My Little Corner of the World

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-31T21:37:00.001-05:00

A trip down memory lane

2012-01-30T21:44:00.000-05:00

I'm about to show my age! (51)
But, I have a feeling that some of you might enjoy seeing some of these things from our childhood, so here we go!

Penny Candy

Tinker Toys

metal ice cube trays

15 cent hamburgers

Lincoln Logs

Lassie!

Drive in restaurants

Jiffy Pop popcorn

Gum wrapper chains

5 cent stamps

Flash bulbs

Green stamps

50 cent gas

Good memories!

Let it snow?

2012-01-29T21:37:00.001-05:00

We've been pretty spoiled this year as far as winter weather is concerned. The weather people were predicting a terrible winter for us, with above average amounts of snow.
So far we haven't had that, there's been more days without snow than with.
However - it seems that when it does snow, it does it with a vengeance!
This morning when we went to church it was snowing, but the roads were mostly clear.
When we left it looked like this:

It made for a nasty drive home!

We were glad to be back home again - this is our road.
Here's hoping that tomorrow is clear again!

Friday Favorites

2012-01-26T21:38:00.001-05:00

Every Friday Sandra at Diary of a SAHM gives us the chance to share one of our favorite things. You may have seen pictures of this before but it's something I've enjoyed since the day we moved here, over 20 years ago!
This is the view from our living room window. This beech tree is just huge and is beautiful in every season. It gives me joy to look out and see God's hand at work in every season!

The fall colors are beautiful...

and so is the winter black and white look!

"Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Let all the trees sing for joy!"
Psalm 96:12

Cooking Thursday

2012-01-25T21:39:00.000-05:00

We eat lots of soup in the winter. It's usually very economical, easy to make and just tastes good when it's cold outside. The recipe I'm sharing is all that and healthy too!
If you like stuffed peppers, you'll like this soup.
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 pound ground turkey (May substitute lean ground beef)
1 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1 can (1 3/4 cup) tomato sauce
32 ounce chicken broth
1 cups water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons oregano
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups cooked brown rice

In large pot, brown meat and drain fat. Add peppers and onion and cook about 5 minutes over low heat.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, water, garlic powder, oregano and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on stove top for about 30 minutes.
Stir rice into soup.
Makes about 12 servings - 1 1/2 cup each at 127 calories.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-24T21:39:00.001-05:00

The box and Oliver

2012-01-23T21:39:00.000-05:00

We got a package the other day and as usual, Oliver felt he needed to investigate. He just loves boxes!

First, you check out the edges.

Then you have to head right in.

"Are you looking at me?"

"Oh fine - I'm coming out"

"But - if you turn the box over, I'll jump right in!"

Funny cat!

Monday morning smiles

2012-01-22T21:38:00.001-05:00

Are you ready for another week? I got an e-mail with these cute critters and thought maybe this would be a good time to share some cute pictures!

A turtle the size of a grape...

A baby penguin meets a baby dolphin...

An otter shows off it's baby...

A kitten with a permanent top hat...

A baby hedgehog takes a bubble bath...

A chinchilla takes in the sunrise...

Cute, cute kitten...

A baby owl...

And last, but certainly not least...
a baby pig!

Hope these pictures brought a smile to your face!

Winner!

2012-01-21T08:29:00.000-05:00

It's time to announce the winner of the DVD giveaway:
The person who was commenter #6 is Jean from What's Up at the Stauffers!
Congratulations to Jean and thanks to each of you who entered.
Jean - the DVD will be mailed to you soon!

Friday Favorites

2012-01-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

Every Friday, Sandra at Diary of a SAHM, hosts Friday Favorites, a place to post anything that's a favorite.
Here's my favorite for this week!

I got this little figurine when we took care of my Mom's stuff after she passed away. I'm sure it has no monetary value, but it has a lot of sentimental value.
It's something that my Mom had before I was born and I remember seeing it on a shelf when I was young. I wish I knew the story behind this or where she got it.
It now sits on my dresser with some family pictures. I love seeing this reminder of my Mom everyday!

Cooking Thursday

2012-01-18T21:40:00.001-05:00

Sandra over at Diary of a SAHM is hosting Cooking Thursday again. I've got a great chicken recipe that came from Sandra herself! She's a great cook and I often save her recipes. I bookmarked this one some time ago and then forgot to make it. Well - I found the recipe and decided to try it. It was quick, easy and yummy! Try it - you'll like it!

Sandra's Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)
Bacon slices
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder
chili powder
brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices,
then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.

DVD giveaway!

2012-01-17T21:39:00.002-05:00

I'm not a sports fan and you will rarely find me watching a baseball game. However - I've really enjoyed some sports movies in the past and when I was given the chance to review this movie I grabbed it.
'A Mile in his shoes' is based on a book (The Legend of Mickey Tussler) about a boy who has Aspergers Autism.

Only a miracle can help baseball coach Arthur 'Murph' Murphy (Dean Cain) and his losing minor league baseball team. As Murph sets out to recruit new talent for the team, he stumbles upon Mickey (Luke Schroder), a young farmer with an incredible pitcher's arm. However, Mickey's parents are reluctant in allowing him to join the team because he has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. Murph convinces Mickey's parents that life in the minor league will benefit their unique son, but he doesn't realize just how much his new recruit will help the team s game and, more importantly, their spirit. Based on a true story, Thomas Kinkade Presents: A Mile in His Shoes is an inspirational film that celebrates faith, determination and the power of friendship.

This was a really good family film, that will have you cheering on Mickey and leave you pretty frustrated with a few others in the movie. I did think it was somewhat predictable at times, but in a good way, if that makes any sense!

If you want a chance to see it for yourself, just leave a comment! I'll be drawing a winner on Friday night and will post it then.
I have a few blogging friends who are also doing this giveaway, so for more chances to win you can leave a comment at either of these blogs:
Raise Them Up
Heart to Heart

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Living in Narnia

2012-01-16T21:40:00.000-05:00

Until last week our winter had been unseasonably warm with just a little bit of snow, but then things changed in a hurry!
It started snowing Thursday around 5 pm and by Friday morning we had 8 inches of snow on the ground. By Saturday morning there was another 5 inches!
This snow was very wet and stuck to everything. If you ever saw the Narnia movie you have an idea of how things looked around here - just gorgeous!
Here's a few pictures to show you what a good West Michigan snowstorm looks like!

The view from our living room window

Our front walk - look at the snow on our lights!

Side yard

Even the clotheslines were covered.

Our little bench is nearly buried.

Pine trees in the back yard

Isn't the Japanese Maple a beauty?

Sun shining through snow covered branches

Our road

Our road again!

This is a horse farm down our road

We were amazed at the beauty that surrounded us and in awe of our God who is able to transform the landscape in such a manner!

"He spreads snow like wool and scatters frost like ashes"
Psalm 147:16

Visits with Alaina

2012-01-15T21:41:00.000-05:00

I've been able to spend a lot of time with Alaina this week and what fun I've had!
Laura had an appointment on my day off, so Heather and I went to their house to watch her for several hours.

This picture is a little fuzzy, but I love that cute little nose and those baby lips. :)

We even got to give her a bath. Is there anything sweeter than a baby just out of the bath, wrapped up in a towel?

Such a sweet smile!

She was paying close attention to what Aunt Heather had to say.

