Last day of 2019

I wanted to post this yesterday. Yet life was hectic then.  So much has happened. My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We actually went out to an early supper. We talked and laughed about what has gone on in our lives. I smile at what he has proposed to do. How we can improve ourselves. I come up with suggestions of my own.  We reminisce how we met. How we had a small wedding. Got married in the living room, had the reception in the kitchen. Small group of family and close friends.

Fast forward to now. Some family members and friends have passed on. Friends and family members living have scattered across the states. Mike and I are homebodies. We venture outside. Mostly to shop for things like groceries. Get gas for the car. Run errands. Other than that we are inside. He likes to watch football. I like reading books. We both like reading the hometown newspaper. Reading sections of the newspaper to each other . We show each other the projects we are working on. We both take turns cooking. If we are watching a movie. I try and match the food that is shown in the movie. Sometimes I do research on a place that we may never get to visit. It might be in another state or country. So I will cook the regional food and play the music in the background while we are eating.

Later on we play card or dice or board games. I like seeing videos online of board games being played. I sometimes want to play that particular game. So I go to my local gaming store and buy it. It is so nice to have other people to play the games with. I keep saying one day, I will buy a gaming system either the Xbox or Playstation. Instead I will buy another board game. There is a HUGE selection of them to buy in the stores. We like the classics and we like the new ones like Word a Melon, Rory's Story Cubes, Spy Alley, Blank Slate, Truth Be Told.

I smile when I realize it's almost time for others to wake up and face the day. I can send a happy note or a quick text. I work the midnight shift for now. So me seeing the sunrise is a great feeling. I play the music to match my mood when the sun comes up. I also match the music to my mood at other times of the day. I sing at work. Sometimes I sing my own songs. I ask the question to my co-workers, "guess what song is playing in my head right now?"

We have another year ending. So much to do. So little time to do most of what I would like to do. So I will just concentrate on what I would like to finish. Like those 27 New Years resolutions before, I didn't finish 5 of them completely. I am still working on some of them right now. Others I have to buy something in order to finish the resolution. Like learning to play a new musical instrument. I still have to buy a guitar. So here is another resolution I am still working on, learning a new foreign language. Actually I am working on learning 10 of them at the same time. I can now speak one of them like a tourist. I will improve until I speak it like a native.

So what are some of your New Years resolutions? I was told by someone I know. They don't make them because they end up breaking them. That's okay. What works for you? Right now I am looking at my flash cards. So I will make myself a cup of hot cocoa and work with my flash cards. So if I ever get to travel to those countries. i will be able to speak the language like a native. Until th e n here is to the year 2020. May it be better than 2019.

Last Sunday of 2019

I am seeing what recipes are out there. Ones that I wanted to try this year. I am grateful for the ones that were published that my family loved. I want to see which ones they like this coming year. I plan on cooking a new dish every week. I like having time to read the books I checked out at the library.

This is what I am going to do. Write out the whole list of the books I want to read. And just see how many I have read at the end of the year. I also am going to be writing out my goals and New Years resolutions. Finishing up my goals of 2019.

Tried music and books

Music is constantly in my life. I would have someone tell me try this or try that to have some peace. I tried music, it works when I cannot read a book when I am at work. I have listened to all different kinds of music. Music is such a big part of my life, that and books. I can recall  a memory, just by hearing a song. Some songs have special powers to heal. Some songs are like an anthem. Music is everywhere. That is why I support the arts in schools.

And books play a large part of my life. Huge part of my life actually. I read everyday, and I look up new books.

Our library gets this publication call Book Page. Opening the pages of it, you can see the new books that have been published. One book I look forward to checking out is called, My Singing Nana by Pat Mora. Also another book I want to read is Dr. Seuss’s Horse Museum. It’s about looking and creating art. There is a section in Book Page where you get to meet the author. This edition has a list off the 100 best books of 2019. One reason I like books so much, it’s a mini vacation. Once you get away in a book. You are never the same again. I remember passages of a book, or can recall a poem that years later can still put a smile on my face. One article in the Book Page is called, For homebodies who are secretly glad their plans got cancelled. It tells of four books, one I am looking up and requesting once I finish this post. One that has to do with board games and one that has to do with cats. Another book calls for coffee table. Which my husband doesn’t want our coffee table anymore. That’s a whole story right there. That I will tell in another post on this blog. For now I am going to read the Book Page some more. And listen to a new song from a new artist.

Merry Christmas 2019

I didn' t know how to start this Christmas letter. I was going to send them out in the actual mail. Paper, pen, envelope and stamp. Then I thought, technology is how people communicate more. So here goes.

The people and pets that we see are the ones that care for us. We all have in some way, an extended family. I am grateful for my family and extended family. We may not be in each others lives every day. Yet we think of each other. I wish them all well. I hope for everyone that today, they can find some comfort and peace in their lives. That 2020 is a better year for everyone. 

Look for the things you like to do. Things you like. Books are the things I like. Card, dice and board games are another. For card games I bought a new one Ramen Fury. For dice games, I like Rory's Story Cubes. Roll the dice and tell the story from the picture you see on each die. For board games Mike and I played Parcheesi this Christmas morning. Then we played Sorry. Mike likes games that are pretty quick. So group games that take an hour or more umm...... no. 

