Christmas Came and Went

This year Christmas was pretty uneventful for me. I decided that I would stay home this year....partly due to the fact that I couldn't get the actual days around Christmas off from work. So I volunteered to work all day. Literally, I worked from 6 AM until 1 Am. That made for a long day. 19 hours worth! I figured if I wasn't leaving town and no one from my family would be here, I would work and save someone else with young'ens from being mandatoried. Plus, the paycheck would be worth it. I was home Christmas Eve and opened my gifts from my niece (she drew my name) and enjoyed some classic TV shows and holiday movies.
The next day was very exhausting. We still had a pretty full flying schedule even though typically we have a "holiday" schedule with a reduction in flights for the day. Not so much this year! All our flights were full and people packed their bags as if they would never return. Heavy, huge suitcases! Do people really ever think about why they pack that way? REALLY! Needless to say that by the end of the day, my shoulders were screaming at me! My job all day was to deliver all the inbound bags from every flight to the baggage carousel.
I didn't arrive home that night until roughly 2 AM. Just long enough for an hour and 1/2 nap. I rose again at 3:15 for work on Friday. Once I finished that shift at 1:30 PM, I drove home and napped. Can you blame me?!?
I just kept thinking about the paycheck.....it was worth it! Plus, I had fun with passengers. I wore my Santa hat and waved to all the kids in the windows of the airport. They were so excited for either the trip they were about to embark on or, just seeing someone outside on the ramp noticing them in the window and waving to them was neat. The weather wasn't too bad considering the day on the calendar.
I don't work every year on Christmas. So next year maybe I'll take the day off. I'm not as young as I used to be.....phew!
I hope your Christmas was family-oriented and warm and cozy!

New Meaning to "Bad Day at the Office!"

Our day started out fairly normal today. This meaning that compared to the last 4 or 5 days of freezing cold weather, delays due to bad weather in other cities, lots of broken equipment, etc., this was a good day. No delays (yet!) and the flight loads were fairly light considering that it's only 1 1/2 days until Christmas.
Then about 10:45 or so, during the course of working one of our scheduled flights, we had word from our operations via the radios, (walkie talkies if you will) that we were going to have 2 diversions come in. In case you aren't sure just what this means, let me explain. Diversions would be scheduled flights between two other cities in our system that need to stop in Omaha for other reasons. Example being bad weather in one of the other cities. That was the case in Chicago's Midway airport. They were having the bad weather that had been here a day ago. But it was worse! The airport ended up closing. Our dispatch department in headquarters, which is located in Dallas, TX, decided that some of the flights en route to MDW (Chicago Midway) that couldn't land there would have to divert to Omaha. OK, no problem. Nothing unusual there. Things happen like that more than people realize.
Then ops called again and said there would be an additional two diversions. That makes 4 extra airplanes. We only have 2 gates! But, there is ample parking space on one of our north parking ramps. Another call on the radio.....3 more diversions! Great! 7 in all! Now we might have a problem. During all this, we are still under normal daily flight operations. Along with all the diversions! Soon thereafter, all 7 airplanes landed in Omaha and went to the north parking ramp. Our supervisor went down there and parked them all. No one would be getting off....they would just sit there and wait to be released again unless the wait time was going to be extended. The rest of us handled the regularly scheduled flights.
Now, I've been in Omaha over 13 years. I've never seen more than 5 of our airplanes on the ground here before. Today, we had a total of 9 here all at the same time! It's like we were a hub city! It was great! We just had to get some pictures of this unusual event. So I took my cell phone and snapped a few for myself. They're not too bad for a cell phone. Click each photo for a better view.

Here are the 7 diversions all on the north ramp. Keep in mind that there are two more airplanes parked at our 2 gates by the terminal as well.

Another pic with some of our ground service equipment.
A view from the opposite direction.

At least I got to leave in the middle of all the airplanes being released to take off again and head to Chicago. I was done at 1:30 PM so I didn't have to deal with any more oddities for the day. We had had enough excitement for one day.....at the office!

Christmas Lights, Now With Snow!

Well, you saw my house with my lights and no snow........but here is the new and improved version with snow! It's much prettier to see because the lights sparkle at night from the snow surrounding them. I love it! Check it out....

Now, isn't this more what Christmas is supposed to be like? White with snow? I definitely think so. Having grown up in ND has made me appreciate the season changes. Even if it does mean that the cold temperatures go along with it. I think all of us have gone through some severe weather changes lately. No matter where you live, unusual weather is occurring.
I had this feeling back in June, after all the bad tornadoes and torrential downpours of rain, that the winter would be colder and it would happen a lot earlier than is typical in some areas. We here in Omaha have gotten pretty cold and much sooner than we like! But it's nothing compared to what the ND natives have to endure. Actual temps in the -20's and -30's.

But we always find a way to get through it. I personally don't mind the cold.....sometimes it keeps the riff raff out...if you know what I mean!

Bakin' is 'Bout Done!

