Doonan Family

December Happenings

2011-12-14T16:18:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's December AND it's half over! I guess no snow is part of the problem. However, I am enjoying driving on dry roads. I hope the weather holds out so we can spend Christmas Eve with family in Spooner!

My flowering cactus is BEAUTIFUL
and ready for Christmas. This plant was
my elderly neighbor lady, Lena's. She passed
away probably 8 years ago, but her cactus
lives on!

I did two more Craft Shows in December.
It was a lot of work hauling in, setting up,
and hauling out. But I met some really nice
ladies and had fun at both shows and made
a little Christmas money.

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Last Saturday Kelly and I went to Natalie's
clogging Holiday Show. It was SO adorable.
I had never seen clogging and would totally
love doing it (it looks like great exercise too!)

Natalie ringing her bells during the
tiny tot portion of the show.

Video to be added soon!

You have to watch this video. I have been
playing it over and over. She is so
adorable and I am glad I had my video on!

After the Holiday Show we went and looked
at the house Zack and Becky put a bid on.
Their bid was accepted and they are waiting
to hear from their bank.

The house was built in 2007 and sits on about
an acre and a half lot. Pray that everything
works out for them and they can call this
HOME.

Have a very Merry CHRISTmas everyone!

To my son, though we won't be together again this
year for the holidays, you are in our hearts and
only a thought away. Love you very much and
we are SO proud of you!!!

Sheilda

November Craft Show complete

2011-11-30T17:29:00.000-08:00

I was in my first craft show of the season in November. My sis came down and helped me. She's got such a decorative touch and had everything looking so inviting to the shoppers.

I have to say that my jellies were the hot item.
There were two other vendors selling jelly, but
mine was the cheapest (and the best tasting if
I do say so myself).

Next year I have to find some old doors so I
can hang stuff on them. But the makeshift display
we had worked.

Another shot of our booth.

I just finished this cute light box for the
Holiday Boutique I'm in this coming Saturday. I am
hoping to have another successful sale. After
that I am done for this season and can
concentrate on decorating my house for the
holiday.

Blessings to all my family. See you in a few weeks when we celebrate the birthday of our King! Love you Shane, we will miss you but someday we'll have a big celebration with you there!!

Sheilda

Crafting Weekend

2011-11-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

While my husband was away deer hunting, I spent the weekend crafting. I am in a Craft Show at the Blaine United Methodist Church on Saturday, November 19th. I was having trouble getting started, my heart just wasn't in it. I missed talking with my sister about what we are working on, and sharing pictures of our projects. Her focus right now is to finish school. After I finally got started I had a wonderful time creating things again. My sister is coming down for the Craft Show, so it will be great to have her (and some of her creations) there with me.

Here are the adorable cats I made. I hope
other people think they are adorable too
and buy them!

Here's the group. Some are still waiting for
faces, but I wanted to at least show you what
I accomplished.

Snowman Door Doll

Last but not least, this lighted man and
woman snowman in an old wood cheese box.
Right now I only made one, but I am
going to try and make another being it turned
out so cute!

Along with my primitive crafts I have 49 pints of salsa, 62 half-pints of a variety of jellies, homemade laundry soap, and bird suet. Hopefully it will be a successful Craft Show.

Blessings to all,

Sheilda

November Already

2011-11-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

Wow...two posts within two weeks. I guess we have had a lot going on around here lately! Sunday we went over to Zack and Becky's and brought them one of our rocker recliners. They needed one, and I needed to make room for the new addition you will see below!

Natalie knows that Grandpa always has a treat
for her in his pocket. She LOVES treats!!

Becky was able to finally coax her into
putting on her Princess costume so we
could see. She's the cutest Princess I've
ever seen!!!!

Like I said in my last posting...the blue recliner
did not find its way back upstairs. Zack was thrilled
to get it (and they needed one). I found this chair
at HOM Furniture on sale. It goes PERFECT in
the living room with the new floor.

And a bonus...it's a recliner.

Here is our new shed that Kelly has wanted for
years. He'd be happier if a 4-wheeler was parked
inside. But right now that ain't going to happen!

An inside look. Lots and lots of room
for storage.

One last picture. The truck is fixed like brand
new. It's amazing how they can do that. What
I thought as I looked at our broken truck with
dangling parts was, Jesus can take our broken parts
and make us brand new too! All we have to do is give
Him all the pieces!!!

Have an awesome November. Watch for deer!

Sheilda

October...a month of changes

2011-10-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

After waiting for almost a month, our living room is finally done. It turned out beautiful! We also had our front landscaping redone. It was turning into a jungle and the weeds were taking over. We just didn't have the time to get it done ourselves so when they leveled the spot for our new shed we had them do the landscape. The shed was finished today, but it was too dark to get pictures so I'll save that for another post.

Another change that was TOTALLY unexpected was this morning my husband hit a deer almost head on while traveling down Highway 65 at 65 mph. Thank goodness he was wearing his seat belt (which will need to be replaced). The truck can be repaired and I am so grateful my husband came out of it without a scratch.

Tire tracks where he hit the ditch.
He hit the deer back where the white
van is in the picture.

The bumper took the major impact of the hit.
The front panel on the passenger side has a small
dent and will need to be replaced. Otherwise
no other panel parts buckled. We will definitely
need a new radiator though!

An up close look! All that's left of the headlight
is the dangling bulbs!!

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NEW LANDSCAPING

Here is a before picture of our front landscaping.
Out of control bushes, weeds, and white rock.

After...new bushes, new edging, and river rock.
Love it!

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Here are before pictures of our living room

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AFTER PICTURES

New wood flooring, baseboard trim, stairs,
and railing.