It's sunny and in the 50's outside. Blue skies with a few clouds. No snow except for the tiny bit left over from a couple of days ago. No snow at Christmas for us. Yet we did have snow on Halloween. 

So many things have happened this year. This blog today will not be able to contain it all. Births, death, marriage, moving. One of my New Years resolutions is to update my blog more. Not go so long between postings. To really make each day a condensed version of what happened that day. Study more. Always to improve on what I am learning. 

So here is this Christmas letter. I will write more in this blog tomorrow. Have a great day day and a Merry Christmas.

Cranberry sauce

One of my favorite side dishes is cranberry sauce. I watched a video of a cranberry bog harvest. It was very interesting. Then I watched three more relating videos of the harvest. One woman has had her cranberry bog for four generations. Everyone has their favorite side dish for the Thanksgiving meal. Mine is cranberry sauce and of course my mom's homemade noodles.

It’s not Fall

Here we are the last few weeks of November. While it’s still officially a Fall month. We have had three snowfalls before Thanksgiving. The first one occurred before Halloween. There was hardly any kids trick or treating outside. I am sure their families had a Halloween party. The ones that did venture out in the snow and cold, were wearing jackets over their costumes. There weren’t as many people handing out candy. The one that did hand out candy, were so just so great. They had outdoor type heaters or fire pits to keep themselves warm. Now in one week it will be Thanksgiving. All the great gatherings of people. I am hoping that everyone drives carefully, so we can all reach our destinations safely.

I have to hand it to the people that take the time to sit and listen and talk to one another. I recently had such a night. I went and picked up a friend in my car to go out to supper. We shared stories. Then we went for a drive to another town for dessert. The Dairy Queen there has a Snickerdoodle Blizzard. Absolutely delicious! My friend ordered one of those, I got a dip cone. Everything is going good, really nice chat in the car. Reminiscing about old times and laughing till we had tears in our eyes. Missing the relatives that had passed on. Talks about our pets and shoes and life in general. Places we’ve been, trips we would like to take. Ahhh the memories!

Whirlwind and fog

If it's one thing you can see change in your life, it would be the weather. From the whirlwind we had recently. To the fog we have now. Great days for watching old movies with the fog. 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' is a favorite movie of mine.

Summer eek!

The last few days of Summer are here. For this news I say, eek! Where did the whole summer go? I am sure that some kids in school wonder this also. I didn't get some of the things done on my Summer to do list. So I will take this last week, and finish most of them.

One more thing

For all the relatives that have passed before us. Thank you for the love and caring. We think of you often. You left a wonderful memories and traditions that will be passed down.

We love and miss you.
 signed, your family.

Life and such

Went to a funeral recently. My mom has died from a lengthy battle with cancer. She had three different kinds of cancer. The family was with her, when she took her last breath in Hospice where she didn’t want to be. She wanted to die at home.

She had this big, huge happy laugh. That you couldn’t help but smile when you heard it. She loved her church, family and friends. She loved to play board games and card games. She live going to the festivals here in Iowa and Illinois. The Grape Festival was one of her favorites.

Know that I was smiling a little bit before the funeral. The letter you wrote to the editor of our local paper, was printed and came in on the day of your burial. You got the last word in. You spoke your mind and us kids love you for it. We love and miss you terribly.

She left behind a rich legacy, her family. I am glad she is at peace and with dad and her parents again.

Rest In Peace mom. You deserved it so much. It will be a lot quieter on the Sunday family brunches after church. We will be taking about you and dad often. You left a huge space that cannot be filled.

Summer list

Writing a summer list. Of things I would like to get accomplished., by the end of summer. There are a couple of museums I want to see. Some new artist's work. All sorts of art out there.
Some new bands I want to listen to. I check out the dates when the bands will be playing near by. I end up not going due to my work schedule. So have to buy the CD or download a song.
A new to me board game. I end up playing a word game puzzle.
So many new movies to see. This is just a few things on my summer list.

Summer shoes

I know they say women like shoes, alot. I like them also. My favorites are blue shoes. I think it is because they are the color of the sky.

Popcorn and the movies

Is there anything that can beat popcorn at the movies? I will be so glad to see that large popcorn special. Looking forward to going to a movie. The popcorn is the cherry on top of a sundae. The ticket money goes back to the studios. The popcorn and other snacks is what keeps the movie theater going. So I plan on buying a lot of other snacks. Popcorn is also one of the healthiest snacks.

Sunny Sunday afternoon

FREE concert at Crapo Park. The summer concert series runs from June to August on Sunday night at 7:30 pm.  The Symphonic Blast, for the Forth of July was last night.  I loved seeing the fireworks over the Mississippi river. We brought our chairs, water and a snack to share. The band playing, was excellent! Lots of wonderful music.

When we attend, we always bring some paper money to put in the collection bucket. , Volunteers are walking around with the buckets. The money raised goes to a good cause, the local community music program for the kids. So everyone is invited to the FREE concert at Crapo Park in Burlington, Iowa. Just please bring a donation to help the kids.  Bring your chair, a snack and something to drink. Get ready to listen to some really fine music.