OK, I managed to bake more of the goodies I told you about. After hearing the forecast for single digit temperatures, I knew it would be the perfect day for baking. Again, it was. So I stayed in for the day and fired up the oven to make home made Chex Mix, peanut butter fudge, peanut butter cups. I dipped pretzels in almond bark candy coating and also made some cookies that don't really have a name. But they are basically cake cookies. Very moist! They are made with an actual cake mix in the recipe. I topped them with snow flake candy decorations and baked them.
I actually have tried two times in two different years to make my Mom's recipe for Divinity Candy. (Here is another link that looks lovely!) I've failed miserably both times! I can never get the consistency to be just right. I think I overcooked it this year. Try, try again! Maybe next week.....
The Chex mix reminds me of younger years at Grandpa and Grandma Moberg's house. Someone, I'm not exactly sure who, always brought the home made mix to our annual gatherings. I found a recipe in one of my home town cook books that tastes very near to what I distinctly remember tasting way back then.
Some of the other recipes were my own Mother's and some I got from a Christmas Cookie cook book that I purchased last year. It's from Gooseberry Patch Christmas Cookies. I've loved everything I've tried so far. One thing I plan on trying is a punch recipe towards the back. I can't wait!
The only thing left now is the Lefse. Remember this? My list of things I'd like to accomplish for the Christmas holiday is quickly nearing the end! Considering it's only 2 days away, I guess that's good!

Can You Smell the Goodies?

Christmas baking is one of my favorite things to do at this time of year. As a child, I remember first watching and enjoying the finished projects that my Mom used to present our family and all our visitors. Later, I got to help and over the years have kept the tradition going. It's something that is a must-have for the holidays. What's Christmas without all the fattening cookies and candies to satisfy one's sweet tooth?
I only wish my back could handle the long hours of standing a little better than it does. I happened to have today and tomorrow off for vacation days. What better time than the present to bake? It's only 5* outside and tomorrow it's supposed to snow along with the frigid temperatures! Perfect days to heat up the oven!

So far all I accomplished was make a small batch of fudge, 3 1/2 dozen spritz cookies made with my Pampered Chef Cookie Press, and I baked 60 roll-out and cut-out cookies that will be frosted tomorrow. I had to take a break and sit. I have a small list of other goodies that I plan on getting done as well.
The rest of my list includes but is not limited to: peanut butter fudge, chex mix, peanut butter cups, almond bark coated pretzels, cake-like cookies and Lefse. The Lefse is a project that I will want to have at least half a day to make. It's a project that is messy and requires plenty of counter top space. But it's definitely worth the time and energy put into making it. My own Mom used to make it every year around the holidays. I decided to pick up where she left off and have been trying to perfect it now for roughly 7 years! I inherited the lefse griddle and the turning sticks along with the different recipes that she used. Let me just say that I have NOT perfected it. It tastes OK (in my own opinion) but I struggle! And I'm not usually one to struggle when it comes to baking or cooking. Let's hope that this year is better than the last time I made it! Cross your lefse sticks!
Sunday the 21st is when I plan on heating up the kitchen once again. The forecast is for a high of 5*! Again, another great day to stay home and heat the oven.
I will share all my goodies with the people I work with and keep some for myself and Dad and Beverly when they come to visit in a couple of weeks. It's nice to have something to munch on at work in between meals. And I think everyone appreciates it as well. I would love to share them with all of you if you can stop by for a visit! Happy Baking!

The Annual Get Together Came Together!

Today I had 27 (I think!) guests in my home! I didn't know it would hold that many at once! People ranging in age from 5 months to 40-something!

The fireplace was lit, the food was out and being eaten, football was on TV, games were being played, etc, etc,. Each year my friends and I take turns having everyone over for this event. This year, I took my turn. Everyone brought a side dish to have with the deli chicken that we all pitched in to purchase. It was from Super Saver Grocery Store. They have excellent fried chicken. My contribution was a dessert that had ice cream sandwiches on the bottom layered next with whipped topping and then a layer of crushed Malted Milk balls. I also had made a dip from Tastefully Simple called Go! Go! Asiago. I also provided some of the drinks for kids and everyone else brought their own drinks.

Sunday was our only option to hold it if we actually wanted to do it before Christmas. Everyone has so many family functions going on at this time of year. Whether it's a company Christmas party or just "family days", a Saturday was just out of the question. So we did it today and that made it possible for us to celebrate before Christmas. Even though it was a Sunday it worked out fine.

The girls exchange ornaments each year and I got one that has a snowman on it that goes with my collection nicely!

Here are a few photos to show everyone in attendance.

The girls

All the kiddos


All the guys

The weather decided to turn bitterly cold. It started out with our high for the day at 7 AM of 20* and continued to drop from there. The wind picked up and made for a nasty day. My fireplace was a hit, to say the least. I started the burn roughly at 1 PM and kept it going long after everyone left for the night. It seemed to make the cold disappear once everyone got in the house.

It was fun to have it at my house because I had done so much decorating. At least it wasn't just for me! Plus I didn't have to go out into the cold !
I wish for you to have lots of get-togethers and a fun filled end of the year! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Lights

Tonight the temperature is so mild, 48* at 8 PM, I thought it would be a great time to take pictures of my outside lights. Tomorrow is out of the question as the temperature is supposed to drop like a rock and be a little bit windy!
I had a hard time making the lights show up and look as nice as they do in person. But this is the best I could do. Click each photo to see the lights more clearly.

Taken with the night setting of my camera.
Taken with the flash illuminating everything.

I intended to hang lights up on the upper bedroom peaks but ran out of lights and time to get it done. Plus I want to make sure someone is around in case of an unlikely accident! So the lights in the bedroom windows will have to suffice.

In the grass in front of the porch are 3 small packages that have lights. And lining the small sidewalk near the garage are a set of 5 stake lights to match the lights on the gutters. The railing is dressed in net lights that I had on the old bushes that no longer exist. I was able to utilize the lights anyway and draped them over the porch railing! The bulbs all flash randomly so there is always light dances. The wall between the long windows on the porch has an evergreen piece hanging on it that Mom used to have. I found some miniature light sets and put them on to add a little bling.

