A Year In Review

Saturday greetings to you! I can hardly believe that 2017 is ending and we are ready to embark on a brand New Year. Here are some glimpses of our year.  The beauty of Northern Colorado continue to astound me.

In May, hubby and I joined our best friends/traveling companions and explored South Dakota. We fell in love with the beauty of the area and all the trees.

Our precious granddaughters gathered for a quarterly tea at Carrie's house.  These girls are learning the art of hospitality, cooking and entertaining a large group~because when you have a large family, it comes more easily.

Hubby's milestone birthday-we both remember dreading those big ones-like 40, 50 and 60.  65 hasn't been so bad.

Thanksgiving at Carrie's, the whole crew was there and now includes Eric's parents who are living here.

My sweet companion, Hunter.  Not the best photo, but the best pup we could have.  He is our first pure bred dog and I simply can't imagine life without him.

As always, we started out the year with snow and are ending it with snow.  It was supposed to be cold today, but sunny-guess Mother Nature changed her mind.
Looking forward to the New Year and all that it holds.  We don't make resolutions, but try to set some goals for ourselves-for both of us: to continue on going to the gym at least 3 days a week, if not more.  To stay healthy and do all that we can to achieve that.  I have some spiritual goals as well and of course lots of quilting goals.  We have three trips planned for the year-one in the spring to Kauai, one in June to Ca. for a wedding and one in the fall to Southern California with our entire crew.  
Time spent with dear friends here and back in Ca. is always a must.
Today will be somewhat quite; we have to run a couple of errands and then this afternoon hubby and four of the guys in the family will be heading to an Escape Room to experience it.  Our daughters always give the most creative Christmas presents.  WE will then all gather for chili and a game night.
 We will go to our favorite restaurant tomorrow night, at 5:00 p.m., joined my our sil's parents.  This is our tradition and we love going early, so we can get home before everyone else goes out.
Blessings to you and yours.
Noreen

Snowy Owls in Colorado

Happy Thursday to you! Many of you are avid Bird Watchers and love getting pics of different birds. I love seeing Bald Eagles here as well as an occasional Hawk in our back yard. I hear Owls on a regular basis, but do to the fact that Hunter might make a great meal, I like them in other areas. Last night we were watching the news and saw that three Snowy Owls have been seen here in Colorado. They make their home in Canada and Alaska, but the expert said because they have over populated, they are migrating south. Oh what a beautiful bird this is.

I am so thankful for having eyes to behold the beauty of different birds and animals.  I am so thankful that we live in Colorado, with four distinct seasons including cold winters, I am thankful we have a view of the majestic Rockies and that three adventurous Owls made their way here.
I hope you have a fantastic day and see something new to you.
Blessings~
Noreen

Normal Days

Greetings to you friends!  Today marked the first day in several weeks that seem to be normal, in that we hit the gym first thing this morning and now hubby is off playing Senior Badminton while I straighten up the house, do laundry and clean both sewing machines.  It's cold and snowy out, so being inside is what I like to do best.  I may even look at working on a sewing project or two.  I can tell you that my body is not used to the workouts I had been doing, since I skipped a couple of days.
I actually had to lessen the weights and I sure could tell that I need to stay at it 3 days a week minimum.
Not too much else going on here, just enjoying getting back to normal.
Blessings on your day!
Noreen

Christmas Blessings

Hello Friends~I hope you all had a perfect day yesterday! As I've mentioned, we always gather at Kim's house ,because it is her birthday and she likes staying home. Yesterday, around 11:15, we gathered at her house and the festivities began.  Grands waiting to open presents.

Our youngest, Miss E opened the first present and was thrilled with a Unicorn Tea Set.

Little Man flanked by his cousins, always his teachers and protectors.

Miss A holding a puzzle she wanted and Miss A next to her looking at something.  See the snow on the ground-Little Man had just come in from shoveling their deck.

Miss D with American Girl paper kits.  We only do stocking gifts for the grands and a big family gift.

Peanut with her love of engineering received three Metal Earth kits-she had the Eiffel Tower up before lunch/supper.

Our two oldest grands, Miss F on the left with Miss S.

All of Carrie's kiddos, but the two youngest, received  Schiels gift cards.  Miss S received a piano book-Pirates of the Caribbean.

