39 posts tagged “family”

Wow!  Sorry it has been so long since I was home long enough to post anything.  It has been crazy around here.  Here is a photo of us (on the right) with my hubby's family that joined us for our 40th anniversary celebration on October 25th.  Two of his sisters are in the bottom row in the center and his two brothers are in the top row.  Not too bad for a bunch of old timers.  My hubby is the baby of his family.

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for him.  He is feeling much better.  His doctor's decided not to operate last week, so he came home on Thursday, but I have worked every day since then.  If I'm not working, I'm doing laundry or cooking special food for him.  He is on a soft food diet, and so far, it seems to be working.  He was supposed to have another test done today, but the tech who was scheduled to do the test was sick.  So I've been making creamy soups, etc. so he can have something to eat.  It hasn't been too bad, just time consuming. 

We have finally had a couple of sunny days.  And it is still warmer than normal for this time of year.  The farmers are all happy because very few have their crops out of the field yet. 

 

Another photo from the wine garden.  Not quite as cute as the wart hogs, but charming none the less. 

 

I can't remember the last time I had a day off when I didn't have to do anything or go anywhere.  It was really nice.  I slept in and took a nap.  I washed clothes and spent several hours cooking.  My hubby was in the hospital this week because he is having swallowing problems and now he is on a soft food diet.  If you can't feed it to a baby, he can't have it.  So I made broccoli cheese soup for lunch with chocolate pudding.  I had bought a new immersible blender on Friday, so I used that to puree his soup.  It turned out so nice that I pureed all of it.  For dinner, I made mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, gravy, and green beans.  He didn't eat any of the green beans.  I ran the cauliflower through the blender with some milk to make sure it was creamy.  He ate some more pudding and I had jello.  I might lose a few pounds if we do this very long, but that wouldn't be a bad thing.  His doctor is supposed to call on Monday with more information about some more tests that he has to go in for next week. 

I finally took time tonight to look at the photos for our family reunion.  There is one of the whole family that is pretty good.  It is hard to get this many people all sitting still and looking in the same direction.

 

This is the whole gang, except for one daughter and her husband.  She was sick, and he was out of town.  Each family is more of less wearing the same color, and is together in the group.  The exception is the red heads in grey.  They got scattered around since their mom and dad weren't there.  I'll see if I can find a picture of the six of them.

 

This is our oldest granddaughter with her baby, and her three sisters and little brother. 

I have to work late again tomorrow, but we shouldn't be too busy, so I might be able to get some more pictures.  All of the cakes and cupcakes that I made last week were gone by Friday.  So, I guess I'll start over!  Plus we took several orders based on the pictures I had taken and placed in our idea book.  That has worked out really well. 

I'm going to go relax and watch some college football. 

We had a mini family reunion on Sunday.  We had arranged for a photographer to come out to the farm to take family pictures.  Some of the kids wanted shots of their families with a natural background, so we set up a fence and got some bales of straw.  Of course, everyone was taking shots of the groups that the photographer was shooting.  Here's one that our daughter took of my hubby and me.  Not too bad for a couple of old timers! 

I wanted to post some of the photos that I took.  They are on the computer, 'cause I can edit them, but I can't find them when I click on "photos".  Guess I'll have to try again later.  Maybe I can figure out where they are! 

This afternoon we went to preview the photos from Sunday.  I bought some of all the grandkids to give to our kids for Christmas, and we bought a CD with all the shots on it.  So I may have to wait until I get the CD to show you the whole gang.  It isn't easy getting 27 people to look good for a photo.  Especially when one of them is a four year old clown! 

 

On Sunday, my youngest daughter and I headed out to wine country to check out a wine garden.  They grow grapes here, but they don't make wine here.  This shot was taken from the veranda looking back toward the old farm house. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I turned to the right and took this shot from the same spot.  Lots of lovely flowers and green plants.  Beautiful landscaping. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a shot of the outdoor covered dining area.  We got there in time for the Sunday breakfast buffet, and it was fantastic! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the view straight out from the veranda looking down across the valley.  It was so hazy that it almost looked like the Smoky Mountains. 

 

Here's my daugher with my youngest grandson. He wasn't excited about getting his picture taken. 

 

He was much more interested in running around with his sister.  There was a small playground on the grounds, but they were happy to just walk and run around. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was room for a bit of humor.  Among other metal scupltures were these cute warthogs.  There was also a lake with two beautiful white swans and four ducks, as well as a well stocked plant nursery.  Oh, and last but not least, a wine tasting room.  We had a really good time and would like to go back.  We drove on past several other wineries, but this one is the prettiest. 

Wow!  How time flys.  All of my company has gone home, and I am still trying to put everything back in its right place.  It was really nice to see my daughter and all the grandkids, but this old gray mare ain't what she used to be. 

Anyway, back to Saturday.  On Friday I made a cake for my granddaughter's baby shower.  I had planned to do it at work, but since Monday was the only day I worked last week, that wasn't possible.  Anyway I thought this would be a good chance to see if I wanted to try to make cakes for people on the side.  I'm going to have to figure out a few things if I'm going to make very many.  Her's turned out okay, but it would have been much easier to do at work.  Here's the finished product.

 

 

Here's the mom-to-be opening the bag with the camera that I gave her. 