My Annual Illness

I remember last year at Christmas time, I flew to my sister Cathy's house to spend a few days with her for the holidays. Do you recall this post? During that trip, I was ill most of the time. Well, it seems that being sick at this time of year is becoming a habit for me. This year it hit me a little earlier than last.
A week ago Monday, the 1ST, I woke up with one ear plugged. It was so plugged that I literally could hear my own voice inside my head. (no...I'm not possessed!) Anyway, the sound was twice as loud. The sound of my tires on the road seemed to have a deeper bass tone. Voices of others were more muted. I've never had it this bad. I found myself constantly trying to pop open the ear by contorting my mouth in such a way as to make it somehow open the ear canal. People were suggesting that I plug my nose and try to force the air through my ears to pop it open. All to no avail! As a child I would have to have a doctor clear the wax because my ear cavities are very small. It's not un-common for me to go about once a year to have that done.
It didn't seem to improve and on Tuesday it was a little bit worse. So while I was at work, I called my doctors office and made an appointment to have it checked. I was able to get in that afternoon with another physician other than my own. She told me that I had an inner ear infection with lots of fluid inside the ear. NO KIDDING! She gave me a prescription for Biaxin. A very potent prescription too. It was 500 mg per pill to be taken twice daily! Apparently there had been several cases of whooping cough showing up in the clinic and she just wanted to make sure the medicine took care of everything. It was to be taken with food as it could cause nausea. Even taking it with food, as I found out later, still made my stomach feel very unsteady. At work I worked through the nausea for at least 2-3 hours each day before it would subside. Along with that I usually had a small case of diarrhea. Nice huh?
This past Monday night, for some reason, I forgot to take it after I ate. Then on Tuesday at work, after I ate my lunch, I forgot again. So I went roughly 24 hours with out it. Before I left for bowling, I ate an early supper and then took my pill. After getting home my stomach was beginning to feel unsteady again. Normal. That night my sleep was restless to say the least. I was sleeping but not resting. I woke several times and my stomach was actually hurting. When my alarm sounded to get up for work, I was worse than before. I had diarrhea again and was freezing but yet sweating at the same time. I just couldn't get up the gumption to get ready for work. After finally deciding to call in sick, I vomited! ISH!!!
I didn't eat anything the entire day. All I could manage to get in me were two cans of Sprite. I slept alot of the day away. I knew I couldn't work the next day so I called in sick again for Thursday. I had stopped taking the Biaxin. There was no way I was going to take any more of it. My ear had been treated for about a week and was feeling OK.
Even yesterday, I could tell that my stomach was a little bit unsettled. In fact, I only ate once during the day until I made supper last night. I think I'm back on track to wellness. Hopefully nothing occurs again during Christmas! (sorry for the gory details!)

They're Finally Up!

Yesterday after spending some time on my computer, I got myself ready to take on the day and all I had to accomplish. This was going to be the day that I got my Christmas decorations out and displayed. I also planned on cleaning as I went along so that things that I put out were set on a clean surface! Terrible job!!!
As I took things out of the boxes or totes that they had been in for the last year, it was so fun to remember each item and where I had gotten it. A lot of the things I hung were once my own Mom's that came from her vast collection of decorations. After she passed away, my siblings and I sat down and went through each and every piece and decided who wanted which ones and packed them into boxes to take to our respective homes. Memories came flooding back from when we as children got to help her decorate the farm house that I grew up in. The most memorable thing that I brought home with me was a tree topper. Mom and Dad used to always put it on the tree. So this year, I dug it out and have put it on my tree. It lights up and has little bells hanging on it. The white section is very fine thread. If I remember correctly, Mom or Dad used to tell us it was Angel's hair. Most of the things on my tree are snowmen. Yes, I collect them. I have so many all over my house.

My tree....which is lit up. But you can't see the lights very well because of my camera flash.

The Angel's Hair tree topper from years long past. Dad, Kevin and Cathy may remember this.

I spent the better part of 7 or 8 hours (if you add them all up!) cleaning, hanging, setting or wrapping items all over the house. I even had to climb my ladder a couple of times to get to the various ledges that I have, in order to put things on them. Not to mention the wreath that I hung over my fireplace. I stopped only to eat and run an errand or two. Then I went right back to it until I had replaced the boxes back into storage. Once I finally called it good, it was almost 7 PM and my back was a little achy to say the least!

The rest of the evening I spent admiring all the sparkling lights, inside and out. (I'll have outdoor light pictures soon!) I love this season. It's so fun to see how people choose to decorate their own yards or house.

Then the inevitable happened. All day long I had to shoo my cats away from various places. I was expecting anything from my orange cat, Trouble, at any point. Never did I think it would happen in less than 10 hours from the point I finished decorating. I awoke at 4:30 in the morning to a sound that told me things were going to be ugly. I slowly got out of bed and found my glasses. I went to the living room and saw my tree laying up against my piano! The sound of glass breaking was what I had heard. One of my nicer ornaments (naturally!) had smacked into the piano and sent pieces flying all over! Thankfully it fell the direction that it did. I only had to pick up about 5 or 6 ornaments. But some of the branches had to be re-fluffed and I also had to redo the garland. From what I can detect, Trouble had tried to get on the tree from atop the piano. At least that's what the evidence tells me because of how one section of the tree had a small gap in between branches and ornaments. I was furious to say the least! As you may have guessed, he was in big trouble with me! He ran from the noise and I imagine, the shock of falling through the tree that he had expected to hold his weight!