It was a beautiful day, so after she had her bath and something to eat we bundled her up and went out for a walk.

~~~

Then we got another treat on Friday when she came to spend the night!

She is starting to realize when her Mom and Dad aren't around and wasn't real happy about being left with us! Grandpa reassured her that we weren't all bad and walked around with her to calm her down.

Grandma enjoyed every minute of snuggling with her. She slept from about 10:15 till 6:45 in the morning, so I couldn't complain about that!

Oliver wasn't too sure about this little person. This is the closest he came the whole time.

This is a good example of how things went - everyone was at Alaina's beck and call - even just sitting and watching her play!

Here she is, bundled up in her little bear coat, ready to go home again. Her Dad and Mom missed her and were really ready to see her again.
We gave an open invitation for her to come again - any time!

Cooking Thursday

2012-01-11T21:43:00.001-05:00

I'm sharing one of our favorite soup recipes with you today. It's quite easy and goes together quickly. I usually mae it in the afternoon and then put it in the crock pot, as it burns easily if you leave it on the stove. You can serve it immediately after making it though, and leave out that step.
For more recipes, stop and see Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Cheesy Potato Soup

2 chicken bouillon soup
2 cups boiling water
4 cups peeled, cubed potatoes
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 quart milk
1/2 pound Velveeta, cubed
bacon bits or ham - optional

Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water in large saucepan. Add potatoes along with other vegetables. Bring to boiling, simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a 4 quart dutch oven over low heat. Blend in flour, stirring mix until smooth. Add 1 cup milk, then stir in remaining 3 cups milk. Stir constantly until slightly thickened.
When vegetables are cooked and tender, puree and stir into hot milk.
Heat to boiling. Stir in cheese.
Season with salt and pepper. Add bacon or ham if desired.

Change is coming

2012-01-09T21:41:00.000-05:00

I got this recently in an e-mail and thought it was pretty cute. Hope you enjoy it!

Grace seemed sheepish as she visited her Gynecologist.

'Come now" coaxed the Dr. 'You've been seeing me for years! There's nothing you can't tell me.'

'This one seems kind of strange.'

'Let me be the judge of that' replied the Dr.

'Well,' she said, 'yesterday I went to the bathroom and I heard a "plink, plink, plink" in the toilet. When I looked down, the water was full of pennies!'

'I see.'

'That afternoon, I went to the bathroom again and "plink, plink, plink" there were nickels in the bowl.' 'That night', she went on, 'I went again and "plink, plink plink" and there were dimes, and this morning there were quarters!'

'You've got to tell me what's wrong with me!' she implored. 'I'm scared out of my wits!'

The gynecologist put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

'There, there, it's nothing to be scared about.'

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(Ready for this?)

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(I'm warning you...)

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(It's not too late - you don't have to look!)

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'You're simply going through the change!'

:) :) :) :) :) :)

Fun visitors

2012-01-08T21:45:00.001-05:00

Every day we have visitors come to the nursing home, and while we are thankful for each of them, there are some that are welcomed by more staff and residents than others.
Whenever kids or pets come, they are warmly welcomed and given lots of attention.
Last week the daughter of one of our residents brought in her puppies.

They arrived in their kennel and seemed to have no problem in crawling over each other.
There were 2 black puppies and one brown one.

This black one was very sweet and laid back, and looked much cuter in person than in this photo.

This brown one was a snuggler. Several staff members were wanting to kidnap her.
They are Sharpei/puggle mixes and are so cute! They were quickly surrounded by staff members and were held by many residents. I think it made their day!

Friday Favorites

2012-01-05T21:39:00.001-05:00

Sandra, at Diary of a SAHM is starting something new on Friday, called Friday Favorites where we can share anything that's a favorite. Stop over at her place to see other favorites.

One of my very favorite things is smiling or laughing babies. Of course, my favorite baby is Alaina! She smiles a lot, and it just warms my heart every time I see it!
So - here is my Friday favorite for this week:

You can't help but smile when you see this!

More Christmas...

2012-01-04T21:41:00.000-05:00

I've got a few more Christmas pictures to share.
We had to cancel our party on Bob's side because most of the family was sick, so we ended up just going out with Bob's Mom and his stepdad, Rog. We had a really nice night, but I didn't take any pictures.
On Christmas Day we had my family over. I have 2 sisters and one brother. They were all with us, except Andy of course. It's a big group - 19 for dinner!

We line up tables in our family room downstairs, so we can all eat together.

Arianna, Halle and Shaelyn opening their presents from Grandpa. They each got a soft, fuzzy robe!

A dress I got for Alaina. She needs to grow into it - it's a size 2, but isn't it cute?

My Dad and Ann opening a box of goodies.

Our family has a tradition of Santa letters. "Santa" sends out letters to those who've been a little naughty during the year. It's always brings on lots of laughs!
This year, Santa was quite busy writing letters. There were 5 in all, but I'll share 2 of them with you.

I got a letter thanking me for hosting the Christmas gathering, in spite of having to deal with my husband. :) I got this beautiful necklace as a thank you!
The funny thing about this is that Bob thought it was hilarious that I got a letter and he decided to read it out loud, not knowing that the letter was actually teasing him. My sisters who were the writers of the letter, about died laughing as he read it!

There was another letter sent to my sisters and me. It praised our Dad for "persevering" in raising us, as we were so hard to deal with. It also gave big Kudos to our brother for surviving all these years with 3 sisters. You can see him above with his award ribbon. We had to give our husbands a standing ovation because they also have to deal with the 3 sisters. Last but not least was pictures of all of our kids so we could look at them and think about the wonderful people in our lives!
This Santa letter was written by our kids and produced lots more laughter!

At the end of the day, we took a minute to get a quick 4 generation picture.
Me, Dad, Alaina, Laura

It was a wonderful day!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-03T21:45:00.001-05:00

We had our family Christmas celebration with Laura and Aaron and Heather on Christmas Eve.
In years past I always took pictures of all the kids together, but with Andy gone, I didn't do that. It seems my camera focused mainly on one small cutie this year!

She was sounds asleep when they arrived, in this cute Christmas outfit!

We decided Alaina was our best gift this year, so Laura tried to get her in a stocking, but she's getting too big!

When Alaina was a little over a week old, Bob and I watched her while Laura and Aaron went out for supper. I had seen an idea for making an ornament with a babies handprint on it, so I did that while they were gone and didn't tell them. I thought I washed the paint off quite well, but the next day Laura called and said Alaina had something that looked like red nail polish around some of her fingers. Of course, I pleaded ignorance, knowing it would be revealed at Christmas.
Here's their great expressions when they realized what happened:

That handprint looks so small already and she's only 2 months old.

We had a great evening together, and I loved holding this little sweetheart.

Christmas with Andy

2012-01-02T21:39:00.000-05:00

Most of you are aware that our son Andy is in Afghanistan. We are able to Skype with him about once a week so when we did this on December 23rd we had him open the gifts we sent, so we could see him.
Since there isn't much we could send him gift wise, we gave him money in the form of paying toward his jeep. Then we got a bunch of crazy things that would make him laugh, and some food items and sent them in this huge stocking.
Here's some screen shots I took as he was opening things. Excuse the blurriness - our Skype from Afghanistan is never very clear!

Here he is with the big stocking!

In typical Andy fashion, he started goofing off and put the stocking on his head.

More goofing off...

And a little more...

And one more...

Heather sent this little "Shoulder buddy". He attaches to your shirt with a magnet and sits on your shoulder. Andy got a good laugh from him.

This is an actual screenshot, which shows us in the corner, watching Andy unwrap gifts.

Andy has been on the night shift since he got to Afghanistan. He says he usually gets breakfast at the D-fac on his way home from work and then sleeps. However - on holidays when they make a big meal, there are only donuts available to eat.
So:

This is the picture he sent on Christmas morning. The message with it was "thank you for the breakfast!"

And here's one last picture. I got this one from the army facebook group. Andy is the third on the right. They are enjoying their Christmas dinner.

It's always good to talk to him and see him this way - but it will be even better to see him in person! We don't know for sure when that will happen but probably in a few months!

Year in Review

2012-01-01T21:34:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that 2012 is here.
I always try to do a year in review post to share with you, and I really enjoy looking back over the events of the past year. I'm always surprised by what I've forgotten and always enjoy seeing how God has taken care of us for another year!
Below you will see my favorite pictures for each month, and also the first sentence from each blog post for that month.

January

"It's time for another recipe."

February

"The good people at CSN stores are offering a giveaway!"

March

"I've been so blessed by the family I was born into."

April

"Isn't this a beautiful barn?"

May

"Have you ever made a photo book online?"

June

"During Andy's time home, I got to be part of something pretty special".

July

"Happy Birthday to the USA!"

August

"I've shared before a few stories about the cute little lady at the nursing home who calls me Coco."

September

"The other day Heather was looking out the dining room window into our backyard, and she said there was something in the tree out there."

October

"We have had such a beautiful Fall here"

November

"Wordless Wednesday"

December

"Last week was a tough week for our family"

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T20:46:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas to all of my dear blogging friends!
Wishing you all good times with friends and family, remembering that baby, who was the first and best gift ever!