I am so pleased with how everything turned out (even if the contractor had to order ALL new wood for the railing because he stained it the wrong color). I still need to put everything back in place, but right now I am enjoying the newness of it. I do know that the blue Lazyboy recliner we have just might not find its way back upstairs. I think a new leather upright chair may go in it's spot (after we get the truck fixed of course). All I know is that I am so blessed to be able to make updates to our home!

Summer's End

2011-09-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

My vacation was very productive and I enjoyed every minute of being home. I canned beans, zucchini relish, candied cucumbers, hot pepper jelly and of course salsa. The days went by WAY too fast and all of a sudden I found myself back at work.

I had been seeing turkeys in our garden, but one
day I looked out the window and there were four
of them heading to the bird feeder. I quick got
their picture, but they heard me and quickly
took off running to the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zack asked me to watch Natalie last weekend.
It was perfect timing because we had our Fall
Family Fun Fest at Church and my work had
an Open House. So there was plenty to keep
her busy with.

This was her first time in an inflatable bouncy
house. At first she wasn't quite sure what to do.

She quickly got the hang of it! Some of the kids
helped her up the stairs to the slide. She
LOVED it and kept saying "do again".

She got a sucker and a tattoo (not as many or as
big as Uncle Shane's though). :o)

She is proudly showing off her Tinkerbell
tattoo (and her blue lips).

The girls helped her make her way through
the BIG obstacle course and down the slide
(about 5 times).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our garden is winding down and we had to
pick most of the hot peppers and tomatoes
because of the early frost. I have about 5
bags full of tomatoes! That means more salsa
and spaghetti sauce. This weekend I made
what's in this picture (salsa & pickled hot peppers).
It took me all day Sunday. I love to can but it is
time consuming!

We are getting a new shed (finally). The one we
have has a big hole in the floor, a leaky roof, and
is mice infested. Kelly cleared a spot in the back
yard, between the two gardens. We should have
it in about 3 weeks.

Blessings to all! Shane if you are reading this...Dad and I love you and miss you!!!

Sheilda

Garden Tour

2011-08-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

I know it has been over a month since my last post. Summer gets to be a busy time especially when the garden starts ripening. I froze corn for the past two weeks, which I had to do during the week after working all day. All I kept thinking is, it will be wonderful to eat corn on a cold winter's day! Below are some pictures of what's been happening lately.

I went to my sister's to help out with a garage
sale. My sister and niece both got blood hounds,
Karl and Klara. They are brother and sister and
they love each other. They think they are lap dogs.
Here they are all worn out after playing.

We watched Natalie one weekend. I had gotten
her a pool and she had to try it out.

Here she is after she discovered she could
throw water on Grandma who was sitting
in a lawn chair watching her. She cracks
me up!!!

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GARDEN TOUR

My first year planting Brussel Sprouts.

Our first pumpkin to turn orange. We did
pick it and I hope it keeps until Halloween.
Otherwise we'll have to designate another
pumpkin for Natalie (she usually gets the first
one that turns orange). There is A LOT more
on the vine to choose from!

One of the many watermelons. I picked this one
because I thought it was ripe. NOT! Now I
know to leave the others alone....it's too early.

Yes, this jungle is my tomatoes. They went
crazy this year. Some of the plants are taller than
me. We had to stack them along with having them
in tomato cages. Salsa, Salsa, Salsa!

I have had the best crop of green peppers
I have ever had. I can't keep up!

This is what I picked two days ago. 26 of
them! This is after I have picked at least
4 dozen!!

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STATE FAIR

We made our annual trip to the State Fair
on opening day, August 25th. It was a
beautiful day and we always enjoy our time.
Hopefully in a couple years Shane can join
us again!

Kelly has to get a corn dog....the highlight
of his trip to the Fair!

As we were leaving we got someone to take our
picture by these cool horses made out of moss.

I will try to post again sooner than I did this last time. I am on vacation until after Labor Day so that should help. I call this my "stay at home Mom week." I used to take this time off to get Shane ready for school and celebrate his birthday sometime during this week. I love being home and pretending I don't have to work!! lol Miss you Shaner D. Happy 21st Birthday on the 28th. You are our blessing from God and we are truly grateful for you and are very proud of you!

Blessings to all,

Sheilda

4th of July Vacation

2011-07-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

We found out that it was our sixth year renting the lake house in Cumberland. No wonder it is starting to feel like home when we are there. And we have it reserved again for next year! We had beautiful weather the entire week, which enabled us to do a lot of fun outdoor activities.

We started off with the annual Doonan family
picnic on Sunday, July 3rd. Around the circle are
Dennis and his wife Margie, Doreen, Becky, Jan,
Kelly, Zack, Justin, Jolene and not pictured, Tim.

Of course Natalie was there. She hung out
with Grandma! Only Grandma was allowed
to change her poopie diaper. What an honor!! lol

Doonan cousins family picture
(Jolene, Jan, Kelly, Doreen, Tim, Dennis)

We went on our annual trip down the Namakogen
River. It was an absolutely beautiful day for it.
We had a group of five canoes this year.

Dave and Jan's oldest son, Sam surprised everyone
and showed up at the house. He lives is Kansas City, MO.
We rented a pontoon boat for four days and really enjoyed
being out on the lake. Sam caught the first big fish.

Dave caught the second fish. Kelly has a
baby sunfish on his line so he wanted me
to take his picture with Dave!

The next day when we went fishing Kelly caught
an 18 inch, 3-4 pound bass. It was fun to watch
him reel it in as it flipped up out of the water.
Good job Kelly!!

We were able to make it to the Spooner Rodeo
this year. The great part is a lady gave us
five free tickets so it didn't cost our
group anything. What a blessing!!