This is going to be a long month of redoing all the things that Trouble undoes! Each day as I arrive home from work will be a new adventure. I'll have to scout my entire house just to see what is laying on the floor or hanging askew. It's worse than having a toddler, that doesn't know any better, roam around and pick everything up in sight! I've considered buying some chicken wire to secure the area around the tree just to keep the cats away from it! It's that bad!

I hope all of you are having fun preparing for the upcoming holiday while at the same time remembering why we celebrate. This is the best time of the year and one in which to be thankful for all we have. Have a great Season of Joy and Celebration in the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ.

Vinyl Words to Live By

Have you ever heard of Upper Case Living? In a nutshell, it is basically a company that sells vinyl words and phrases that are applied to your choice of surfaces. You could put them on walls, refrigerators, windows, wood, mirrors, etc.

I was to my friends' house earlier this year as she held an Upper Case Living party in her home. They have some pretty creative sayings to choose from. You could also make up your own. Color isn't a problem either as you can order it in your own color schemes.

I had a hard time deciding on which one I wanted. Actually I had a few that were my top choices. But I had to narrow it down. The place in my house that I was thinking of while making my choice, was my kitchen. I had a couple of walls that needed some decor. So it was tough for me to picture just what I would hang on the wall that would have vinyl lettering.

I finally ordered one. It has sat in my kitchen for a couple months only because I hadn't been to any stores to figure out what to place it on. I went to Hobby Lobby and with the aid of an employees, decided to purchase a large mirror. After getting it home, it turned out that it was going to be perfect for the shape of the sticky vinyl letters to rest.

See for yourself........

"Espresso Yourself!"

It took me a few tries to get it hung just right.........but I really like it. I'm hoping to find a couple smaller items to hang on the wall next to it to create a grouping of decor. What do you think?

It's That Time of Year Once Again....

I always like to be ahead of schedule when it comes to holidays. Sometimes I don't do well at staying ahead! But today I managed to finish up the decorating on the outside of my house. I had put up a few light strings and some new features in the yard a couple days before during our days of mild weather. But today the temperature soared into the 50's. All I had left was to hang the lights on the gutters and put some lights on my deck railing. (I'm still debating on whether to climb up on the roof to hang lights from the upper level peaks.) It would be so pretty! We'll see....
I have yet to put up the inside decor but as soon as I clean the house, that will be the next small project. This weekend or even part of next week is when it will be done. For sure. No matter what. No later. No matter what! No one can talk me out of it....uff da! What a chore it seems to be any more. I have so many decorations that it's hard to decide which ones to use. I have accumulated some of my own Mothers' items besides the things I've been given as gifts or even purchased on my own through the years.

But I do love this time of year. We have had some brief snow showers here and there. That always makes me feel like doing something in correlation to Christmas. Some of the radio stations have been playing holiday music now for roughly 3 weeks! That is a little bit too early for me, although I have listened to it some the last few days. And it means I can officially dust off the piano books just waiting to be used to bring a little music of the season into the house!

Have you been watching all the old cartoons that appear on TV? One example would include Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. Another one could be Frosty The Snowman. I remember as a child, waiting in anticipation for these programs to air on TV. They were always fun to watch even if we knew exactly how things would play out.

And what about the crazy shopping mobs? I avoid the traditional "get the bargains while they are cheap" day after Thanksgiving at all costs! Usually I'm on my way to work when these loonies (no offense if you are one of these die hard shoppers!) are on the streets heading to their favorite store! 4AM! Give me a break! If I need to save that much money on a gift, I shouldn't be buying gifts at all! It's nuts! But that's just me....if I had the chance to sleep in....I would. I get up that early (3:15am) every day so it's just not worth it to me. Shopping can wait until normal shopping hours, thank you very much.

Anyhoo....this is either a great time of year for you or it isn't. I don't think there is much of an in-between here. You like it or you don't. Easy enough. I happen to love it! I hope you are enjoying the madness of the season and not driving yourself crazy to keep up with the rush that goes along with it! Happy shopping!

My Thanksgiving

Because I was unable to be in ND (or with any family for that matter!) this week, I signed up to work on Thanksgiving Day. It fell in the middle of my normal work week anyway. Plus I get paid more money. What's not to be thankful for?
After I arriving home roughly 1:30 PM, I put my 8.8 LB turkey in my Smart Pot slow cooker. I glazed it with Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce, from Tastefully Simple of course, and covered it so that the cooking process could proceed properly. Then I set the cook time for 4 hours on high. From there, I found a comfy spot in my chair and whilst watching TV, promptly fell asleep. It was a nice short nap that gave me energy to get up and make a few small casseroles that I ate along with my little turkey. My other side dishes included: Scalloped Corn, Sweet Potatoes, and Green Bean Casserole. I left out the mashed potatoes because I simply wouldn't have had a big enough stomach anyway!
After only 3 hours, the turkey was done! I hadn't even started putting the casseroles together!
Once they were in the oven I proceeded to do some minor chores and watched some football for awhile.
Finally the meal was done baking! I ate more than I should, as everyone seems to do, and after cleaning up the kitchen, relaxed in my favorite chair one more time.
I had given my Dad a call to see how their day had gone. My brother's family was visiting at his house for a few days. My sister Cathy had called earlier in the day and we were able to get caught up once again on what each other has been so busy with from day to day.
It wasn't long after my meal and the turkey had worked it's magic on my brain, that slumber came once again. After snoozing in my chair for about 1/2 an hour, I gave in and went to bed. It was only about 9 PM! Sheesh! I am definitely getting older!
I had a very nice quiet day.....and I ate quite well. Thankfully, it was a nice Thanksgiving!