Kim really loves 'Dear Muscha' jewelry and received a necklace she wanted.

I gave our girls(Carrie seated next to me)a book and journal by Well Watered Women~a study we can all do, not together but to share with one another about.

Our big family gift is usually a weekend trip to Estes Park with all of us.  However, this year our gift is a trip to Oceanside.  The kids and grands all love going there and we got three condos; it's been 7 years since we went together.  Hubby designed a puzzle that they had to assemble that would share where we are going.  He included the photo that was his inspiration; he blew it up and made it into a puzzle.

They are all so excited and an added benefit is that one of the days we will head to Disneyland.

All of the kiddos standing for a photo and then Eric's parents presented each with a gift card to Starbucks.  So thoughtful.

I should have gotten a photo of all the food, but didn't. What a spread and it included Steak, Ham, Baked Potatoes and fixings, Roasted Root Vegetables, Rolls, stuffed Mushrooms, sautéed mushrooms and onion, wedge Salad plus lots of desserts.  WE were all so full, that I would bet most didn't eat dinner-at least hubby and I didn't.  WE came home and watched another Hallmark movie; I love them and will be disappointed when they stop-though there are always good ones on, we just like the Christmas ones.
Today is snowy and cold; I had two friends over for breakfast and now we have a quiet afternoon.  WE have a couple of errands to run and later three grands will be over for a few hours.  Nothing to return to the stores; it's a perfect way to spend the day.
Northern Colorado has been hit with Norvovirus and the Flu, so I am really avoiding being in public.
Blessings and Joy to you this last week of 2017.
Noreen

Merry Christmas

From our heart and home to you dear friends~

Christmas Blessings.  

May love fill your day and lives.

Fun Christmas Gifts

One of the greatest gifts I can give to those I love is something I make; it is also the same with gifts given to me, they mean more when they are hand made.  I had two panels left over from my wall hanging and decided they were the perfect size for a table runner.  So what's a mom to do, but create one for each daughter.  They were so quick and easy, giving me more practice on machine quilting-though I will say it was basic-just stitch in the ditch.  They took less that a morning to complete.

My California friend Cyndi crotched me this scarf and I love it.

I made this runner for Carrie and just changed up the binding a bit.

So both runners have been delivered, with a day or two to enjoy them and maybe more, depending on how quickly my girls take their homes apart.  I loved these panels and had planned to make pillows out of them, but it was more fun make the runners.
May your Christmas Eve be filled with joy and blessings and your Christmas Day as well.  Our family will be attending church tomorrow morning together and then having lunch afterwards.  Monday will be filled with family, food, fun and thanksgiving for our Savior's birth.
Blessings and joy to you!
Noreen

From Our House to Yours

We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Love this boy to pieces and he makes me holidays bright.
Love,
Noreen and Hunter

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Happy Thursday to you all.  Here in Colorado, we've had a very dry November and first part of December and I have to say I was fine with it.  I know we desperately need the precipitation and snow, especially in the mountains and it has arrived.  This is what we woke up to this morning; not quite as much as had been predicted, but enough all the same-at least for the flatlands.  Hubby shoveled the driveway and sidewalks first thing and then we assembled our plates of cookies that needed to be delivered.  After delivering five plates of cookies(also three last night),  I am home and hoping to sew while hubby is at the golf course playing on the simulator.  It's the perfect day to be inside with Christmas music playing and enjoying the beauty of the day.  It is so pretty and I'm content just to stay inside.  Later this afternoon we have one more Christmas delivery to make and then will relax now that everything is finished, except for hitting the grocery store on Saturday.
I hope you are having a great week and enjoying this Christmas Season.  What a joy it is to be alive, to have family nearby and grands to bake with.  Praying you find blessings in your day.
Noreen

Hello Wednesday, I hope you are all enjoy the week thus far.  As always, this time of year fills each day with some sort of activity and then hours just fly by.  Yesterday I had a good visit with my friend and hit the road before rush hour traffic began.  Today we will be hitting the grocery store first thing, two grands and I are going to be making Christmas cookies to give to neighbors, friends, church and our vet.  After that, we will hit Costco for a ham, sparkling cider and some small items.  At lunch I'm taking a dear friend out to lunch for her birthday and after that will pick up grands to begin baking.  I'm hoping to deliver cookies today, because tomorrow we are supposed to have 3-4" of snow.
I hope you have a great day and are staying warm.  Old Man Winter has come to Colorado to stay.
Blessings, joy and hugs~
Noreen