I'm taking a short blogging break over the next week, and will see you next year!

Cooking Thursday

2011-12-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

Are you looking for a quick and yummy treat to make for Christmas? I've got just the thing for you! This caramel corn is so easy and it's got no hulls when you eat it. I've been making it for a few years and it's always a hit!
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Best Ever Caramel Corn

2 bags Jays Corn Puffs
2 sticks butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Pour bags of corn puffs into a turkey roaster pan.
In a deep sauce pan, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla.
Bring mix to boil over medium heat. Once it begins boiling, boil for 2 minutes. (Don't over boil)
Remove from heat and stir in baking soda; the mix will become foamy.
Slowly pour half the mix over the corn puffs and stir gently. Then pour remaining mix over corn puffs and stir to coat fully.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Dump entire contents onto wax paper to cool completely. Break apart and store in airtight container.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

Christmas project

2011-12-19T21:42:00.001-05:00

I have to show you the project I've been working on this past week. I saw the instructions for it on Pinterest, and thought it would be great for gifts for the nurses aides I work with.

What can you do with a washer, a bead, some cord and scrapbook paper?

Cut the scrapbook paper to shape, glue it to the washer, sand the edges and put a glaze over it.
Then string the cord through it, add a bead and you have a necklace!

I think they turned out pretty cute. Hope the aides like them too!

A day with Alaina

2011-12-18T21:41:00.002-05:00

I had such a fun day on Friday!
It was my day off and Laura asked if I could watch Alaina. Of course - there was no question about that!
My sisters were also coming to spend the morning together, so Miss Alaina got lots of attention. My work Christmas gathering was at noon, so she came along and was shown off there, and we also stopped at the Hardware store to visit Grandpa.

She is such an easy going baby, she handled all that running around without a whimper.
She smiles like crazy, and is very alert - watching everything going on around her.

When Bob came home from work, they had a little nap together, before we bundled her up and brought her back home.
There's nothing like snuggling with a baby!

Swagbucks

2011-12-15T21:52:00.003-05:00

I've posted before about my love for swagbucks. It's a great way to get free stuff! I had over $200 in my Amazon.com account to use for my Christmas shopping this year, that I earned since January using Swagbucks.
If you haven't tried it, now is the time!

Swagbucks is going crazy on Monday, with more ways for you to earn reward points towards free stuff. First, they're having a Swag Code Extravaganza, which means a fun day where you can earn up to 70 Swag Bucks from 8 different codes throughout the day!

Second, there's a new set of Holiday Collector's Bills which you can only earn through search - get all five and you'll receive an instant 12 Swag Bucks bonus! The set starts at noon on Monday

Finally, for any referral you bring in today through the 19th, you'll not only get up to 1000 matching Swag Bucks from Search, but 1000 Matching Swag Bucks from everything they earn (not including codes) all day Monday - they're calling it Mega Match Monday!

Three big reasons to visit Swagbucks this Monday!

Also - if you sign up now, you can get 100 swagbucks just for using this code during the registration process:
HOLIDAYSWAG

Just click on the picture at the top of this post to get started!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-13T21:39:00.000-05:00

Santa's Cranky Elf

2011-12-12T21:35:00.001-05:00

Poor Oliver! He has to endure such abuse here...
Heather found this little elf hat and we knew it would look so cute on him. However, he doesn't agree and was not too cooperative in posing:

Does this look like a happy cat?

"Fine - I'll sit here for one minute."

"Oh, the shame!"

"Now I'm getting mad!"

"I must get out of this thing"

"Grrrr"

"Success! Don't try that again!"

Christmas trees around the world

2011-12-11T21:42:00.001-05:00

The Capitol Christmas tree in Washington, D.C., is decorated with 3,000 ornaments that are the handiwork of U.S. schoolchildren. Encircling evergreens in the 'Pathway of Peace' represent the 50 U.S. states.

The world's largest Christmas tree display rises up the slopes

of Monte Ingino outside of Gubbio, in Italy's Umbria region.

Composed of about 500 lights connected by 40,000 feet of wire,

the 'tree' is a modern marvel for an ancient city

A Christmas tree befitting Tokyo's nighttime neon display is

projected onto the exterior of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.

Illuminating the Gothic facades of Prague's Old Town Square,

and casting its glow over the manger display of the famous

Christmas market, is a grand tree cut in the Sumava mountains

in the southern Czech Republic.

Venice 's Murano Island renowned throughout the world

for its quality glasswork is home to the tallest glass tree

in the world. Sculpted by master glass blower Simone

Cenedese, the artistic Christmas tree is a modern

reflection of the holiday season.

Moscow celebrates Christmas according to the Russian Orthodox

calendar on Jan. 7. For weeks beforehand, the city is alive with

festivities in anticipation of Father Frost's arrival on his magical

troika with the Snow Maiden.

He and his helper deliver gifts under

the New Year tree, or yolka, which is traditionally a fir.

The largest Christmas tree in Europe (more than 230 feet tall)

can be found Lisbon, Portugal.

Thousands of lights adorn the tree, adding to the special

enchantment of the city during the holiday season.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree': Even in its humblest attire,

aglow beside a tiny chapel in Germany's Karwendel mountains,

a Christmas tree is a wondrous sight.

Ooh la la Galeries Lafayette!

In Paris, even the Christmas trees are chic.

With its monumental, baroque dome, plus 10 stories of lights and

high fashion, it's no surprise this show-stopping department store draws

more visitors than the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower

In addition to the Vatican's heavenly evergreen, St. Peter's Square

in Rome hosts a larger-than-life nativity scene in front of the obelisk.

The Christmas tree that greets revelers at the Puerta del Sol

is dressed for a party. Madrid's two-week celebration makes

millionaires along with merrymakers. On Dec. 22, a citizen

will win El Gordo (the fat one), the world's biggest lottery.

A token of gratitude for Britain's aid during World War II,

the Christmas tree in London's Trafalgar Square has been

the annual gift of the people of Norway since 1947.

Drink a glass of gluhwein from the holiday market at the Romer;

Frankfurt's city hall since 1405 and enjoy a taste of Christmas past.

Against a backdrop of tall, shadowy firs, a rainbow trio of

Christmas trees lights up the night (location unknown).

Arlington Cemetery
These wreaths -- some 5,000 -- are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine. The owner, Merrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He's done this since 1992. Also, most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with this event to help out.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-06T21:45:00.000-05:00

Grand Rapids Favorite son

2011-12-05T21:44:00.000-05:00

I have some pictures I took this Fall that I meant to share with you and forgot. So - here they are a few months late!

Grand Rapids is the birthplace of our 36th president, Gerald Ford. He lived here and served as a Representative from this district until he was appointed Vice-president in 1973.
He and Betty were well loved here, and when both of them died, the streets were lined with citizens as the motorcade made its way through the city. His family came out and talked to many of the people who stood in line to pay respects.
I thought I would share a few pictures of their final resting place.

This is the Ford Presidential Museum.

As you walk along the side of the museum, you will come to the spot where the Ford's are buried. It's open to the public.

There is nothing fancy in this spot, just a quiet place to pay your respects.

A little closer shot of the words.

This is what it looks like, looking back.

Gerald R Ford
July 14, 1913-December 26, 2006

Elizabeth Bloomer Ford
April 18, 1918-July 8, 2011

The Sun is still shining

2011-12-04T21:42:00.001-05:00

Last week was a tough week for our family. Our Heather lost her job very unexpectedly and this brings up many worries, not the least of which is the issue of insurance because she is diabetic.
We went through a few days of questioning and some anger, and although we still wonder why and are frustrated about the whole thing, we also know we can still trust God with the big picture. He has always taken care of us before, and I know He will again, even when things don't make sense to us.
The other day I saw this dreary scene, overlooking the sports fields near Bob's Moms house. It looked dismal and dark, but then the clouds parted and the sun appeared! The same clouds that looked so dark, began to glow and the sky looked beautiful.
Have you noticed that the sky is so much prettier when there are some clouds in it, and sunsets need clouds to make them beautiful? I think the same holds true in our lives. None of us like trouble, but it is in those times that we really see God's hand.
Also - even when the clouds cover the sun, it's still shining!
I'd appreciate your prayers for Heather that she find a job where she is blessed and can be a blessing to others.

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust."
Psalm 91:2

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-29T21:43:00.001-05:00

(Four generations)

Putting up the tree

2011-11-28T21:41:00.000-05:00

Do you have your tree up yet? Ours is up but we sure had issues this year!
We have an artificial tree, so setting it up was no problem. It's pre-lit, but we always string extra lights through the tree so it doesn't have lights just on the tips. And that's where we had trouble.
We started putting lights on and kept having trouble with them not working. We got to the top of the tree, and couldn't get lights to work. We had to stop for the night and I went out and picked up more lights the next day. When we went to put them on, we found that they were white - not the lights, but the cord. Now that would have looked a little funny on a Christmas tree don't you think?
So - I went back to the store the next day, making sure I got the right lights this time.
We finally got them all on and finished the tree. It looks great and I'm so glad to have it up!
Are you wondering about the picture? That's Oliver, trying to help with the decorations. Any bag or box we got out, he jumped into and checked for us. :)

Holiday work

2011-11-27T21:38:00.000-05:00

I work in a business that never closes. People are needed at the Nursing home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This means I work every other weekend and every other holiday. This was my year to work Thanksgiving.