 

And here's what I did most of the afternoon.  There were two six month olds there that I held/and or played with most of the time.  I can still get down on the floor without too much trouble.  I just don't want anyone taking pictures while I'm getting back up!  LOL

Three of our grandchildren came out this afternoon.  The weather was perfect.  We went to the garden to pick vegetables to send home with them.  Then we played in the yard. If I can get it to load, here is a picture of E with a walnut she found on the ground. 

 

She was telling me that is was brown or dead or something.  Look how green the grass is!  Can you believe it is the middle of July? 

They like to pick up crab apples that fall off the tree, so that was our next activity. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After they picked up most of them, I told them they could eat one.  I didn't really think they would, 'cause they are as sour as lemons, but E ate two of them.  Her twin brother wasn't so sure, but he ate most of his, too.  Don't you like his flower behind his ear?  She won't let you do anything with hers, but he loves barettes, etc.  Go figure! 

I wanted to go back out and take some more photos, but I made an apple pie instead using about 2 cups of crab apples with my other apples.  It wasn't the prettiest pie I've ever made 'cause I let the edge get a little bit too brown, but it was one of the tastiest.  Yum! 

I actually got my tripod out yesterday afternoon before everyone left so I could fiddle with it a little bit.  I got some really cute shots of our youngest grandson.  It's amazing how much easier it is to take pictures when you don't have to worry about holding the camera still. 

 

Here are my red and white petunias in the wagon in front of our house.  I went out this morning and got most of the grass pulled out.  I also picked our first batch of green beans, and did some work on the big flower bed.  By 9:30 am it was so hot that I couldn't stand it!  Didn't go out to do anything in the yard the rest of the day. 

 

My dark red day lillies have just started blooming.  Some of the smaller orange ones are blooming, too.  I should have gone back out this evening, but it was just too hot. 

I did do something this afternoon that I haven't done for a long time.  I went into town to donate blood.  I used to do it all the time, but then it didn't work out with my work schedule.  I don't have any trouble with the needles, etc.  It's the tape they put on your arm that I can't stand.  I was pulling it off as I walked out the door!  They almost didn't let me donate.  My iron level from my left hand was only 11.8, so I had to wait a few minutes and try again with my right hand.  12.5 this time.  Guess I'm going to have to eat more raisins!  I did get some good news.  My blood pressure was 110/76, even after getting out in the heat and sitting around for half and hour or so waiting. 

I have to work late the next two days, so don't expect much from me in the blogging department.  Toodles!

First, one more photo from Sunday.  Here are the proud parents with both of their boys, plus grandma and grandpa. 

I haven't had my camera out of the house since Sunday.  Too busy!  I worked on Monday and Tuesday.  On Wednesday, I had a doctor's appointment (my blood pressure is down), and went on down to the site where camp will be to unload the truck with most of the food.  Another truck with fresh produce and milk is coming today.  We are leaving today, late this afternoon, so we can get settled in and get the kitchen cleaned up before the campers arrive Saturday afternoon.  We serve our first meal Saturday evening.

There is no internet service down where we are going, and I don't have a laptop anyway, so I will be out of touch for a week.  I remembered to set my vacation setting for my Etsy shop.  Now I just need to go water my plants and pack my bags. 

Have a good week, everyone!  I'll try to catch up when I get home. 

 

We went to our youngest grandchild's baptism on Sunday in another town.  I was tired and had trouble paying attention, so I started taking random photographs.  I love these stained glass windows.  Wouldn't they make a fantastic quilt?

 

Here is the stained glass window in the front of the sanctuary.  It is a new building, but it has a traditional feel. 

 

It was beautiful here in the country today.  Clear blue skies, and pleasant temperatures.  Our daughter and her family from Texas came up on Sunday evening.  Yesterday I was too busy to take any pictures, but after lunch today, we all went down to the lake.  Here, from left to right, is my SIL, my hubby with our four year old twin granddaughters, and our daughter. 

 

The dogs got to the water first and checked it out for us to make sure it was safe!

 

The girls enjoyed a boat ride in the canoe. 

 

I like this shot of Paya.  She is on pins and needles because Gonzo likes to swim and had followed the canoe to the other end of the lake, and she can hardly stand it. 

 

I had switched the camera to black and white just to see what I could find when one of the girls walked up to the road in front of me.  This is an unedited shot.  I like the soft focus, old-timey feel that it has. 

 

Since the girls were finished with their boat ride, they wanted to take pictures with my camera.  For four year olds, they don't do too bad!  Here's Gonzo in black and white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I didn't have the camera, I ended up in a couple of pictures!  Maybe not the most flattering, but I've seen worse.  I usually wear sunglasses when I'm going to be outside, but I had forgotten to pick them up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The girls were still goofing about with the camera when we got back to the house.  I only had 174 shots to edit/delete from my camera after they left this afternoon. 

As soon as they left, I took a nap.  Working is easier!  Then I got up and went to work on my flower bed.  I had picked up some petunias and bee balm while I was in town this morning.  Plus the weeds were taking over!  My dahlias and bleeding hearts that I planted ages ago are finally coming up.  I also moved some volunteer four-o-clocks.  Plus I had bought three more tomato plants that needed to go in the garden.  It was supper time before I came in. 

 

 

I like this shot of Paya, too.  If you look closely, you can see grains of pollen all over her face!  It is really cool when you can make a connection with an animal with your camera. 

The best news of the week is that three more of my photographs have been accepted by iStockphoto!  I was beginning to get discouraged.  One of them was the small white flowers from my last post.