Counting Down

The countdown has begun~those who attend church are enjoying Christmas Carols, many are baking this week, while others are still out shopping or wrapping.  I'm happy to say all but a few of our presents are wrapped; we spent time yesterday getting the majority done.  At church yesterday, I was able to sing familiar carols and enter into this last week in a quiet, reflective and peaceful mood; last night hubby and I went to our daughters' family church and watched 8 of our grands performing Christmas songs.  It was so wonderful, firstly because it was our grands up on stage and secondly because the families had hired a Choir Instructor who did a fantastic job with all of the kiddos. Our grands are mingled in with all the others; this church has more children than parents.  After we saw them, we headed to old town Fort Collins where the lights are gaily decorating the streets.  We had dinner with Kim's in-laws and then walked the square; it was so cold, but fun to be out in December.  Hubby and I got home and watched yet another Hallmark  Christmas movie~I love them and always look forward to seeing which ones they'll play.  My only disappointment is that once recorded, they only stay for a week or so.  Even hubby enjoys them, especially when there isn't anything else on t.v.
Today we will go to Kim's to watch kiddos for a short bit while one is at the Orthodontist.  After that we headed to the gym; hubby will be playing golf this afternoon and I'm sure I'll find some things to do around the house.  This week is busy with seeing my girlfriend in Longmont, taking another friend out to lunch for her birthday, having a couple for dinner on Thursday and in between hitting Whole Foods, a Bread company and Costco.
I hope you are finding Joy in every hour leading up to Christmas.  Stay well and make the most of every minute.
Blessings,
Noreen

Tea Time

Hello and Happy Friday to you! I hope you've all had a great week and are enjoying all the preparations for Christmas. As I've shared before, my two daughters-Carrie and Kim host a quarterly tea party for all of the females in the family; occasionally little man joins us as he did today~he got all dressed up and looked so handsome. The two oldest young men were busy with school and couldn't join little man upstairs. Little Man is used to having mostly girls around, so he was fine with today. Didn't Kim do an amazing job with the table-so bright and festive.

I didn't get a shot of all the tea sandwiches or of the fruit-which came from my brother and sil in California.  This roasted squash salad with pomegranate seeds is one of my favorites.

There were homemade pomegranate seed scones that were delicious.  Kim had set up a Hot Chocolate Station for the kiddos and we ladies had hot tea.

A brief tour of Kim's home-love the vaulted ceiling that can accommodate a huge tree. Her kiddos assemble the tree and decorate it.  They have been putting in Oak Hardwood floors and it looks so bright and clean.
More sweet decorations.

Last but not least was dessert-so yummy. Kim made Irish Tea Cakes in a gingerbread mold and then covered them with chocolate.

Carrie made her delicious chocolate macaroons and also Maple Meringues.
The girls all did a craft with felted wool balls, either making a wreath or a garland.  Somehow I missed getting them crafting.
Tomorrow morning I have a Christmas Tea at church and then will meet up with the rest of the family for lunch-half the group are going to see the new Star Wars movie and the other half will be at one of the houses watching Christmas movies.
Have a joyful weekend!
Noreen

Merry Christmas

From our home to yours, we wish you a Blessed Christmas and New Year.  Hunter sends warm nuzzles and kisses to all his friends in blogland-especially the four legged friends.  

This is a bit early, but we aren't doing cards for Hunter and wanted to share Christmas greetings with all our friends.
Have a great Thursday, we are very thankful for each of you!
Noreen and Hunter

Tylee's Turkey Jerky

A #ChewyInfluencer,it is with joy that I once again get to review a product that Hunter has not had before. I have shared in the past that Hunter is so picky when it comes to food and treats. However, Hunter loves Turkey Jerky and I'm here to say he loves this jerky. I was so impressed with the size of the pieces and you can tell that they are turkey pieces that has just been cut and dried.