The Work Continues

After returning to Dad and Beverly's house on Sunday, I set about to make some home made Chicken Noodle Soup. Beverly was busy trying to finish up the ironing that needed to be done.
Before I had gone to Dickinson, I had re-arranged the living room furniture in an effort to accommodate some extra furniture that had been acquired from Beverly's Mom after her passing. I vacuumed the floor as I moved things around as it's hard for Beverly to do with her shoulder still on the mend from surgery earlier this fall.
My aunt Penny, Dad's sister, stopped in with some left over Angel Food Cake just as we had sat down to eat supper. So she joined us to eat soup and then some of the cake. Very good! We ate most of a large stock pot full of soup! After eating, Dad and I practiced the songs that were going to be sung for the funeral. Then it was just plain 'ol fun----we sat at his keyboard and sang songs from the hymnal that I had jazzed up by using the different settings and beats that can make the song sound like an entire band is playing along!

When I had arrived on Thursday, Dad had received a phone call regarding the passing of a long time resident of the McGregor area, Bud Thorson. He had been the post master in McGregor for years. He and his wife Arlene had just celebrated their 60TH wedding anniversary a few weeks ago. The family asked Dad to sing at the funeral, which was Bud's request. They had found a piece of paper with Bud's hand writing, stating this request. How can one resist when it's from the deceased them self. How sweet to think of this.
I ended up playing organ for the service and accompanied my Dad for his songs as well. I've known the family for years so it was an honor to be able to do this. I remember baby sitting for Bud's grandchildren through the years while I was in high school. Some of them didn't remember me though! (it's tough to get older!) It was nice to see so many McGregor residents after all the years that have passed by. The service was held in my home town church on Monday, November 17TH. It's like time hadn't moved when I walked through those doors. I got to play the organ that my own Mother used, as she was the organist for several years before her passing. And getting to play piano for my Dad brought back many memories of He and Mom singing together for many weddings and funerals alike, that I accompanied them for, many many years ago.
It was a nice service followed by a luncheon served by ladies of the church. There were maybe 150 (?) people in attendance to pay their respects to the family of Bud. The church was full and they opened up another area in the back of the church in order for all to take part in the service.
God bless the memory of Bud Thorson.

After the service and returning back to the farm, I helped Beverly with the exchange of summer and winter clothes in their proper places. I also helped empty some boxes and made many trips up and down the steps to the basement so that they wouldn't have to, and stored things from the motor home in their respective places. I then set about vacuuming the kitchen, computer room, their bedroom and the laundry room. As I did this, I tried to organize the things that I moved around in order to vacuum. Beverly was busy doing some dusting as I vacuumed.
Then we moved out to the garage and tried to organize some of the things that will go to the new owner of the motor home. It may have been a small dent in the projects that they want to do but it all helps I guess!
Later, I set about making a supper consisting of meat loaf, sliced potatoes with butter and seasoning that were baked, and mixed vegetables. It was very filling and along with the left over soup, should give them a few more meals that won't require much prep time.
Beverly's daughter-in-law called to see if we were busy. She came out to the farm for a visit.

After sitting up for a few more hours watching TV, it was off to bed......I had a long drive ahead of me the next day to return to NE.

Tastefully Simple on the Road

During my trip home, I also had business to attend to as well as just vacationing. My sister-in-law, Susan, had agreed to have a taste testing party in their home while I was in the state. So on Saturday morning, I drove from my Dad's to my brother and sister-in-law's house in Dickinson, ND. Her party was scheduled for 3 PM.

My nieces had a vague idea that I was going to be there but didn't have a confirmation on it from their parents. So when I arrived, I rang the doorbell and had 3 young girls greeting me with very wide grins on their faces....that is, once it registered that it was their Auntie Sandy standing on the other side of the door! It's fun to surprise them! They were helping Susan prepare the dips and desserts that would be served at the party.

Susan had a small gathering that brought in very good profits for her and I alike. She earned several free products from her show.

After her guests left and we cleaned up a bit (after continuing to eat what was left of the samples!), the girls found a couple of games that we played. Kevin and Susan wanted to surprise them again, by taking them to the new movie, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. It was a great movie and we all loved it! Very funny.

Then it was back to their house where we sat and watched a little bit of TV and chatted before going off to bed.

The next day they all got ready for Sunday School and Church while I got things packed back into my van to return to my Dad's house. I still had a few days left and wanted to continue to help Dad & Beverly with some household chores.

After hugs and kisses, I left them and ran a few errands in Dickinson before heading back north to the farm. I made a stop in Tioga for a few groceries as I had planned to make a couple of meals for them before I left for Nebraska.

The view out my front window while driving back to Dad's. These are the Killdeer Mountains....I know....mountains in ND? Yep....

How pretty is this even if it's not green?

It's always fun to see family....my nieces grow more in between each visit with them! Such sweet young ladies!

Time to Get to Work

I told Beverly before my arrival in ND to make a list of chores that I could do to help them as they have medical issues that prevent them from doing some of the things that they need done or would like to have done. She was ready for my return to ND!

Friday morning after getting dressed for the day, my Aunt Penny, Dad's sister, stopped by on her way home from having her hair fixed. It was her weekly visit. So it was fun for me to see her as well. She is so bubbly and fun to visit with!

After Penny left, I decided that this was the day I would work in the living room. I re-arranged the furniture and vacuumed the floors as I went. Box elder bugs are a nuisance in ND at this time of year. As the days get colder outside, the bugs look for warmer places to live and end up getting in the house constantly. So I was able to vacuum up the corpses of these nasty creatures as well. Ish!