I was able to meet up with two of the girls I
went to WITC with in Rice Lake 31 years ago.
Sharon (middle) and I met last year. This year
DeAnne was able to come up from Eau Claire
and spend the afternoon with us. We met for
lunch at 11:00 and then spent the rest of the
time at the beach/park. We hope to make
this an annual reunion.

It was a great week and we really enjoyed spending time with family and friends. Now it's back to reality for all of us!

Sheilda

Strawberries!

2011-06-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Well, all that rain was actually good for something. There is a bumper crop of wild strawberries in our field. Kelly and I picked and got the blue bowl full! The hard job was cleaning them all. I think I'll be seeing strawberries in my sleep!!

Berries almost ready to be made into jam.

Here is my reward...23 half-pints of homemade
strawberry jam. My sister-in-law bought me the
cute checkered lids. They will look awesome at the
craft show this fall! I kept a record of what I made
last year and it was 13 half-pints. WOW!!

And just when I thought I was done...I picked
some more on Sunday. There is still a zillion
of them out there. I better go buy some more
jelly jars!

Blessings to you all. I hope you are enjoying your summer!

Sheilda

The Wedding

2011-06-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 11, 2011 Zack and Becky were married. It was a beautiful day, beautiful wedding, and a wonderful time with friends and family.

Dave, Jan and Sam Ellenbogen drove up from St. Louis, MO
and stayed with us. They went and played BINGO with us
on Thursday. Dave almost won $1,000 (enough to pay for
the damage a deer did to his vehicle on the way up to Minnesota).
Unfortunately the caller called the wrong G number!

Here we are at the Rehearsal dinner.

The wedding party!

A family picture with our Marine.

Grandpa Ray, Granny and the grandsons

Kara and Travis came and stayed with us also.
It was great to have them!

Lots of picture taking going on!

Shane and his girlfriend Alecia.

Eric, Zack and Shane...together again.
No picking and whining this time!

Uncle Shane taking Natalie to dance the
Dollar Dance with her daddy!

What a precious picture!

Last but not least...the bride and groom.

What a wonderful time we all had. Thanks to everyone who came and shared the day with us. I am so grateful for my family. I love you all very much! I am truly blessed!!

Sheilda

Mother's Day and More

2011-05-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

Just when we think Spring is here it turns back into Fall. We are patiently waiting to get our garden planted. Hopefully we can do it Memorial weekend. Below are pictures from Becky's bridal shower, Mother's Day weekend, and Kelly's new toys.

BRIDAL SHOWER

Becky's Aunt had a shower for her the end of April.
Natalie is helping her mom open gifts.

Is Natalie trying to help? No...she saw
the candy dish that was sitting on the
table.
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MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND

Kasey and his adorable little boy Carson.
When they were leaving, I was so excited when
I got a hug from that precious little guy.

My beautiful sister-in-law Ruth, and my
beautiful Trego Mom Audrey

It was so fun to spend the weekend with
my wonderful Mom and sister. I love you
both very much!! Hopefully this summer
we will get to do it more often.

On the way home from Spooner we stopped
at Zack and Becky's. Natalie modeled the
dress she'll wear at the wedding. How
adorable is that!!! She melts my heart!!

She loves the ribbons on her dress.
She'll probably be twirling them as she
walks down the aisle.

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KELLY'S NEW TOYS

Kelly finally got his wood splitter and chipper.
Zack came over this weekend and helped him
put them together and get them running.
This was the test run. See the smile on their faces!
Zack was in his glory!!!

Success!!

Thanks Zack for sharing your mechanical talent,
you did not inherited it from your father.

Blessings, Sheilda

New Appliances Arrived

2011-04-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

Well, after much research, searching the internet, stopping at stores and being totally confused we finally bought new Kenmore appliances at Sears. I have to say that I am loving my new washer and look forward to having clothes to wash. Our friend from Church came out on Tuesday and hooked up the stove and dryer. The old ones are sitting outside waiting to be picked up and be recycled. Below are before and after pictures. What a difference!!

The dryer is one Kelly had bought used before
we were even married, so it is over 23 years old.
I can retire the pliers I used to turn the dial...YEAH!

My new Kenmore Elite Washer and Dryer (with
knobs that actually work).
I LOVE them!!

The Montgomery Wards stove came with
the house, so it is 23 years old. Someone
had to hold the door open while I got what
I was cooking out of the oven. Otherwise the
door would spring shut on you.

My new Kenmore Stove with five
burners. It will be GREAT for canning
this summer. I might actually start tyring new
recipes and surprise my husband!

We watched Natalie two weekends ago so Zack
and Becky could go out and celebrate Zack's
25th birthday. We were on our way to Church
so she put her sunglasses on. It was too cute to
turn the right way. She says "go to Church...
see kids."

All I can say is seriously....the calendar says it's Spring!!!??

Have a Blessed Easter. He is RISEN and someday we will all be together with Him in Heaven. Amen!

Sheilda

Natalie's Birthday Party

2011-03-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

We went over to Natalie's birthday party today. It is hard to believe that she is already two years old. What a precious little girl! She is definitely LOVED!! She kept singing the Happy Birthday song. It was so cute.

Becky said she picked out her outfit for the party! (The sunglasses she is wearing was one of her presents.

Busy opening presents!

Grandpa Kelly and I got her this little car. Once she opened it she was done with all the other gifts (which was mostly clothes)

Waiting for cake!

Enjoying cake!

What a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Sheilda

Miss Natalie Visits

2011-03-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

We got to have Natalie overnight last weekend. We really missed her! Kelly and I had not seen her since New Year's Eve. We will not let that happen again. She is getting so big and has such a personality. She turns 2 years old on March 20th.

Becky had gotten her this little tutu skirt.
She looked adorable in it. She is enjoying
a snack on "her" stool.

I don't know what she was doing here. I just
happened to capture it on film. LOL

After a fun weekend with Grandma
watching Barney videos, she is
ready to go home to mama's house.

