but next week we have my brother & sister of my heart coming for a visit.  Best take advantage of sewing time while I can. 
I hope you have a splendid day!
Hugs,
Noreen

Our Nest Part 2

Good Morning Friends~I hope you had a fantastic weekend. We had such fun at the Beach Boys concert Friday night, singing and moving to the music. It made us feel like we were in our 20's again; Mike Love was the only original band member but the rest of the group sounded just like the group we used to know. So I wanted to share with you the rest of our home. We will start in the master bedroom.

You may see Hunter on his bed, but don't let it fool you-he doesn't sleep there.  He does sleep on the leather chair though before he joins hubby and I on our bed. 

You can tell how dated our furniture is by the wood. Oak is one of our favorite woods; this set is about 24 yrs old. Hubby is hoping that we will get a new set sometime in the future.

Our master bath.

Our downstairs family room, here is the children's play area.

I still hope to get two chairs for in front of the fireplace and also a game table.  Hubby made a backgammon board as well as a cribbage board; we felt this was the perfect place for some games.

Our media area.  Initially I had planned to get two recliners for this area, but we are still deciding whether we need them or not.

Our kitchen area; the only thing missing is a stove.  I love having a second fridge.

The sunroom; I got this love seat at our neighborhood garage sale.  I haven't yet just sat out there, reading.

I'm surprised that Hunter doesn't just crash here; generally if we aren't home, he is on the ottoman watching out the front window for us to come home. There you have it. I hope you've enjoyed the tour. I can't believe it rained yesterday; it felt more like autumn in northern California than summer in Colorado.
Have a great Monday!
Noreen

Good Vibrations

Happy Friday to you! I hope you are having a great day.   I am, started out going to our town's annual garage sale, but didn't find too much. However, tonight hubby and I are going to a concert for one of our all time favorite groups-the Beach Boys. Hubby gave this to me as a Christmas present and the concert is right around the corner. We are so excited! Even though we are all grandparents now, it will take us back to our younger(much younger)years.

I hope you have a fantastic day and weekend. Joy to you~
Noreen

End Of The School Year

Several weeks ago our family gathered together for a year end presentation. It was a wonderful time of seeing what our grands worked on throughout the year. I am always so impressed by how much work each child puts into the presentation, which covers academics as well as art and cooking. Here is a group photo after they all got up and shared.

You may notice that our granddaughter, second in from the right, looks like she is going to cry.  You'd be correct; she was exhausted and feeling a bit overwhelmed.  After all she is just six, so it is understandable.

Here is our "little man"; isn't he just adorable!!!! Love his blue eyes, hard to believe he is already 20 mos. old. 
Today has been a day of finishing projects, doing yard work and running errands.  WE have a all-town  BBQ tonight as well as concert and are hoping it doesn't rain.  I will take more photos of our home for tomorrow.  I hope you have had a good day!
Hugs,
Noreen

Fluffing Our Nest

Happy Wednesday to you! So many of you have asked to see more of our new home, now that we are settling in. It is still a work in progress, mostly trying to figure out where to put our art. I hope you enjoy-these aren't super close-up, but it will give you an idea.   Our entry way with dining room on the right.

The stairs next to the dining room, leading to the basement. 

Our dining room.

Our antique table and lamp in the dining room.

Living room; we just got the new area rug and I love it.  The smaller one went into our master bedroom; photos of that will come another day.

Our upper deck, overlooking the golf course.

My sewing room; hubby made the small white table for our granddaughter's and we got them a new beginner sewing machine.  Although these are also out of sequence, you will get the idea-first my new cutting table. 

This is where I hope to have two granddaughters sewing at the same time. My machine faces the window and the girls face our design wall.

My treadle machine and Amish figurines.

Our kitchen, one of my favorite spaces; who am I kidding I love everything about this home! I am especially happy at how much my hubby loves this house.

Our eating area; we are so blessed!

We are also so happy to have one daughter's family five minutes from us and we are praying that we will find the right house for our other daughter's family. 
Thank you for taking the tour; I will post more as I finish up with some decorating. 
Hope you have a fantastic day!
Noreen