Beverly was working on her ironing. Her shoulder prevents her from doing too much at one time so she would do what she could stand each day. She had accomplished quite a bit from what I could tell.

Later, Beverly had a hair appointment in Tioga and Dad suggested that we eat out and invite Beverly's son and daughter-in-law to join us. So they did. It's always fun to see Dennis and Julie.

We had made a stop at the grocery store prior to eating and after returning home, brought everything in snuggled in for the night. Their dog Bandy, a Shih-tzu, always loves company. She seems to like me as well. She ended up sleeping with me each night instead of Dad and Beverly! Go figure! She loves to play and is a great lap dog. We get along fine.....

It's always fun to visit the farm......things don't change too much but it's neat to see how much the trees have grown in between visits especially.

Where I grew up....

driving into the yard....
the back yard...

The front yard....

Such a peaceful and serene setting to see. No traffic, no sirens, and no neighbors! Lots of wild animals roam through the yard too. We watched 3 deer walk past the trees that are showing in the photo just above. It's not unusual to see such a sight. Last year, a young moose wandered into the yard. You just never know who will show up! It's great to be home!

White Christmas...err...Thanksgiving?

I'm officially on vacation......albeit a short one. But non-the-less, it's still vacation! I was hoping to have some days off for Thanksgiving but to make a long story short, I couldn't get all the days I was needing. So I decided to use vacation now instead of later!

I drove to my home state of ND to visit my Dad and his wife Beverly. It's been over a year since I've made the trek back there. Pitiful, isn't it? It was actually for my Dad's 70TH birthday (last October) that I had been back to the farm. Time does go by much too quickly....is that a sign of aging?
I had been hearing all the weather reports prior to my trip about all the snow and such, that ND and SD had been getting. Bismarck was reporting 10 foot snow drifts last week on our news in Omaha, NE. Bismarck happens to be on my route going north to my Dad's. I was hoping that any inclement weather would be done before I had to travel through.

The further north I drove, I could see evidence of the white stuff along the roads. After getting as far as Watertown, SD., I could still see the piles from the snowplows along the streets in town. And from what I could tell, Bismarck had definitely received their fair share of the white stuff. But nothing could compare to the amounts of snow I saw a little further north along Highway 83 near Max, ND! It was already dark when I was traveling along Highway 83 but thanks to the full moon blanketing the earth like frosting on a cake, I was able to see the evidence of just how much snow had fallen in the area! The ditches were full and drifts had risen high enough that someone riding snowmobile was out taking advantage of the mild evening and going all over the place! Now, having been raised on the farm, we had a few outdoor toys, some of which were snowmobiles. We loved them back in the day. So witnessing this event brought back many fun memories! I think I even became a little jealous seeing this individual out having so much fun! (sniff sniff)
Annnyywaayyy, I was very glad that I hadn't tried to travel the week prior. My drive north turned out to be an uneventful one and I arrived at Dad's safely. I was greeted at the door by their ever excited dog Bandy. She is officially the "welcome committee" in the Moberg household! So much so that she gets in trouble for over doing the welcome! Quite the greeter!
But I'm here....and glad to be. It's nice to be on the farm for a little peace and quiet of the country. ....umm...that's a sure sign of aging when one loves peace and quiet! Good ol' North Dakota.

Sky of Wonder

If it hadn't been for the fact that the calendar said November 6TH, today I would have thought it was June or July. The weather has been quite irritable this week and today was no exception. While the northern plains of ND and SD were being blanketed with fluffy white snow, we were being threatened with rain and a chance of snow. But the wind was blowing all day and we were under severe weather advisories for the remainder of the day. I had very vivid flashbacks of all the bad weather we endured during the month of June.
The sky was churning and clouds were on the move. Mother Nature was trying her best to raise havoc on Omaha. Thankfully, all she could muster was a small rain shower and strong winds along with temperatures that only dropped to the upper 30's. It could have been a treacherous drive to work on Friday if she had succeeded with snow!

The southern sky prior to rain.......

Looking to the west.

I was even hearing the thunder boom as I sat at the computer listening to music. Yes, it was that loud! My cats heard it....I could see them look towards the windows as if to wonder what the heck was going on outside.

I have a bad feeling about this winter! Is this the beginning of a real cold and snowy season? Lets hope not! I do like snow, but just not quite yet! It's still fall!

Halloween=Candy

I'm not sure just how much Halloween is celebrated where all of you live, but here there is plenty to do for young and old alike. For instance, haunted houses. Scary Acres is one such example. Haunted Hollow is another. I could list several more but you get the idea. I've experienced Scary Acres and it's great! If you don't mind a few chills running up and down your spine then that's the place for you! But this year I never got to any of them. Now, if you don't feel like venturing out of your own home, that's OK too. All you have to do is make a trip to a store that sells candy and load up! Take it home and eat like there's no tomorrow. There seems to be so much to choose from it's just about too overwhelming to look at all the choices without having a "Why bother?" feeling rush over you.
But I gave in and took home 7 big bags of candy. I'm talking about the industrial size bags of candy! You know, the ones that weigh almost the same as a small bag of apples. And guess what.....I gave away 4 bags of the sweet stuff to trick-or-treaters! I think roughly 40-45 kids came by. Even some of the parents were dressed up!
They were showing up here until roughly 8:45PM! They began arriving about 6PM and kept coming. At first I was trying to make sure the candy I did have would last without it all being gone early in the evening. But soon I realized it was more than I needed. So I started telling the kids to take as much as they wanted. Handful after handful of candy began to disappear! I was glad to see it dwindle.
Unfortunately I had more left than I knew I could eat----or for that matter, more than I would want to eat! So I put the bag I knew I could eat without any problems, Butterfinger candy bars, into the freezer. The next day I took a mixed bag of chewy candy to work where I knew the vultures would swoop down upon it and leave little to identify! (I was right too!) That leaves one bag of tootsie roll lollipops. I'll drag that one to work as well.
I think that there is SOME kind of candy for EVERY holiday anymore! And it all starts to appear on the store shelves 1-2 months ahead of the actual holiday that it's intended for! Yikes! I saw Christmas candy out already......maybe this post should have been titled, Holiday=Candy!

