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