Although spending the day with family is preferable, it's really not so bad to work either.
It's always a little more laid back, many of the residents are looking forward to either going out or having family visit and we get to see a lot of families and catch up with them.
I work with some really great people, who really want to make the day special for our residents. One of our aides went out and got make-up and hair styling products, and a few of them spent extra time in fixing up many of the ladies. There was a lot of laughing and joking around between staff and residents. When I greeted one of my men in the morning with a "Happy Thanksgiving", he responded by saying "I hadn't seen any sign of it, until this turkey (meaning me) walked into the room". He thought he was pretty funny!
It also happened to be my birthday, so I was serenaded with the birthday song at breakfast and was spoiled with a few gifts and lots of birthday greetings.
There is also the sad part of holidays for those residents whose families don't visit often and don't show up on the holidays. One of our ladies was pretty sad to see others going out and no one coming to see her. We try to provide some cheer, but it doesn't match up to what family could do.
After work, I joined my family at Bob's Mom's house, where I had some leftover turkey on a roll and a yummy piece of cheesecake! I also got to spend some time with family.

Here's Bob's Mom snuggling with her newest great grandbaby. I think Alaina looks pretty content, don't you?

Some of the family helped set up Mom's Christmas tree. It was a nice way to end the evening. Hope you all had a good day too!

Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-23T21:43:00.001-05:00

Hope you all have a blessed day, spending time with family and friends and taking time to thank God for all the ways he has blessed us again this year.

Being Thankful

2011-11-22T21:46:00.001-05:00

Different times of the year bring different things to mind. In February we think about love, May brings the changing seasons and thoughts of outdoor fun, August reminds us the school is going to start soon, but November is special. In November we are reminded to be thankful. It's not about our plans or what we want, but a time to be reminded of how much we already have.
I remember seeing the old movie 'Pollyanna' in school. If you haven't seen it, the story is about a little girl who chooses to see the good in everything. That movie made a big impression on me, and I've always tried (but don't always succeed) to look for the positive.
I think being thankful is very similar. It seems that no matter what the situation, there is always something you can find to be thankful about.
Do you know who is best at this? It seems to be those who by outward appearances have the least to be thankful for. I've been able to care for several young people who were dying. They consistently thanked God for the way He worked in their life, thanking Him for each new day and the different ways He cared for them as they went through this process. What a reminder to those of us who take so much for granted!
As this month comes to an end, and we start concentrating on the busyness that the Christmas season brings, remind yourself of the many ways God has blessed you and keep a thankful spirit through the year, not just for one season!

Men at Work - Yikes!

2011-11-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

A friend sent me this e-mail with pictures of men working. I'm not a fan of heights so these pictures get to me. See what you think of them!

I'm thinking that if these guys Mom's could see them, they'd be pretty upset!

Babysitting!

2011-11-20T21:39:00.001-05:00

Bob and I had such fun babysitting Alaina the other night. It was Laura's birthday and Aaron was taking her out for supper and a little shopping.
When we arrived she was sleeping in her car seat after a trip out for groceries. She looked so cute in her little hat, which Bob's sister made for her.
As Laura took off her hat, she said she may be wearing more hats in the future...
It seems she is losing her baby hair!

Here she is peering over Bob's shoulder, and yes - she doesn't have much hair on the top of her head. The sides and back are still covered with dark hair though, and I'm wondering how much of it will stay and if the new hair will still be dark.

She got lots of snuggling and kisses that night, and you can see that she is as cute as ever, even with a little less hair!

Floods and treasures

2011-11-17T22:13:00.003-05:00

I got a call from my Dad Sunday night telling me that they had a problem at their house. My stepmom had gone downstairs for something and found about 2 inches of water covering the floor. He's never had this problem before, but apparently a tree root had grown through the drainage system, allowing ground water to get in.
There are 2 finished bedrooms in the basement, along with a family room. All the carpet had to be taken up and padding needed to be scraped off as it was the type that was glued to the cement. Insurance didn't cover it because it classified as flood damage.
So - he needed help, and that's what family does! Monday evening, all of us kids, along with our spouses and a few grandkids came over. We pulled carpet, scraped padding, pulled down wallpaper and got rid of all the damaged things into a big dumpster.
Dad had some professionals come in to protect the rest from any mold and make sure things were dried out.
I did come home with some treasure though. The picture above shows 2 of the 3 tables I have set up in my basement that are covered with letters. They are letters that my Dad wrote to my Mom when he was in the army from 1956-1958. Mom had saved them, and they got wet in the basement. I spread them all out on tables and it looks like they are going to be ok.
We were thrilled to see this piece of family history. What a treasure!

Slow Cooking Thursday

2011-11-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

I'm sharing one of my favorite recipes today. I make this frequently in the winter - it's so easy and so yummy on these cold days. For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

White Chicken Chili
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper, diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 - 48 ounce jar Great Northern Beans
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
2 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 - 16 ounce jar salsa
3 cups chicken broth

Melt butter in skillet and saute celery, pepper and onion until translucent.
In crock pot, combine broth, cumin, Northern beans, salsa and chicken. Stir together and add celery mixture. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Stir in cheese about 1/2 hour before serving.
Serve with tortilla chips and extra cheese if desired.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-15T21:40:00.000-05:00

Ready or not - Winter is coming!

2011-11-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

The winter forecast for our area isn't good. All of our local weathermen are predicting above normal snowfall with a few major storms.
Last week we had our first snowfall.

Usually the first snowfall is just some snowflakes gently falling, but not this time!

Usually the snow doesn't accumulate on the ground - but this time it did!

There wasn't a lot of snow by the next morning, but there was enough for my niece Halle to make this cute little snowman. I think she may have been the only person in the area that was happy about the snow. :)

Annual Christmas shopping trip

2011-11-13T21:41:00.001-05:00

Those of you who have been around for awhile, know about our annual sisters shopping trip.
Every year in the beginning of November, my sisters Terri and Cheri, and myself spend a few days doing our Christmas shopping.
We started early Friday morning, after a stop at Laura's house to check in on Alaina.
We shopped all day and were ready for a break when we stopped for supper. We ate at Monelli's, a wonderful Italian place in town. That revived us enough for another shopping stop before checking in at the hotel.
Here you see the results of the 3 of us shopping all day. We always feel funny loading up the luggage rack with shopping bags, but it's nice to sort everything out and redo our lists.
We always have a lot of fun talking and laughing during the evening at the hotel, and this night was no different. We were up far too long, but what fun we had!
Terri had to leave on Saturday morning, because of some school activities her daughter had, but Cheri and I made a few more stops on our way home. When we got home, we both had almost all of our shopping done!
What a fun way to get that shopping out of the way!

Veterans Day

2011-11-10T21:41:00.003-05:00

What is a Veteran?
A "veteran" - whether active duty, discharged, retired or reserve - is someone who, at some point in their life, wrote a blank check, made payable to the United States of America, for an amount up to and including their life.

Veterans Day is a good time to thank all of our soldiers. A special thanks to my Dad and my son Andy for their service.

Slow Cooking Thursday

2011-11-09T21:42:00.000-05:00

I'm sharing another new recipe with you today. We eat a lot of chicken and I like to try out new ways to make it. We all thought this was really good, but next time I'll make rice and serve the chicken over the rice, as it's got a lot of sauce.
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Spanish Chicken

1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into serving size pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, cut into thick wedges
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup chicken broth, divided

Mix flour, slat and spices in small bowl. Sprinkle chicken with small amount of this mix.
Brown chicken in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Remove from skillet and place in crock pot.
Add green pepper, onion and 1/4 cup broth; cook and stir for about 3 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, remaining broth and remaining flour mix. Stir over low heat until well mixed.
Pour over chicken in crock pot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-08T21:40:00.000-05:00

Seasons

2011-11-07T21:43:00.000-05:00

You may recognize this first picture as one you've see before. This aisle of trees is off a road I drive down frequently. I always admire it and have been trying to get a picture of it in each season. I've not been able to get a nice Fall shot, because these trees seem to usually just turn brown. However - this year they are beautiful! I stopped last week and got a picture, completing my series.
I think it's such a pretty spot, regardless of season.

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

"He changes times and seasons, He deposes kings and raises up others."
Daniel 2:21

2 weeks old!

2011-11-06T21:40:00.000-05:00

My sweet little granddaughter is 2 weeks old today. We are really enjoying being grand parents and find it's hard to stay away from her. :)
Here's a few pictures of Alaina from last week.

Here she is sleeping in the cradle that Bob made for our kids. It's nice to see it being used again.