Halloween Spirit.....No Pun Intended!

Today I managed to put a few of my many Halloween decorations about the house and yard. I have quite a bit after the party that was held here at my house last year. I wanted to have my front yard in the spirit for any trick-or-treaters that stop by. Last year on Halloween, I wasn't home. So this is the first year in this house I'll be here to hand out candy. It's always fun to see what the imaginations of children and parents alike come up with for the youngsters to dress up in.

I waited until this week only because last week we had rain for literally 2 1/2 days straight! Anything from a list misting to a torrential downpour! Yesterday the wind was howling more than any coyote ever would so that was one more day down the tubes for decorating outside.

My perfect spider web complete with purple spider!

Big black spider creeping his way towards any visitors!

Lights lay inside this fragile, human-size string of bones. The camera does no justice!

My pumpkin lights the yard for the spooky nights ahead.

But alas, not to worry.....it did get done! I'm all for decorations. I love Halloween almost as much as Christmas. Now the inside of the house has a combination of Fall/Autumn decor along with the actual Halloween items. I have a sting of pumpkin lights on the railing of my deck and a cloth covered jack-o'-lantern with lights inside sits inside one of the upstairs bedroom windows as well.

And lest you forget my two cats, I always have to think ahead of the one named Trouble. My planning of decoration placement has to be in such a fashion that he can't get at them with too much ease. Especially the very fragile pieces. Believe me, he will try to be nose-to-item until he either triumphs and ends up playing with them or they are just too boring to bother anymore.

So there you have it......not as many things were put out this year. Last year I went all out due to the fact that I had a Halloween party here with all my friends in attendance. But I still had fun with the things that I did take out! Here's to a fun-filled holiday for your ticksters and treaters alike! Have a safe Halloween!

Big Birthday Weekend!

Aside from the craft fair I took part in, there were two birthday parties this weekend as well! And they were for 3 kids all under the age of 5!

Saturday we celebrated the 2ND birthday of Madison Studer. She's a little fire cracker! Her fuse is quite short when she's tired. But she is such a cutie pie! Her birthday is actually today but we all gathered over the weekend because the Studer's had out-of-town family members visiting. Scott BBQ'd hamburgers and they also had hot dogs in a slow cooker for the main course.

The birthday theme was "Elmo" from Sesame Street. The cake was made by our good friend Halli. She works at Sam's Club in the bakery. It was a huge round cake and very tall and very red! The frosting was actually applied with a special decorating tip that made it look like the long stringy fur that Elmo is noted for. I'm only sorry that I didn't have my camera there to get some pictures. In order for you to know how talented Halli is, you may recall her work with this.

After taking pictures of Madison with her cake and watching her get all red from the frosting, we cut into it. It was served with chocolate chip ice cream. Very good!

She had already torn into the gifts from everyone and was delighted with each and every one. She would say "Mine?" after her Mom Lisa would tell her whom it was from. And she wanted to play with each toy the minute the paper came off. But she quickly forgot about them as soon as she saw that she had another gift to open. Too cute! It never gets old watching little ones with presents. There is so much excitement that you can't help but smile with them.

Happy Birthday Madison!

Two Birthday Parties in One!

My friend Halli that makes cakes, and her husband JB have a busy week along with their two girls. Liberti, turned four this past Friday and her sister, Glori, will turn two this weekend. (Notice the patriotic theme with their names? JB is in the armed services; thus the appropriate names!) So they held a combination party for them. It was going to be in a park to give all the little tots some space to run around and play. But even though the day turned out to be so nice and sunny, the wind decided to wreak havoc and blow very strongly. We couldn't keep anything on the tables. One of my other friends, Trisa, lives near by so we moved the party to her house. A very wise decision!

Halli, obviously, made the cakes for her girls. Again, no camera. Instead of making actual cakes, she made a lot of cup cakes. She grouped several of them together and frosted them as if they were one cake and made a smaller version of the Elmo cake that she made for Madison. The other group of cup cakes was frosted to look like a guitar....from Hannah Montana.
They both love Hannah Montana. They wear shirts with her picture on them often!

Here is a picture I took of the two girls in September at my friends' Chris and Dee's wedding. Are they cute or what?

Liberti and Glori

Very polite little darlings. They see me and come running ....they love me! Then it's hugs and kisses all around! So sweet!

After eating pigs-in-a-blanket, chips and dips (that I had made for the craft fair), fluffy salad and of course the cakes, the girls opened their gifts. They had so much fun! Everyone got thank you hugs from them and they were off and playing with the other kids.

A very busy weekend filled with so much joy and very happy girls with new toys to play with! Happy Birthday Liberti and Glori!

