Christmas photos from the third on January.

Our home will be filled with trains and Polly Pockets the next few days. The dolls have what seems like millions of tiny cloths, shoes, purses, etc. and etc. The train track changes daily and winds its way under furniture and takes up most of the free space in the living room. Ours is certainly a room for living.

Australian Opel.

Australian Uggs.

Hannah and her i pod shuffle.

Dad and his girl.

Stacy opening a gift.

More trains.

We picked up the Aussies about nine thirty New Years Eve at the Des Moines air port. After we got home I fixed a quick and easy meal. Warren, I, Samantha and Sage then spent a few minutes looking at the packages under the tree. At midnight Sage wanted to know where the trains were.

Sage was sick on their last day of vacation in New Zealand and on part of their trip over. Everyone was well until yesterday. Sam spent yesterday sick. Rhett did not feel so well either. At this point we are not certain if this is a case of new germs or the old ones showing their ugliness.



I suspect we will all want to go on diets soon. We have had lots of laughter, playing and eating. The evening we went out to eat Rhett knew he wanted a good Iowa steak.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Remembering our Summer Vacation to Australia on a Snowy Sunday

Grandpa arrives in Adelaide.

John and Rosie, our wonderful guides who showed us their area of Sydney.

Rhett, Stacey and kids in Melbourne on a drizzly Saturday.

Samantha at an Irish Pub in Melbourne.

Sage with us near where he is living with his Mom, Dad and sister in Australia. This is a lovely area where Koala bears live high in the trees. We did not see any that day.









This is also the place we were at when our purses were stolen from a locked car. Never leave your passport in your purse in a car. I hope to be smarter in the future.

Thankful For...

A husband whose hand I love to hold.
Our healthy children who are wonderful adults.
Family ties that are strong.
Friends who care.
Walks in the country.
Two hands that nurture and create.
A home with a roof and heat and a pantry filled with food.
Home mad marshmallows and hot chocolate.
Clothes that keep me warm and comfortable.
Parents that taught me right from wrong.

Count your blessings today and every day.

summer time 2008

We have just finished with the Grundy County 4-H Fair. It was a fun time for Granddaughters, Kelsey and Hannah. I helped with posters, sewing, marshmallow making, table settings, and basket making projects. Kelsey wanted to raise chickens this year. It was a bit of work for her and her Dad to get the pens ready and supplies for the thirty plus chickens. They have some layers so we now have our own eggs.

Hannah is pictured with the basket that is going to the Iowa State Fair.

Spring in California

Rhett and two monkeys

We spent last week with the California Schildroths. Our week went quickly while we had a lovely time being part of their everyday lives. It was five days of fun and two days spent flying. Samantha will turn five this month. Seeing her open her gifts from us was great. Sam and I put together the birthday banner. She seems to enjoy doing craft projects. Perhaps she has inherited the craft gene.

The picture at the left was taken after a short, steep climb. It does not look that high up but believe me the shore is a long way down. Sam and Warren followed me up the hill chanting "I think I can, I think I can..."

It was windy on the coast when we went there on Sunday. We needed our coats but it was not too cold for comfort. From Highway 1 glimpses of the coast are often seen. We missed the whales when we made our stop at Pigeon Point. The water was a lovely shade of blue and the interpreter had interesting things to say about the whales.

March coming in like a Lion!

Warren’s comment when he saw the blog was "What are you going to write?’ Guess that is the case as this is the second installment and it is the middle of March.

A windy day here in Iowa. We just went for a walk. Forty-five and windy can be a bit chilly.
Yesterday was spent doing some shopping and taking in an antique show. It seems like half the stuff are things you remember and other half are things you think should have been junked. It was fun to look about for a bit and wonder if you still had some of the stuff and if an antique dealer would give you anything for them if you could locate the items.

We saw our first robins this week, makes spring seem real. After the rain, snow and ice storm that commenced the 23 of February, seeing the brown grass is a real treat. The picture is from the 24th of February. At this point we had ice on the trees, ground, and windows. The snow came later. We were without electricity for five days. The generator ran well. It was great to have. It is a costly way to get electricity for the farm and both houses.