Summer rain

Of all the times we didn’t need rain. This is a few weeks of those times. Low laying areas in the field turn into small lakes on the ground. The farmers will reseed the plants. Then more rain comes in and it’s a small lake again. Lots of sunshine for the next couple of days. The corn doesn’t seem to be knee high by the forth of July. Just hoping that all the corn will become a really good crop come harvest time.

Enough sleep?

Is there anytime where you can say you got enough sleep? Today would have been my day. More like a series of cat naps, instead of sleeping eight hours. Now I am wide awake and studying music.

Pizza and sunshine

Spending time outside is great when there is sunshine. Pizza under the sun is so nice. Finally got one with lots of vegetables on it. I love pizza,  I will admit. Pizza can also turn a stormy weather day around.

Sun then rain repeats

Sun then rain repeats again. Nice and relaxing. We had the best of both worlds today. Sun for going out and playing. Rain for taking a nap. We are supposed to get more of the same tomorrow.

Rain is for ducks

Ducks, geese, swans love the water. So due to all this rain we have been getting, it's perfect for our feathered friends. The flowers have bloomed in the yard. Smiles across my face due to the flowers. Plus perfect for watching old films from the 40's.

Spring is here

Spring flowers have bloomed. We are also getting more rain. I just hope the farmers get the rain they need. I look forward to baseball. I can’t wait to root for our local  team. I want to get more picnic recipes. We have the standard sandwiches, pasta salads and fruit for dessert. I just want something differently unique. So I will check out recipes and try them out with my family. Now when we get to a baseball game of course you have got to try the stadium food. They have great specials there. So here’s to Spring and not many rainy days.

Rain or no rain

It was a beautiful sunny, blue sky day. Time with my grandson having lunch and playing video games. Chuck E. Cheese has fantastic pizza. We got a stuffed crust pepperoni. Even the crust was so delicious. Now here it is nighttime and it's raining. So tired of the rain.

Not Spring yet so far

Not Spring yet. Rains a whole lot. Feeling better than Friday. Yet still feeling not so well. Going to have soup  for breakfast. Robins are plentiful here. Lots of birds singing. This makes me smile.

Rain and then some

There is a saying that goes, April showers bring May flowers. Then if it starts raining a lot like a month ahead. Will we be getting double the flowers with the extra month of rain?

Not yet Spring

Of all the winters we have had. This is one of the longest winters. We are supposed to get more snow this weekend. We shall see when it gets here.

I have to get my bicycle ready for the spring. I just watched a movie called Growing Up Smith. I like the bicycle in the movie. It played a large roll in the movie. At least it did for me. I look up movies where a bicycle is a key part of the movie.

So as far as we know, Spring is right around the corner. So here is March. Look at different things to do in March. So far I am learning a new language. Want to get more reading done. I have to write some new poems. Creating more art also. Doing some research for my next art project.

Not quite Spring

Well the snow is melting. Due to all the freezing rain we are getting. Yet, we do have sunny days where you don't have all those grey clouds. Now it's 35 degrees instead of 3 degrees. Big change in the weather. Looking forward to Spring. I can imagine all the flowers that will be blooming in my yard. The first crocus peaking out of the soil. The tiny flowers as well as the climbing ivy. I plan to take lots of pictures of the flowers. So I can remember them when next winter storm comes.

The weather we have

From the polar vortex to sheer ice. To beautiful clear blue skies during the day. With a wind chill of below zero at night. Iowa is a state of extreme weather. Right now all we can hope for is that Spring is right around the corner. My view is, this is nice though. Just enjoying the weather we have now. We don't have it as bad as other states. When we see in the news about the vehicle pileup ups on snowy, icy packed roads.

Pizza and football

Superbowl is over. Patriots won. It was a hard fought game. I am glad I got the 5 frozen pizzas. Jacks Pizza is a really good thin crust pizza. Bought 5 different kinds for the party. The chicken supreme was excellent. Next time I'm buying frozen pizza again . I am buying Jacks.

End of month gaming

Playing a game. Looking for the lost article in the game. First month of the new year. Finally got to play a game. The Nancy Drew game series are so great. I play a couple of games that are sim like. Board games, card games, dice games or online games. It's good to take a break once in awhile.

Second snowstorm

It is one thing to anticipate snow. It's another thing to have this much snow. I'm not complaining, I like snowy days for hot cocoa and cookies. So glad to have this snow day time to do what I want. Which is doing more research with new recipes. Already looking at a walnut cake. Plus new macaroni and cheese recipes with a side of fresh baked bread.

Watching the stars.

Sitting outside watching the stars come out, right at dusk. I like dusk. Because it's right before the peace and quiet of the night. That is unless you are in New York. I have abook about New York at night. All the different jobs at night from bakers, Police, firemen, diners, newspapers workers. It's comforting to know that half way across the country,  there is a whole new world to explore.

New Year 2019

Four days into the new year and I am sticking to my resolutions. I’m seeing how to make some new candies. I also want to create some new art. Looking into buying a guitar. Making a new list of musical books. I only have a few books I want to get a couple more.