~~~

I took some newborn pictures of her. We found it was really hard to get her positioned, but we did get a few good shots!

Alaina's doing well, and so are Laura and Aaron.
She's a blessing!

Autumns Smile

2011-11-03T21:39:00.000-04:00

We've had an unusual Autumn here in Michigan. It seems to have lasted much longer than usual! It seems the weather has been just right to allow the leaves to stay on the trees longer and to make the colors change at a slower rate.
Here's a few more pictures of what it looks like around here.

I've really enjoyed all this beauty, but I'm afraid it's almost done. The temperature really dropped in the last 24 hours and they say the snow may be coming in a week or two.
I'll leave you with a quote I read this week that I thought summed it up well.

"Autumn, the years last, loveliest smile"
William Cullen Bryant

Slow Cooking Thursday

2011-11-02T21:39:00.000-04:00

I made a new slow cooker recipe this week, and forgot to take a picture!
So, I have a recipe with no picture this week. You'll just have to take my word that it's good!
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Apple and Sage Pork Chops

1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
4-6 boneless pork chops, 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 apples, thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Mix flour, all of spices and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with a small amount of the seasoned flour.
Brown pork chops on both sides in hot oil in large skillet.
Remove pork chops from skillet, add onion; cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Add apples; cook and stir 2 minutes.
Stir juice, sugar and remaining seasoned flour together until well mixed. Pour over onion and apples in skillet.
Place pork chops into slow cooker. Pour onion and apple mix over chops.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-01T22:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Grand Rapids

2011-10-31T21:41:00.000-04:00

I live on the outskirts of Grand Rapids, Michigan and I think it's a great city! It has a population of 188,00 and is the second largest city in Michigan.
The last time I was walking around in the downtown area I took some pictures to share with you so you could see our city.

Grand Rapids is built on the shores of the Grand River, the longest river in Michigan.

There is a park downtown, along the river. This walkway is filled with pavers that have dates which are significant in Grand Rapids history.

This is our Public Museum

You can walk along the river downtown, where they have preserved a natural green space.

I love seeing the old buildings.

Grand Rapids was the birthplace and home of Gerald Ford before he became president. This is his presidential museum and is also where he and Betty are buried.

This picture describes Grand Rapids well - old and new coming together in a beautiful way.
If you ever get the chance, come visit Grand Rapids!

Master pumpkin carver

2011-10-30T21:40:00.000-04:00

Do you carve pumpkins? Now that our kids are grown we don't, but we used to. Our pumpkins were the standard ones, with a triangle nose and a toothy smile.
I've got some pumpkins for you that were done by a master carver. His name is Ray Villafane and I think you will be amazed by his work.
Enjoy!

Fun, fun fun...

2011-10-27T21:40:00.000-04:00

At risk of sharing too much information, I have to tell you I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. I have to have a colonoscopy, not because I'm having any problems, but they like you to have one when you turn 50. I've procrastinated for a while, but I'm finally going to behave and go in. Someone sent me this e-mail that I had to share. Hope you think it's as funny as I did!

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!' I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 's enemies. I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous.
On the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons). Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground. MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but, have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet. After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep.
The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough. At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked. Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate. 'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said.
And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like. I have no idea. Really!! I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors.
I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

Cooking Thursday

2011-10-26T21:45:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you've all had Snicker Salad, the one with apples, nuts and pieces of Snickers candy bars in it. I just found a recipe for a healthy version of it. No nuts or Snickers in this one, but it's really good!
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Taffy Apple Salad

2 boxes instant sugar free butterscotch pudding (4 serving size)
3 cups skim milk
1 container fat free Cool Whip, thawed
5 large, tart, crisp apples

Mix pudding mix and milk together, then stir in Cool Whip.
Core Apples and cut into chunks. Stir into pudding mix.
Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

*Makes 10 servings; 123 calories each.

She is finally here!!!

2011-10-25T21:29:00.011-04:00

I have such exciting news! My grand-daughter finally made her entrance into the world!
She was 13 days overdue and we think she wanted to make a grand entrance.
Of course - she is the most beautiful baby in the world. :)

Her name is Alaina Jo.
She weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Here's the proud Daddy. Laura was exhausted and didn't want her picture taken.

Heather was thrilled to meet her new niece!

Bob is thrilled to be a Grandpa.

And I'm loving it too!

She has long fingers and toes. Her Daddy is 6'6" so she may be tall.

How do you like Heather's shirt?

Those cheeks look like they were made for kissing.

We are blessed and are thanking God for this wonderful blessing.

"I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful, I know that full well"
Psalm 139:14

The weekend

2011-10-23T21:39:00.000-04:00

We had a fun weekend! Bob's nephews son came on Saturday and stayed until Sunday evening. It was so fun having a little person around again. The house was full of activity and noise. :)