Love those big blue eyes!!!

She is back at home. After hugging her mama,
she went directly into her room to play with
her toys. Becky said she must have missed
them.

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I went to a craft show this weekend and found this
Eagle, Globe and Anchor metal plaque. I just had
to buy it. It looks awesome on the house and
Shane will love it when he sees it.

Another shot of it. The flag on the door is
called "Blue Star Mom's" it's for when you

have a child in the military. One of the guys
at work got it for me.

My other purchase at the craft show. The
guy who made my pantry and table was there
and this new piece fits just perfect in the little corner
of the kitchen where our phone is now located.
The best part is because I'm such a good
customer he gave me an awesome deal!!

Have a wonderful week and don't forget to "Spring ahead" next weekend.

Blessings,

Sheilda

February Happenings

2011-02-20T18:21:00.000-08:00

After enjoying 50 degrees last week, we are back to winter. Such is life in Minnesota and Wisconsin! I let Melody out and she came in as the abominable snow dog. She was not happy about being chained in the entry way and not allowed upstairs.

Here are a few creations I have been working on.
I bought six new patterns and am enjoying making

some of them already.

Grungy Cat Witch. I love the broom!!

Cat holding a mouse
Adorable!

That's about the extent of the excitement happening here. We were hoping to see Natalie this weekend, but the snowstorm changed our plans. I'll post updated pictures of her as soon as we see her again. We both need a Natalie fix! She turns 2 years old next month. Hard to believe.

Have a wonderful week,

Sheilda

January...is it over yet??!!

2011-01-22T17:36:00.000-08:00

I finally decided to tackle painting the stairs that go down into our newly remodeled basement. It only took me nine months to start the project. I stained the backside and then painted the stairs steps the same color as the Wains coating in the basement. They turned out beautiful. Ray would be proud!! Why didn't I do it months ago?

Do you see the gray owl in the tree?
We saw him twice last weekend. What
an awesome sight...I had never seen a
real one. He is in the tree by the garden.

The next time we saw him, he was in the
tree by the deck. I quick took his picture
which must have annoyed him because
he turned his back to me and then flew off.

Well, that's all the January excitement going on here.
I thank God everyday for our wood stove because it may
be zero or below outside, but you can count on it being at least
75 to 80 inside. I sure miss Shane when it's time to throw
in more wood!

Blessings to all.....Sheilda

Happy New Year - 2011

2011-01-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I've updated my blog. I also can't believe the Holidays are over. Christmas was awesome spending it with family in Wisconsin. Thanks everyone for making it a special time.

We had a quiet New Year's at home with Miss Natalie. We got to have her overnight and rang in the new year with her. Well, we didn't quite make it to midnight. But we were up bright and early the next morning!!! She is such a precious little girl.

Pictures from Christmas in Wisconsin:

Me and my beautiful Mother and sister

Ray, Skooter, and the new woman in Skooter's life
croqueted Mrs. Claus (you had to be there)

Audrey and the kids

My brother Derrick and his family

Ruth, Matt and Andy

Rhonda and the girls
Alyssa and Kara

Christmas Day Kelly and I went to his youngest sister Jolene's house in Turtle Lake. Kelly's oldest sister, Jan and her husband Dave came up from St. Louis, MO to spend Christmas with us.

Kelly, Jolene, Jan, Dave and Russ (Jolene's boyfriend)

December 26th we went to Zack and Becky's to celebrate Christmas with them.

Natalie didn't quite understand the concept of
opening gifts. But once Becky got her started
she quickly got the hang of it.

We got her, her first Playdoh.

She seemed to like it.

Here's a silly picture of her trying on Kelly's

reading glasses. Precious!!!

Our Pastor's motto this year is "store up more treasures in Heaven in 2011". I agree!!

May God pour out His blessings upon you.

Sheilda

My Last Craft Show of the Season

2010-12-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

I did my last craft show of the season on Saturday. Not a whole lot of people came which was disappointing for all the crafters. My best customer was actually a man! He bought something from my booth and the girl's next to me. Who would have thought!!

Here is one of my new items which didn't
sell so it is now on a shelf in my living room.

Another new item. It's an adorable
mouse in a stocking. This picture does
not do it justice!

This is my favorite.
An angel holding a heart. It's a pattern
from Crow Root Prims, but I tweaked it
by adding the stuffed heart.

Here they are on display at my booth.

Booth picture

A few up close shots

I have packed everything up and will store it away until next year. I consider it a successful Craft Show season as a rookie striking out on my own. Hopefully next year my sister and I can do a holiday boutique at her new home in Spooner. I enjoyed crafting, but really missed doing it with her.

My bonus for the weekend was getting to talk to Shane on Friday. He is out in the field in Twenty Nine Palms, CA doing training. He does not have phone service so we had not talked to him for three weeks. It reminded me of boot camp and I really wasn't liking it! He talked to his father and I for over an hour using one of his buddy's cell phone who had service. He will head back to Camp Lejeune on 12/22 or 12/23, so no...we will not be seeing him for Christmas again this year, but we will at least get to talk to him and for now that is a wonderful gift.

CHRISTmas Blessings to all!

Sheilda

Another Craft Show...and More

2010-11-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

I was in my second Craft Show on November 19th at the Blaine United Methodist Church. It was a fun time and I met some wonderful fellow crafters. Some of my friends from work and Church stopped in to see me.

One side of my booth

The other side

An aerial shot of some of my prims

I sold the flour sifter centerpiece, but
if it didn't sell I had a spot on a shelf
at home just waiting for it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On our way home from spending Thanksgiving up in Spooner,
we stopped and saw Zack, Becky, and Natalie.
Natalie showed us how she can color.