"Craft Fair" Season

Today I participated in my first craft fair as a consultant for Tastefully Simple. It was just a small event that lasted only 4 hours. But it was enough to give me an idea of how it will go in the future for other craft fairs should I decide to participate.

It was held at The Waterford Assisted Living facility. I had made beer bread, chocolate pound cake, 6 different dips and 2 cheese balls. I also had twisty grahams and blue Aztec chips (both TS products) along with store bought items for dipping; pretzel sticks, tortilla chips and vanilla wafers. But because I was unsure of what to expect in regards to numbers of people that could show up to shop, I ultimately had made more food than needed. But at least I didn't run out! I set up my table with actual products for display to give customers an idea of what the items look like. I actually had 3 people place orders and one person made a booking for a home taste testing party. Not bad for only 4 hours of work! And it only cost me $10 to reserve a table so it was definitely worth the effort.

One of my friends came by so I had her snap a couple of pictures as a memento of my first craft fair!

I had ordered the banner and the shirt I'm wearing only 1 week prior and received them just in time for the craft fair.

I will be one busy person in the month of November. Aside from another craft fair on the 8TH, I have roughly 8 home parties scheduled, an open house along with 3 other vendors and a cooking show as well. It's great fun and everyone loves to eat! Make sure to check out my web site. www.tastefullysimple.com/web/smccloud .

So Far, TS is a Success

I have to say that I've been having a great time since I started my business as an independent consultant for Tastefully Simple. I love meeting people and getting together. And what better reason to get together than to eat? A lot of folks have never even heard of this company let alone try any of the products they have to offer.

I've been quite busy with taste testing parties in other people's homes. I've done an open house and this coming weekend I'll be participating in a craft fair with my samples for anyone to try. I'm hoping that I can get others to book a party in their homes as well. It's like a domino game. Once one new customer has a party and invites friends that have never had it, they in turn will occasionally have a party and invite their friends...etc.

If you don't know what the home taste testing parties are all about, I'll give you a brief run down. Let's say you decide to host a party in your home. I give you a food kit. It includes samples of 10 or 11 products. What is needed from you as a host is to provide 1 -2 more ingredients to prepare the products which I've given you. Usually sour cream and real mayonnaise. The desserts are slightly different. These products in the food kits may include but aren't limited too: beer bread, 3 or 4 dips that can be eaten with pretzels, crackers or beer bread, a soup mix, a dessert mix and a beverage. I myself being the consultant provide other samples of more dips, fruit spreads, and chips. I also provide the serving containers and utensils and plates. The dips take maybe 20 minutes to prepare and the beer bread takes one ingredient plus bake time and the dessert is 1 or 2 ingredients plus bake time. My hostesses have all agreed on just how simple it is to get ready to host a party. That's what these products are all about; the ease and simplicity of having snacks or meals in a busy household without needing much time to prepare them.

Tastefully Simple was started my a woman named Jill Blashack Strahan in Alexandria, MN back in 1995. She started out selling gift baskets. As the demand for gourmet food increased she decided to start offering taste testing so people could sample what she had. It has grown through the years and is slowly moving its way through other states other than just the Midwest region.

In the last two weeks I've had 4 home parties, one book party (I'll explain that soon), and an open house. This weekend is my first craft fair. November is looking to be a good month as well as I've already got several parties lined up along with a craft fair and another open house. It's financially beneficial to me to help me pay some bills off quicker. But it's more than that. I have gotten to meet several new people because of these home parties. Once one person hosts a party, I may meet someone new that wants to host a party and there I meet more people. Like I said, the domino effect. It's my business to run the way I like too. I can give products away as prizes or even as incentives to get people to book parties and help the hostesses earn more products at the same time. It's awesome!

I have my own web site for this business-- www.tastefullysimple.com/web/smccloud . I will be in ND in the middle of November so if you would like to host a taste testing party in your home, let me know. I'll have my supplies with me. It would be a great opportunity to earn yourself some free products and just have a fun time getting together with friends!

Here's a sampling of what I have to offer!

May My Tree Rest In Peace

As you all know, I've had quite the summer! And fall has arrived all too soon! My summer was mostly a time of disbelief to start, followed by repairs soon after! You should remember this, I assume.

Well, after a brief absence, I've returned with more pictures of another small project that was taken care of yesterday. With all the activity going on at my house because of repairs being done, this time the work took place in my front yard! My big, beautiful Linden tree was destroyed by the tornado and I was left with, well, a sort of stump but yet it wasn't really that either. If you stood and looked straight down at the bark....there was a hole down into the ground and root system. It's like the tornado just sucked it up out of the ground. So is that still considered a stump? Hmm....you decide. Anyway, the roots were still intact into the ground along with the, er, um, stump!

Upon arriving home from work yesterday, I noticed that someone had been driving in my grass! Needless to say, I initially wondered who in the world would need to drive in my yard? (I was instantly chapped!) Then I looked right into the area where my tree once stood and realized what had been going on. "The guys" had been here to remove the "stump". I was unaware that it would be done today. But hey, no time like the present! It had been ground down and then recycled to fill in the hole that was left by the tree. I guess now I can put some grass seed down and hope that it fills in the area nicely! Take a look below at the before and after photos. Click the photos to see them a little bit closer.

This was taken exactly one week before the tornado hit my area. See my nice tree?

Here is what was left of my tree after the tornado.....

After having someone come and remove the stump and roots, this is what the same spot looks like now after the job was done.

The spot where the tree used to stand.....

A different view of my front yard without said tree.

Next spring I will get another tree planted out in the front yard. I sure did miss the shade during the hot summer months. I've been trying to go green....have you?