He's a cute little guy, very agreeable and funny. There was a lot of laughter around here!

~~~

Sunday afternoon the temperature was in the 60's, so I called my sister Cheri and asked if she wanted to go for a hike. We went to a park that neither of us had walked at before.

The leaves this year have been unusual. It seems that a lot of them have fallen already, but then there are areas that look mostly green, as you see in this picture and the one below.

Here is a little splash of color.

As we were walking, we came on this crazy little building. When we went to the front of it, we discovered it was an old two seater outhouse!

Aren't these cool roots?

In this area of the park, many of the leaves had fallen, with this one tree still holding out!

I love this bridge!

This picture looks like it was taken with a fish eye lens, but this is really how it looked. The park was full of hills and ravines - we did our fair share of hiking up long, steep hills!

This is my street - back home again, another weekend done.
Thanking God for time with family and time to enjoy the beauty around us!

PS - no baby yet!!!

Pendulum Waves

2011-10-20T21:38:00.001-04:00

My daughter Laura shared this neat video clip with me.
I think you'll enjoy it too!

Slow Cooking Thursday

2011-10-19T21:42:00.000-04:00

The recipe I'm sharing is one I've made for some time. I got it as a diet recipe, but my whole family likes it - bonus! It's healthy and easy - and it makes a big pot!
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Vegetable Soup

2 tablespoons chicken soup base (I use Orrington Farms brand)
1 quart V8
4 cups water
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
1 can mixed vegetables, drained
1 small bag shredded coleslaw mix
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 bay leaves

In large crockpot, stir together V8 and soup base. Stir in water and add rest of ingredients. Cook on low for about 8 hours.

Makes approximately 16 cups, 43 calories per cup.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-18T21:39:00.000-04:00

Not so patiently waiting...

2011-10-17T21:46:00.002-04:00

Some of you have sent me messages wondering about the baby. Well - I have no news. It would appear that our granddaughter is perhaps a little stubborn!
She was due a week ago, and as of now, she shows no signs of wanting to be born. Laura says she feels like the watched pot that doesn't boil.
I was good and patient until the due date came ... and then went. Now I'm thinking about her every time the phone rings. Laura had another ultrasound and a non -stress test which told them everything was fine and baby just wasn't ready to be born yet.
You can be sure I'll let you know when she is born. Hoping it's soon!

Fall in West Michigan

2011-10-16T21:40:00.001-04:00

We have had such a beautiful Fall here. Last week the weather was gorgeous - warm weather and sunshine all week. It was perfect for lots of hiking in the woods, taking in the colors of Fall.
All but the first picture was taken down my road.

"I'm so glad I live in a world were there are Octobers.
It would be terrible if we just skipped
from September to November,
wouldn't it?"
L.M. Montgomery - author of Anne of Green Gables

Oh, what a beautiful morning...

2011-10-13T21:35:00.002-04:00

We had such a beautiful morning a few days ago. As usual, I had my camera with me and I stopped several times to take a picture, so I could share with you.

The mist was lying in such a distinct swath, with the beautiful color of the leaves behind it.

The horses were enjoying the day too.

Would you believe this picture was taken only 5 minutes after the last one? The sun was a little higher and when it hit this mist, everything turned golden!
I love mornings like this. It's good to start the day this way!

"The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy."
Psalm 65:8

Slow Cooking Thursday

2011-10-12T21:39:00.000-04:00

I've got a Slow Cooking recipe for you this week. We had it for supper tonight and we all enjoyed it!
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Santa Fe Chicken
(From Gina's Skinny Recipes)

24 ounces (1 1/2 pounds) chicken breast
14.4 ounce can fat free chicken broth
14.4 ounce can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 ounce can black beans (drained)
14 ounce can corn (drained)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Combine broth, tomatoes, black beans, corn, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne and salt in crock pot. Lay chicken breasts on top and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook on low for 10 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to crock pot and stir.
Serve over rice. May top with a little low fat shredded cheese.

Makes 8 servings, 1 cup each @ 190 calories

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-11T21:38:00.000-04:00

Fall Flowers

2011-10-10T21:43:00.000-04:00

The trees are really starting to show their beautiful colors, but the flowers in the garden are fading. It's still pretty, in a subdued way.

The coneflowers are nearly done.

The Rose of Sharon has a few flowers of each color left blooming. I like the big seed pods that are left.

This is one of many flowers on our Hydrangea tree. They start out white, become cream colored and then develop this old fashioned pink color. They will hang on into winter and look quite pretty hanging on the tree with snow over them.

The leaves on the Cranesbill geranium are looking quite pretty!

There is one lone rose on the arbor.

And just a few morning glories remain.

Some of our decorative bushes are full of berries.

This is a Colichum, also known as a Fall Crocus. They get leaves in the Spring that die back and nothing happens all summer. Then in the Fall, out pop these glorious flowers!

And last - the Autumn Sedum. It makes such a pretty bank of color when planted in a clump.

I'm enjoying the color while I can, because I know that it won't be long till I see not much but white when I look out the window!

Art Prize 2011

2011-10-09T21:38:00.001-04:00

I've posted the last few years about ArtPrize. It's an art competition held in Grand Rapids, where art is displayed all over the city. The public gets to vote for the winners, although there are some jurried prizes as well.
This year over 1500 artists came from all over the United States as well as 39 other countries (the farthest away was Australia) to display their art. There were more than 382,000 votes cast and over 500,000 people came to look at that art in the 2 1/2 weeks it was displayed.
The art is so varied. Some is small, others are huge, some are gorgeous, others are just plain strange. There are things that amaze you and things that don't appear to be art at all.
I went and walked around Grand Rapids twice and didn't begin to see everything. I went once with my sisters, and a few weeks later with Bob. It's always fun!
Here are a bunch of pictures, showing you the winners and some of the other pieces.

This is the flags of all nations, put into one banner. The art people didn't appreciate it, because of the religious content. I thought it was great!

This one was really neat because it was made of sequins. The picture on the right is a close up of her chin. You can see each individual sequin pinned on.

The blue bridge is well known in Grand Rapids. During ArtPrize, it was filled with metal monkeys.

Some of the statues I saw around town. The one on the right is a huge wood carving.

These cute little old ladies made everyone that saw them smile. They are paper mache and are called Women of the Word. One was reading the Bible and the other a magazine.
Terri, myself and Cheri thought we should get a picture with them!

I can't begin to tell you about all of these so I'm just including them in collages.

And now for the top ten:

On the left is Ocean Exodus. It's hard to see in a picture, but it's a huge piece of driftwood, carved into an octopus in the middle and other ocean creatures around it. It's amazing how he used the shape of what was there and worked with it. Top right: Construction. The character on the right is not real, the one on the left is a live statue. It was incredible how still he could be. Bottom right: The Tempest. This is another one that doesn't show well in pictures It's layers of very intricately cut paper.

Left: President Ford visits ArtPrize. He was from Grand Rapids so this one won peoples hearts. It's made of fiberglass and resin and looks amazingly real. Top right: Rusty. This dog was 12 feet tall and was made from recycled parts. For example the metal pieces on his collar are hubcaps. The kids loved him! Bottom Right: Mantis Dreaming. This is another huge piece, made of recycled metal. It's a praying mantis with a butterfly on it's front leg.

This is one of my favorites. It's called Grizzlies on the Ford. These carved grizzlies are playing and fishing in the fountain in front of the Ford presidential museum. They looked pretty natural there.

This is the third place winner. It's called Rain. It's made of silver leaf on polyester film, suspended by a filament string. It was pretty neat to see in person.
The 3rd place prize was $50,000.

This is the second prize winner, and the prize was $100,000. It covers the side of a large building. This artist did the side of our Children's Museum a few years ago and it's nice to see both that building and this one beautifying the city!

The first prize winner is titled Crucifixion. It's a stained glass mosaic piece that measures 13 foot by 9 foot. The prize for first place is $250,000!

Here is a close up so you can see the mosaic detail.

And here is the whole piece. It was beautiful to see in person. It almost looked like it was lit up, because of the way the sunset on the mosaic glowed. It was an incredible piece!

ArtPrize has been taking place for 3 years and every year more people come to walk through the city and see the art. It's one of the main topics of conversation for the people that live around here while it's going on.
I'm already excited to see what next year will bring!

Let's go for a walk...

2011-10-06T21:39:00.000-04:00

I love finding new trails to walk on. This week I went to another of our County parks that began as something else until the county bought the property for preservation.
I posted about the property here. This is an old farm which used to be the County Poor Farm.
As you can see, the barn is wonderful.
Now, I'll take you with me on a 3 mile walk through the property.

The trail starts going down this hill, and then around a small pond.

After walking up another hill, we came upon this little cemetery. These unmarked stones mark the graves of indigent people who died at the poor farm.

There are lots of wildflowers growing along the edges of the trails.

In the back of the property, there is a working farm.