As soon as she sees the camera she says....
CHEESE......

It is RARE that she wants anything to do with
Grandpa Kelly, so I quick got a picture of the
two of them. I just love this pic!!

I decorated the house for Christmas this
weekend. When I looked over at the tree,
Melody was laying under it.
The tree IS in her spot after all!

We had a wonderful Thanksgving up in Spooner. My niece Kara went all out and had a delicious feast for us. She also made us breakfast the next morning. She is amazing and I am so proud of her. Thanks Kara and Trav for letting us spend Thanksgiving with you. It was great to be with our family.

My grandpa went to be with Jesus today at the age of 97 years old. Love you Grandpa Betz! Enjoy Heaven sitting at the feet of Jesus, and someday we will all be together again.

Blessings to all,

Sheilda

Home on Leave

2010-11-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

After a cancelled flight and then an hour delay in Atlanta, GA, Shane made it home for the first time in almost nine months. He was a good sport as I tried to get as many pictures as I could (as you will see below).

My niece Kara and my Mom, Carol came down on Friday
to see Shaner DD. On Saturday we had an Open House
lunch for friends and family to come visit with Shane so
he could see a lot of people all in one day. We had a great turn out.
Thanks Mom and Kara for helping me get ready for it!!!

His favorite teacher, Mrs. K came. She watched over
Shane at school. I am sure she is glad to not trip over
his backpack and baseball equipment in her
classroom anymore. Mrs. K you are the BEST!!

Mark and Steph, two of Shane's classmates.
Mark and Shane played school baseball together.
They have been friends since Preschool.

Aunt Jolene and Shane.

It is hard for me to believe these three boys are all
grown up! Zack, Shane and Eric together again.
It was fun to listen to stories of when they were
younger. Now Zack is a father and Eric is soon to
be one in December.

Shane and Nick, one of his best friends
from Anoka football.

Shane and his girlfriend Alecia

After the Open House I got to keep Natalie
overnight so Zack and Becky could go to a
Halloween party. She got a hold of a color
crayon and was able to leave me a drawing on
the wallpaper in the kitchen! Oh well, we had
a great time watching Barney. I just love her!!

Last but not least here is an original design I
created for my upcoming craft show. They are
made out of old flour sifters. Adorable!!!

It was hard to take Shane to the airport and send him off. We are not sure when he'll be able to come home again. But, Kelly and I enjoyed our time with him and cherish every moment we get to spend with him right now. Keep Shane in your prayers for whatever lies ahead. God has proven time and time again that He is faithful and true. My hope and trust is in Him for my son and my country! Thank you God for the victory on November 3rd. Please be with our newly elected people. Lead and guide!!!

Craft Show and More

2010-10-24T13:35:00.001-07:00

CRAFT SHOW

Well, my first solo craft show is over and was a
success. Thanks Mom for coming down and
helping me!

My booth. There wasn't a whole lot
of room, but we made it work!

Prims just waiting for shoppers.

My salsa was the hot selling item. If I would
of had some of the candles I was burning I
could have made a fortune!! But they did
their job of drawing the ladies into my booth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NATALIE

Zack, Becky and Natalie came to see us that same weekend.
Becky and Natalie came to the craft show.

When were we home, Natalie was doing the
limbo like she saw them doing on her Barney
video. Zack and Becky said she'd go around
the house doing this. They finally figured out
where she learned it from. This picture makes
me laugh!

Here she is with a little attitude! I think the
terrible twos might be on their way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A DAY WITH MY FRIEND MARY

I spent an afternoon with my friend, former
classmate and roommate Mary.

It was a beautiful day so we walked around
Lake of the Isles (with her dog Daisy),

A view of downtown Minneapolis.

You are now up to date. Sorry it has been so long between posts. Shane is coming home next Wednesday! It will be great to have him home again. It has been easier for me since we got to spend some time with him in September.

Have a blessed week and don't forget to vote on November 2nd. I pray that God's hand will move and TRUE change starts on November 3rd when we get this "land of the free" and "one Nation under God" back on track again. Forgive us God for our faithlessness and thinking we can do this without you.

Primin' Weekend

2010-10-03T14:07:00.001-07:00

I have been getting ready for my first solo craft show coming up on Saturday, October 9th at the Glen Cary Lutheran Church in Ham Lake. This weekend I hit it hard getting some last items made. My beautiful niece Alyssa, and her running friend Jeri came and stayed with me this weekend also. Jeri was running the 10 mile race in the Twin Cities Marathon. It was fun having them here. I wish I had the energy to keep up with them!!!

Before I show you what I have been working on,
here is a current picture of Natalie. We stopped at
their house last weekend. I told her to say "cheese"
and this is what I got. I spent the rest of the time
playing with her in her room. I just love this little girl!

A sampling of my newest pillows. I have three
more ready to be stuffed.

I found two mini bread pans at a thrift store.
It is a perfect place for this hen to make her nest.

I just had to make one of these when I saw the pattern.
His note to Santa says..."Dear Santa, I have been very
good all year. Please leave me lots of cheese."
Adorable!!

Mouse and a dandelion

More mice baking in the sun. They'll get
coffee stained this week and I'll be making
some holding dandelions and some
holding candy canes.

That's it for now. I am excited to see how primitive creations sell here in the Twin City area. I have not seen crafts like this at any of the shows I go to. I hope other ladies fall in love with this type of stuff! Sis, I will miss you, but hopefully we can do the show up in Spooner in November.

Have a blessed week!

Sheilda

North Carolina Trip

2010-09-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

I realize I have not updated my blog in over a month. Sorry! I did want to share some pictures of our trip to North Carolina. We had a wonderful time, the weather was hot and sunny the entire time, it was easy finding our way around, and it was nice to be together as a family again.

This is the barracks where Shane lives.