Hunter still has some tear staining from his food allergies and I'm so happy that this jerky is 100% turkey.
Here is some more info on it:

Tylee’s Turkey Jerky Human-Grade Dog Treats are made with 100% all-natural turkey—the same quality meat that you would eat. When it comes to dog treat recipes, Tylee’s knows that less is really more. The only ingredient you’ll find listed is pure meat that’s been thinly sliced and dehydrated to create a jerky that’s chewy and irresistible. This delicious snack delivers 81% protein and all the flavor your dog craves. To keep every bite as fresh as the first, Tylee’s lets nature do its work by using a drying process instead of adding chemical preservatives. The result is a portable protein treat that you can take anywhere for spontaneous on-the-go rewards. Break them into bite-size pieces for tinier pups, or to just stretch out treat time.

Key Benefits

• High-quality dog jerky treats made with human-grade ingredients, just like the jerky you would want to eat, with all the same mouthwatering flavors.
• No added chemical preservatives; this jerky treat is made with only one ingredient: 100% delicious all-natural turkey. The natural drying process makes sure this tasty jerky stays fresh.
• High-protein snack makes the perfect on-the-go training reward, delivering 81% protein to keep his energy up and provide essential amino acids.
• Dehydrated and thinly sliced dog jerky treat that’s simple to break into small bites while traveling, and you can reward dogs of all sizes.
• Full of real meat flavor for the perfect dog training reward or everyday portable protein treat. Enticing texture for a jerky treat that dogs love to chew.
• It is made in the USA~ which is very important to me.

We are so thankful to Miss Natalie and all of the Chewy staff who make this program so easy. Hunter loves getting the new treats and now that I'm going to be much more aware of anything I give him, I can rest assured knowing Chewy has his best interest at heart. Go visit Chewy if you haven't yet, you can find them here:
https://www.chewy.com/tylees-turkey-jerky-human-grade-dog/dp/136149
Disclaimer:  We received this product free for our honest opinion, positive or otherwise and did not receive any compensation for our review.

Noreen and Hunter

Hello friends,  I hope your Monday was a good one and that Tuesday will be even better.  It's not quite Tuesday yet, but Hunter has me up with some restlessness and excessive licking-so I thought that there was no better time to write than right now.  I'm thinking that I may have to take him into the vet tomorrow to have his ears checked-either for mites or an infection.  It could be allergies to a new food we are adding into his diet, but I don't like how uncertain I feel when I know he isn't feeling his normal self.  I did not get to the gym today, Monday,  as I was running late, but headed down to see my girlfriend.  We had a great day together-lunch, a little window shopping so to speak and just catching up.  Due to allergies I was not able to hang out at her brother's house and once we got back, I immediately headed for home.  I will see her next Monday for another fun day together.  I do have other plans for today-grocery shopping as we are having friends over Wednesday evening and I'm hoping to hit the gym as long as Hunter is o.k.  I think I will still call in and have his ears checked and him looked at, just to make sure.

Good news-Hunter did not have ear mites or an infection, but has allergies-which isn't a surprise considering Bichon's are known for having issues.  Our vet is the best and decided to give him a shot to help ease the itching.  So thankful, hoping now with a new kibble for dogs prone to allergies, it will pass.  We will definitely be taking a nap today.
Have a good day!
Hugs,
Noreen

My Christmas Collections Part II

Happy Monday to you! I hope you had a fantastic weekend; we've had the most gorgeous weather and I'm so thankful. I won't mind a dusting of snow around Christmas, but for now I'm so thrilled that although cold  is here i there is no snow on the ground. So you may all know that I love Cardinals~we don't have them here or Blue Jays, but they are so pretty. I started adding some to my Christmas decor several years ago. I added another this year.

Many, many years ago-probably close to 25, my sil started giving me Lizzie High dolls for Christmas.  They are so cute!

This wall hanging was my weekend project-very simple, a panel that I cut up and quilted. Initially, I wanted to make pillows like Potter* Barn sells, but changed my mind.  I did all the quilting on the machine.  It is really hard to tell and I've even got some machine quilted snowflakes on it.

I love this little mason jar decoration!  One of my gal pals gave it to me for Christmas.  Hubby and I tried to find the same size jars and battery operated candle holders for a gift for some friends, but were unsuccessful.

My girlfriend from Ca. is out dog sitting for her brother and I'm heading down to spend the day with her as soon as I am done with the gym.  I am hoping to just relax until Christmas, although I do need to do some wrapping.
Hope your day is so easy and  that you can share some joy with others.
Hugs,
Noreen