Walking along the back section of the trail.

The trees are just starting to show their Fall colors.

Along the trail we see a hole that some animal dug.

Even the dried weeds look pretty in the setting sun.

We are getting close when we see the back of the barn again.

As we get near the barn we again pass the pond, which looks so pretty as the sun sets.
What a nice way to get some exercise!

Cooking Thursday

2011-10-05T21:40:00.000-04:00

I made these bars last week when I had a group of people over. I knew several of them were dieting and I wanted to make something they could eat, but everyone else would like too.
These bars were perfect - so yummy and low cal too!
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake Squares

3/4 cup water
1/3 cup butter (no substitutes)
1 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
Cream Cheese Mix:
8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg white
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In a small saucepan, combine the water, butter and chocolate. Stir over low heat until melted; stir until smooth. Cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add egg, egg white and sour cream; beat on low speed until combined. Stir in chocolate mix until smooth.
In another mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg white and vanilla; set aside.
Spread chocolate batter into a 15x10x1 baking pan coated with non-stick spray. Drop the cream cheese mixture by tablespoons over batter; cut through batter with a knife to swirl.
Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Makes 4 dozen bars, 95 calories each.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-04T21:35:00.001-04:00

One of those days!

2011-10-03T21:39:00.000-04:00

Did you ever have one of those days? I'm sure you have; we all do!
I had one on Sunday, just a crazy day.
I always get up at 4:45 when I am going to work. This gives me time to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes before getting into my regular routine.
So - on Sunday, my alarm went off and I got up, laced up my shoes and went downstairs. As I passed our family room down there I notice the clock. I back up and look again and realize it says it's a little before 3. Hmmm...
I go back upstairs and sure enough, these clocks say its a little before 3 too. I now realize that when I set my alarm the night before, I somehow set the regular time forward.
Back to bed... At this point I have 45 minutes before I have to get up again and I keep waking up and looking at the clock.
Soon, I'm up again and on the treadmill for real this time, then into the shower. When I go to put my glasses back on I hear a little pop. Oh no - something happened to the stem of my glasses! They are no longer sitting straight. When I put them on, they don't sit straight on my face. This is not good because I have bi-focals. I'm now looking at the world through a different prescription on each eye. I resort to taping the stem. Kind of nerdy, but I'm not feeling cross eyed now!
Off to work. When I arrive I find one of my little ladies had a little problem during the night. This means I'm starting off with lots of paperwork and phone calls to make. She's ok though!
As I do my morning med pass, I stop and chat with a new resident. He's a sweet guy, and he's telling me how much better he is feeling since he got here.
I continue the med pass, when I hear him calling out. "Someone help me, I can't breath." He is suddenly very short of breath and feels a heaviness on his chest. His oxygen levels are falling and he is scared. The ambulance arrives and takes him back to the hospital, and I'm praying he is going to recover from this.
Another of my ladies is rapidly declining and I have to tell her family that it may not be long. Even when that news is expected, it's still hard, especially for the spouse.
The day continues with more crazy things; nothing earth shattering, but you wouldn't believe the paper work we have to fill out for the most mundane things.
Afternoon comes and another of our ladies is sure that someone has stolen a blanket from her bed. In reality, her sheets were changed and the blanket went to the laundry. She thinks it was a "dirty girl", a 5 year old who is way too young to be a "stealer". This is a common report from her, so I tell her I'm making a report and we'll take care of it. Usually this works, but today she's not settling down. She wants to wait at the front door for the "cops". They will be bringing her blanket back you see. She even thinks she should wait outside or go after it.
Finally she is pacified with the report that the police are helping with an emergency and will come to her when they are finished. She agrees to wait in her room.
At this point my day at work is done. I go home and take a short nap which helps make up for my earlier rising in the morning. A walk outside with my hubby is a nice way to unwind after supper and the day is soon done.
I think tomorrow will be a calmer day - hope my alarm clock goes off at the right time!

Windy Day!

2011-10-02T21:37:00.001-04:00

My two sisters and I always try to get together on Friday. We take turns going to each others houses and have lunch together. This past Friday, we went out to Grand Haven, to wander around downtown.
It was extremely windy, so we went down to the beach to see the waves.

This is the scene that greeted us when we arrived.

I love to see the lighthouse, no matter what the weather is!

The birds seem to be unfazed by the wind and waves.

What a sky!

As we were getting ready to leave, the sun came out.
When we got back to the parking area, there were vans and cameras there from 2 local news stations. One was interviewing someone in a wet suit, getting ready to surf.
I don't think getting out in that water looks good - better to take pictures from the sidelines!

Norway ad

2011-09-29T21:41:00.000-04:00

This is a new ad, playing in Norway. It's pretty funny!

Cooking Thursday

2011-09-28T21:41:00.000-04:00

It's getting cooler outside and that means it's soup weather! I love soup. It warms you up, it's usually economical and it's a good comfort food!
I got this recipe from my sister Cheri. It has to be one of the easiest soups I've ever made and on top of that - it's healthy and tastes great!
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Taco Soup

1 can corn, drained
1 can fat free re-fried beans
1 can chicken broth
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup shredded chicken
1 jar salsa

Stir together, heat and eat!

*Only 82 calories per 1/2 cup.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-27T21:44:00.000-04:00

Fall update

2011-09-26T21:40:00.001-04:00

This pumpkin field is around the corner from my house. They are harvesting the pumpkins, reminding me that we are in a new season.
Things change as the seasons turn, and change also happens in our lives.

We are counting down the days now, until our granddaughter arrives! Laura is due on October 11. She is doing well, but is getting anxious for this baby to arrive. This is her last week of work, things are pretty well ready at their house and so now we just wait.
I've been comparing notes with two of my blog friends who also expected grand babies about the same time as I was. Jean of What's up at the Stauffers was expecting a grandson on the 4th, and he came a little early - showing up on Monday! Kat of Just A Beachkat is expecting a grandson on the 13th, so she and I'll have to see who goes first - Laura or Bree.

Heather is doing well at her new job. She's enjoying what she does and is working with a lot of nice people. This is truly an answer to prayer.

Andy has 5 months left in Afghanistan. He's ready to be home. He still enjoys working on the helicopters but working 12 hour days with a day off only every 2 weeks is pretty tiring. When you add in not being able to get out and do fun things and not seeing family and friends it makes for a long 12 months. We are thankful for his safety there.

All's well with Bob and I. We can't wait to be grand parents and you know you'll hear about that when it happens!

New County Park

2011-09-25T21:39:00.002-04:00

The county I live in (Ottawa) has been very smart about purchasing land and preserving it. It seems there are so many housing developments built and it's nice to see the County purchase land and keep it as parkland so everyone can enjoy it.
I've shown you a few farms recently where they did this. The first was the old county poor farm, and the other is the farm where I recently took pictures of Laura and Aaron.
Ottawa County recently purchased some property on the banks of the Grand River, which is just a few miles from my house. We checked it out last week and I can see there's going to be a lot of people enjoying it! A lot of people enjoy fishing here and they have added a boat and kayak launch.

The banks of the river near the bridge. They've made a path so you can go under the bridge, and there are walking trails on the other side.

Here's the view once you walk under the bridge.

The reflections were beautiful that evening.

This property has the river on one side and the bayou on the other. There are lots of wild flowers near the bayou.

I saw this leaf along the path we were walking. Can you see the heart shape?

Here's a view of the bayou.

And another view of the bayou.

Getting ready for a new sign.

The sun setting over the river.
I think I'll be back to walk those trails!

The winner is...

2011-09-23T22:22:00.004-04:00

It's time for the giveaway of the DVD, The Shunning that I talked about earlier this week.
I entered the comment numbers into the random number generator and the winner was...
Connie from Everyday Blessings!
Connie - your DVD will be mailed to you shortly. I think you'll enjoy it!

Last Day

2011-09-22T21:39:00.000-04:00

On Thursday we left Munising to drive back to Mackinaw City. We planned to take a scenic route back. It was really interesting to drive it because there were no other cars, no houses...just a road out in the middle of hills and forests!
We stopped near the Au Sable Lighthouse to tour it. The sign said it was a 1.5 mile walk to the lighthouse, so we started out. After we had walked about 5 minutes we came to another sign that said it was 1.6 miles to the lighthouse. We kept walking and then found another sign that said - 1.5 miles to go. Pretty funny!

This is the path we were walking to the lighthouse.

After we had been walking, we came to another sign that said "shipwreck", and pointed to the beach. After a little walk down the beach we found it.

This is the remains of the Gale Staples which went down in a storm in 1918. The entire crew was saved and this is the remains that have washed up on shore.
On another note - look at those waves! There were people surfing Lake Superior on this day.