These are the tracker vehicles he works on.

This is the tattoo!! Sorry it's sideways.
He loves it (which is a good thing because
he is stuck with it the rest of his life!)

Deep Sea Fishing
This is one of Kelly's catches...

....this is mine!!

Dad and Shane at Onslow Beach which is
on base. It is a beautiful beach!

Shane and Mom

I thank God for the safe trip and for watching over my son. It was nice to see him again and know that he is doing well. I could leave him there knowing he is where he should be (for now). Thanks for all your prayers for a safe trip. I am truly blessed with a wonderful family!!

Sheilda

Garden, Berries and Prims

2010-08-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

I have quite a few pictures to share with you. Our garden is doing awesome and our field is FULL of dewberries.

First off, this is my Hibiscus which at one time
had outside, but for the past three years it has
been in my living room. It doesn't bloom that often
and when it does the flower only lasts a day. I was
able to get a picture so I could enjoy it longer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GARDEN TOUR

We will have quite a few watermelon.

Did I mention I will have squash coming out
our ears!! I would say there are at least
25 or more.

Muskmelon.

The deer or rabbits ate the other plant
so we'll be lucky to get a couple to enjoy.

We will again have a pumpkin for Natalie
this Halloween.

Dewberries
I made 6 pints of jelly from these.
I checked the field on Thursday and
came to the conclusion that when they
all ripen (which will be soon) we will have
to spend an entire day picking! I hope
dewberry jelly is a hot seller again at the
craft show in November!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PRIMS

I found this saying in a magazine and LOVED it.
You might be wondering about the little heart.
Well this was a table runner and there was a
little spot of paint that just wouldn't coffee

stain so I put a heart over it.

Another saying I found and love.

I thought this door doll turned out

awesome.

Well that is what has been keeping me busy lately. This is the lull before the canning storm! I hope I get a lot of it done before we go to North Carolina and see Shane. I don't want to wish August away, but I am looking forward to spending three full days with my son and seeing what his life is like at Camp Lejeune. When I asked one of the Admins at our Distribution Center in NC what the weather was like in September she said...August and September are our hottest months. GREAT!! That's okay as long as I get to hug my son!!

Blessings to all!!

Sheilda

The Garden

2010-07-22T18:08:00.001-07:00

I thought I would share some pictures of our garden. It has been a battle this year against bugs, deer, rabbits and storms. The critters got our beans while we were on vacation so I had to replant them. I think the rabbits got into them again. I'll be lucky if I get any to can.

Zucchini and green peppers
I swear the zucchini grows about 5 inches
every day. I missed picking one the other day
and when I found it, it was HUGE!

We got the corn upright again and it is starting
to tassel so we should be enjoying fresh sweet
corn soon. I can hardly wait!!!

Squash and watermelon
They LOVED the hot weather and
exploded with growth! I should get quite
a few squash so it should make up for no beans!!

This is one of the new flowerbeds I made in our woods.
We can't get grass to grow there so I decided to fill
it up with plants and flowers.

Flowerbed #2
The middle one is the hydrangea bush
I bought with my birthday money (thanks Mom!)
I have always one of these!

Black-eyed Susan
This is another perennial I have always wanted.
I got this when I stopped at a garage sale and this lady was selling
plants right out of her landscaping (which was absolutely
beautiful).

Last but not least, my fern.
My sister gave this to me about 5 years ago and it
is still going strong. It LOVES the hot summer
and always fills in nicely. Every time I look at it
I think of my wonderful sister!!

I hope you are enjoying your summer and the beauty of your own garden and flowers. Every night when I get home from work I walk my yard and look at each flowerbed and garden. I just love this time of year. Thank you God for what comes from a tiny little seed. It is truly a miracle!

Blessings.....Sheilda

Weekend with Natalie

2010-07-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

We had Natalie for the weekend so Zack and Becky could enjoy Becky's sister's wedding. I picked her up Friday afternoon and the fun began. All I can say is she is the best baby ever. She is happy 99% of the time. She is busy, but not into everything. I did not have to put a single knick knack away. She slept all night and got up happy and ready to play.

I found a game to keep her busy

We took her to East Bethel's Booster Days,
but we didn't get to stay very long. The
sky was clear when we got there, but quickly turned dark.

This is what the sky looked like. We were home
for awhile before the real storm hit. It rained
buckets and the wind blew harder than we
realized.

After Church Kelly went out to assess the damage
to our garden. All our corn was laying on the ground.
It looked like a swirl pattern! We did get it
propped back up again.

Natalie helped us outside. I was able to catch her
making this face. This is the same face Shane
used to make. Must run in the family.

We had such a fun weekend with this precious little girl. We are truly blessed grandparents. I have a feeling I'll have to go get her sometime just to have her overnight because I miss her already!

Have an awesome week!

Sheilda

Natalie Stays Over Night

2010-06-28T06:38:00.001-07:00

Natalie, our 15 month old granddaughter, came to stay overnight with us for the first time last weekend. I was a little nervous because I haven't had a baby in the house for 19 years and I was afraid she'd cry most of the weekend because she is pretty attached to her Mom. Well to my surprise we both did awesome! She didn't cry once, and I didn't let her out of my sight for a second. Talk about an easy baby!! She didn't put anything in her mouth, she slept through the night and she eats almost anything.

Here she is enjoying her mac & cheese.

She was eating with one of my measuring spoons.
She didn't care, she was having fun!

She can walk, but prefers to get around
on her knees. She can cover a lot of ground
this way!

After a busy day it was bath time.

She is all ready for Church, but she did
not like the barrette I put in her hair.

We enjoyed our weekend with her and we are all set to have her again in July. I didn't get a single thing done all weekend except play with Natalie, which was okay with me. She is a doll and the best little girl. God has truly blessed our family with this little girl.

An update on Shane...he is now in North Carolina at Camp Legeune. Once he is settled in there, Kelly and I are planning to fly out to see him probably sometime in August. It will be 6 months then that we have seen him and I can hardly wait to give my son a big hug!

Have a safe and wonderful 4th of July! We are on our way to Cumberland, WI for our annual vacation time with Dave and Jan (Kelly's oldest sister from St. Louis).

Sheilda

Gardening Has Begun

2010-06-13T14:53:00.001-07:00

Our field is full of wild strawberries. We did not let them go to waste! Kelly and I picked enough to make three pints of frozen jam, and seven half-pints of jam (which I canned so the jars are sealed). As you can see I have another bowl full waiting to be cleaned and processed. I LOVE making jams and jellies. Thanks Audrey for all the jars!!!

Here are a couple of pictures of our gardens. I'll update my blog as everything grows.

I planted a variety of lettuce this year (left) and have been
eating a salad almost every day. I had never had fresh
lettuce and it has an awesome flavor.
My Romaine lettuce is just starting to grow (middle row)
and we planted Kohlrabi this year (right side).

This is a LONG view of our original garden.
Corn, tomatoes, green peppers, zucchini,
carrots, beans, lettuce are all planted here.

This the extension Kelly started last year.

Planted here are onions, peas, cucumbers,
hot peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes,
corn, cantaloupe.

If all goes well this fall, we will be very busy picking and canning everything!

Sidekick Melody. My 10 year old
girl does not leave my side when I am
in the garden. I just love my faithful friend!!!

Last but not least, here is the current prim I am
working on. I have a few more cat's cut out and
ready for a face.

Have a blessed week!

Sheilda

Finished Basement, Family & Birthday

2010-05-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been MIA for the past few weeks. I have a bunch of pictures to share with you. The basement is done, we spent last weekend with family, and I celebrated my last birthday in the forties!

Here is the finished product. It turned out

beautiful and we love it!

The blue couch will be donated soon,
it just doesn't go with the new color scheme.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last weekend Kelly and I went up to Spooner to celebrate Mother's Day, my sister's 50th birthday, and my upcoming birthday. We had a wonderful time being with family and we are so grateful to my niece Kara and her husband Travis for letting us all stay at their house.

My nephew Kasey's two little boys came over (Carson
and Noah). They enjoyed licking the beaters from the
dessert their Granny Rhonda was making.

We went out to see the horses, but Carson
was not too excited about it. I did get this
adorable picture of the two brothers. I really
enjoyed getting to spend a little time with these
two precious little boys!

Saturday night Kara was busy getting the
campfire started for us.

Mom, Rhonda, Ray, and of course Skooter
all ready to enjoy the fire and the Smores!

Before the campfire we ran out to see Rhonda
and Brent's house. It was just a hole in the ground
the last time I saw it.

We all wondered what happened
to Mom and Audrey and when we looked over
there they were trying to figure out how they
were going to climb up into the house!

With a little pushing and pulling...they did it!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the way home Sunday Kelly and I stopped at Zack and
Becky's townhouse in St. Croix Falls. We got to see them and
our granddaughter Natalie.

She just keeps getting cutier and cutier!

She was busy with her stroller going up and
down the patio. It won't be too long now and she'll

be running around without any help.

After all that walking it was time for some
juice and crackers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For my birthday we went to our first Twins game at the
new stadium. Here is a view of downtown Minneapolis
from our seats. The game went 5 innings and then
was postponed due to rain. It was a very fun
time anyway and I'm glad we got to go.

The Minnie and Paul sign. It was fun to see it
in person vs. on TV. No home runs were hit so
we didn't get to see it light up.

Well, that should about catch you up. We planted all the gardens this week so I'll post pictures as everything starts to grow. What a beautiful Memorial weekend to get it done. On Monday, take a moment to remember why we celebrate Memorial Day. Thank you to all the veterans who fought for our freedom, and thank you to all the young men and women who are still fighting. May God Bless you and keep you safe!

Sheilda

Almost Done!

2010-05-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I was waiting for our new carpet to be installed. Other than that there is not much exciting happening right now. We started to plant our gardens (yes gardens!) but then it turned cold and snowed, and has not stopped raining in a few days! I guess we will still have to wait until Memorial weekend to get it all done.

The ground and deck were covered with snow last weekend .
Good ole Minnesota weather for you!!
I know we didn't get as much as Duluth or Hayward, but any
snow is May is hard to take.

Our new carpet was finally installed on Monday.
You can't really tell by the picture how it looks.
All I know is that old, dirty, smelly carpet we
had is GONE!!!

Here you can see the pattern. It really is
beautiful.

Before the home makeover!

After all the hard work (and mess)!

I have two new storage shelves to help
keep things organized. You should have seen
this corner before...I'm embarrassed to
say it was pretty bad!

We are still working on the living room side. Zack, Becky and Natalie are coming over on Sunday. Poor Zack, every time he comes over Kelly puts him to work. But, it will save my poor back from having to move all the heavy stuff back inside. Thanks Zack!! I'll update you with pictures of Natalie next week. Shane just called while I was blogging. It is always wonderful to hear his voice. He is busy with his schooling. Today they took apart an engine. You should see the size of the vehicle he is working on. Imagine putting it back together!!

Have a blessed week!

Sheilda

Basement Remodel

2010-04-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

The fun began Wednesday night when my Mom and step-dad Ray came down to help us remodel our basement. Ray was barely in the house 5 minutes when he went downstairs and started riping up carpet. He does not mess around! He had half the room done Wednesday night.

Here is a before picture of the carpeting
that was in the basement.
All I can say is good riddens!!!!