While we were on the beach, we saw this rainbow. It's not real bright - hope you can see it!

I love the stones on the shore.

After more walking we finally sighted the lighthouse through the trees.

When we got to the lighthouse, we found it was the last day that they would be taking people on tours for the season. The keepers area was restored beautifully to the early 1900's era. After touring that area, we were allowed to climb the tower.

This little window was about 1/2 way up. What a pretty sight!

Here's the stairs we climbed - 99 of them in all!

Isn't this a pretty lighthouse?

We then started the hike back. There was one more shipwreck sign that we had missed on the way out, so we went back to the beach.

This is all that remains of the Mary Jarecki. She sank on July 4, 1888.

Here's the only critter I captured with my camera during the week. We also saw 3 bald eagles, 7 deer, several herons and one dead porcupine.

This is the remains of an old log cabin.

Heading back across the Mackinac Bridge.

We stayed in the same hotel we had been in a few days earlier, and again had a room overlooking Lake Huron.

This was the scene we were greeted with when we got up in the morning. It was beautiful weather after all the wind and rain during the week. And of course - we had to leave!

Excuse this blurry picture. I took it through the windshield as we drove.
We drove home via the Tunnel of Trees, which is a scenic route from Good Hart to Harbor Springs. This road goes along the lake shore and really does look like a tunnel of trees for most of the drive. It was a beautiful way to end our week away.
That's the end of all the pictures - vacation shots at least! Thanks for following along!

Marquette

2011-09-21T21:39:00.001-04:00

This was what we saw when we opened the curtains in our hotel Wednesday morning. It was raining and windy, but this was a beautiful sight!

We drove about an hour to Marquette and again checked at an information center for things to do there. As it was still raining occasionally, we started with some things we could do inside.

This is St Peters Cathedral, a beautiful old church built in 1881.

I love these big wooden doors!

The stained glass windows were beautiful.

This is the Marquette county courthouse. It was built in 1902-1904. In 1913, President Theodore Roosevelt tried a case for libel here against a nearby newspaper. He won 6 cents - "the price of a good newspaper".

This is an old ore loading dock. Huge ships would pull up to the side of it and the chutes would be lowered for the ore to pour into the ship. This dock is bigger than it looks in the picture - 2 rows of railroad cars rode on top of it, loaded with the ore.

All these little shanties lined the pier.

This is an old dock that is deteriorating.

And another old dock. It's closed off so no one can walk on it. It doesn't look like something I would want to walk on!

Another deteriorating dock. The sea gulls like it!

The Marquette Harbor Lighthouse.

Here we are waiting to tour it.

We climbed these stairs to do the tour. How would you like to haul your groceries up these steps?

An end of the day shot - walking along the shore.

Although it rained a lot throughout the day, by evening the sun was shining. Marquette is another beautiful old city in the U.P.

Tomorrow I'll share the last of my pictures.

Munising

2011-09-20T21:39:00.053-04:00

On Tuesday, we crossed the Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula and drove to Munising. Our plan was to take a Pictured Rocks cruise once we arrived. However... as we drove it was raining and when we arrived in Munising we found that because of the strong winds the boats weren't going out.
We stopped at a tourist information place and got a list of things we could do. We found that the area we were in had lots of waterfalls , so we started out to find some of them.

Alger Falls

Next we headed to another spot to hike to another falls. Above, you see the trail that was next to the sign. The water was deeper and muddier than it looks so we made our way across the plank you can see, holding each other and some branches.
Imagine our surprise when we got to dry ground and realized that on the other side of the plants was another path - completely dry!

Here is the dry path. It gave us a good laugh!

This is what we were rewarded with at the end of that hike - a beautiful falls! This is Wagner Falls.

We took another hike and found the Munising Falls. This one is surrounded by the rocky cliffs you see below.

This is the North Channel Lighthouse, on Grand Isle near Munising. It is no longer in use, but has been restored in "rustic form" and a seawall was built to protect it.

As we walked along Lake Superior, we came across this old boat, breaking down on the sand.

The shores of Lake Superior are so beautiful!

This is Miners Castle. It was fun watching the waves come in, and seeing the water splash through the holes in the bottom of the rock.

One of the waterfalls we were looking for made us take quite a walk. This pretty path meandered through the woods, making it quite enjoyable!

This is the Falls we were walking to - Miners Falls.

This is one of the piers at Munising. I always like seeing the boats lined up!

Last, but not least a few pictures to make you smile!
The hotel we stayed at in Munising had these huge chairs out front.
Don't we look funny in them?

More pictures coming tomorrow...

Vacation report

2011-09-19T21:39:00.000-04:00

Hope you are ready to hear about our vacation. I'm splitting this into several posts so you don't have too many pictures to look at at once!
We left Monday morning, planning to drive to Mackinaw City.

We stopped near Boyne City at a Lavender Farm. I love lavender and it was neat to see the hills covered in it. I'm sure it's gorgeous when it's all blooming!
There was a little store there with lavender products of every kind, from sachets to lotion to jelly! I bought a few sachets which I'm already enjoying.

This big metal chicken was next to the barn, overlooking the hills of lavender.

After that stop, it wasn't too long till we arrived in Mackinaw City. We did a little shopping, then made our way to our hotel.

I took this shot from the little balcony outside our room. It was great to open a door and look out at Lake Huron. If we looked to the left, we could see the Mackinac Bridge.

After eating supper, we did a little wandering around. This is the lighthouse in Mackinaw City.

This is Colonial Michilimackinac at sunset. It's a 1700's era Fort that has people re-enacting what was happening at that time. We didn't go in this time, but have been there several times before and always enjoy that feeling of stepping back in time.

The Mackinac Bridge!
It was completed in 1957 and is the 3rd longest suspension bridge in the world.

We had a beautiful full moon to enjoy as it shone over Lake Huron.
What a great start to a week off!

DVD review and giveaway

2011-09-18T20:42:00.000-04:00

I'm back from a wonderful vacation, but before I tell you about it, I have some business to take care of.
I was given the opportunity to review a DVD and then to give another copy away.
The movie is named The Shunning and it's from a book written by Beverly Lewis. Lewis has written over 80 books and has received a Christie award. She was very interested in her mothers Plain heritage, which led to a series on the Amish. The Shunning was the first of these books.
I read this book some time ago, and was anxious to see the movie as I thought the book was great.
The movie revolves around Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman who is about to be married. However, she has some concerns about the marriage and her ability to follow the Amish lifestyle. As she is dealing with these questions, she discovers a secret her parents have kept from her - she's adopted and her birth mother is in town, looking for her. After finding this out, Katie does some things that cause her to be shunned.
We enjoyed the movie. It was well done and was family friendly which isn't common! The acting is good and the scenery is beautiful. I find the Amish lifestyle interesting and this movie shows it well. The only thing I didn't like about it was the ending, which kind of left me hanging and waiting for the next movie!
This movie is produced by Michael Landon Jr, and stars Danielle Panabaker and Sherry Stringfield.
To see a trailer or hear from the stars, visit this site.

If you would like to win a copy of this DVD, leave me a comment. I'll post a winner on Friday.
For another chance at winning, visit my friend Kim, at Raise Them Up. She'll have a review up as well and will also do a giveaway.

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services
mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255:

"Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

9/11

2011-09-10T21:12:00.004-04:00

This is a photo collage of nearly all the people who died in the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Never Forget

(Thanks to Betsy of My Five Men who initially posted this picture)

Vacation!!!

2011-09-08T21:42:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago Bob and I celebrated our 30th anniversary!
To celebrate, we are taking a little vacation next week. We will be leaving Monday Morning and will be spending the week in the upper peninsula. We plan to spend a lot of time around Pictured Rocks.
So, I won't be around to visit you, but will see you when I get back. Hope you all have a good week!

Cooking Thursday

2011-09-07T21:39:00.001-04:00

Are you looking for a way to use some of that fresh produce that's around right now?
Here's a recipe that's so easy to make, is yummy and is good for you too!
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Fresh Salsa

2 large tomatoes
1 green pepper
1 medium onion
1 can corn (drained)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 bottle Kraft Fat Free Zesty Italian Dressing

Chop tomatoes, pepper and onion. Stir in corn and black beans.
Stir in the Zesty Italian dressing, starting with less than one half of the bottle. Add enough dressing to thoroughly moisten vegetables.
Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to meld.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-06T21:42:00.000-04:00

Country roads, take me.....to work!

2011-09-05T21:39:00.000-04:00

We have had a lot of beautiful mornings here recently. I especially like the mornings when it's a little cooler and the landscape is shrouded in mist.
On mornings like that, I often take the back roads in to work and enjoy the early morning beauty that God has given us.
Last week we had one of those mornings and I took a few pictures along the way, to share my drive with you.

On mornings like this, I'm tempted to just keep driving and enjoy this!