This is half of the downstairs with carpet
GONE! You can see on the wall by the window
I was trying to figure out what color to paint.
I thought as long as Ray was here and everything was
out of the room we might as well get that done too.

Ray and I went to Sherwin Williams and
he helped me pick out two colors, one to
paint the walls, and another to paint the
paneling on the half walls. He did all the
edging and I did all the rolling. It was
fun working together and I was amazed it
only took us 2 hours and 15 minutes!

Next it was time for the laminate flooring.
It was a two person job. Here is Ray at work
and Mom helping (supervising). I helped him
lay most of it and learned a lot. It was pretty
easy to install. Ray had the hard part of cutting
pieces to fit around the door frames and ends.

I hardly got to comb my hair the morning we
laid the laminate. Ray is a worker and I wanted to
be down there to help him. There was no sleeping
in on my days off!

Putting in the final board.

Isn't is beautiful! Everything turned out better
than I had dreamed. Half of my downstairs
is now done. I just have to wait for the new carpeting to
come in and have it installed in the living room and
Shane's bedroom. I'll update my blog when that project
is done. I can't wait to have my basement
back in order so we can start enjoying it.
But, it is so worth the mess!

Thank you Mom and Ray for all your help, and for all you do for us.
We love you very much and enjoyed the time we got to spend together.

Have a blessed week!

Sheilda

Zack's Birthday & New Townhouse

2010-04-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Zack turned 24 on April 9th. Kelly and I went over to their new townhouse on Saturday the 10th to celebrate his birthday with him, Becky and Natalie. They are enjoying having a place of their own. They live in St. Croix Falls so it is a little further commute for Zack to go to work, and Becky to go to college. Becky's mom watches Natalie on Wednesday's and Thursday's while Becky goes to night school. Her Mom lives in the Luck, WI area.

Here is a view of their townhouse. The Intrigue
is still in operation. Becky drives it back and
forth to school. Good thing Zack is handy otherwise
we would have junked it.

This is their living room (the kitchen is
right behind the couch)

Here's a better shot. The table they are currently
using is a patio table and two lawn chairs.
Oh the joys of setting up house!

There is a park around the block from
them so we put Natalie in her little car
and took her there. It was such a beautiful
day to be outside.

Little did we know as she was riding in her car
she was dragging her cute little sandals on the
ground. The toes were black and melted.
They will be turned in to play shoes!!

Here she is after Becky helped her slide down the
slide. The big smile told us she thought it was
pretty darn fun!

Before we left, Grandpa Kelly crawled down
the hall with Natalie beside him and they
were playing in her new room.

We love every minute we get to spend with her, and of course Zack and Becky also. We have been asked to watch her for a weekend in July. Becky's sister is getting married and they want to be able to go and enjoy themselves. We are thrilled at the opportunity. It's been a LONG time since we've had someone that little around. I'm sure we'll be exhausted by the time we're done!

Blessing to all!!

Sheilda

Natalie's 1st Birthday

2010-03-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

Natalie turned 1 year old on March 20th, but Zack and Becky had her birthday party this Saturday. She had on an adorable birthday dress and she was ready for presents and cake. Unfortunately she was running a slight fever, but she did really good for not feeling well. She is such a blessing to all of us!

Pretty birthday dress

Presents....but the wrapping paper was
way more fun!

She was kissing and hugging her new Panda bear.

Video of her opening presents

She wasn't crazy about the hat, but she
left it on.

She had her own birthday cake and
she LOVED the frosting. She had it
everywhere. Her cute little dress
was a mess.

Here is a video of her enjoying her cake. You
can hear Kelly in the background laughing
like crazy!

Zack pulled off the dress and Becky
put her directly into the bathtub.

Of course I have to share my new creations with you.
I made three cat pinkeeps. They turned out

ADORABLE!

Here's a close up of my favorite one.

Well, that's all the excitement here. We get to talk to Shane every week and it makes it a lot easier on Kelly and I. He is doing well at his MOS school and we are very proud of him. He got a 100 on his last test! That hasn't happened since about 6th grade. He has come a LONG way. Love you Shaner! Keep up the good work!!

God Bless and pray for this great Nation. There is an awakening happening...let's be part of it!

Sheilda

A Weekend of Family Time

2010-03-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

The weekend was spent with family. Friday I went up to Spooner to attend my Uncle Lavern's funeral. Not quite how you want to see your relatives, but I was glad I was able to be there. My sister and Mom were with me. We all stayed overnight at my niece Kara's house. Kara and her husband, Travis, are great hosts. We had a birthday celebration dinner for Kara on Saturday. I can hardly believe she is 27. It seems like yesterday she was a little girl. I am so proud of both my nieces! Love you girls!!!

I brought some of my prim creations up to put in my sister's
booth at the Red Door Antique shop in Spooner. I am so glad
she let's me be a part of her new adventure. She does such a
good job and I am so proud and amazed at her creativity!
This is a picture of her booth. It's pretty full!

She found a place for my rooster and pillow on this side.
Amazingly she found a place for everything and
her booth looked wonderful.

A close up shot.

My cat's are high on a shelf just waiting for
someone to find them adorable and take them home.

Sunday, Kelly and I went over to Zack and Becky's to see them and of course Natalie. This is sad to admit, but I had not seen Natalie since the week after Christmas. She is now crawling all over, claps her hands together and waves bye-bye. But most of all she is such a happy girl. She turns one year old on March 20th.

She just finished her breakfast.

Zack cleaned her up and put on clean clothes.
Becky put her hair in a ponytail.

She still makes the Popeye face, but now you can
see her two front teeth. She also has one in on top
and another just about in. She's getting to be such a
big girl!

I thought this was a cute picture of
Grandpa and Natalie. Kelly is so
proud of his grand daughter!

I'll leave you with this video of her playing with her toys.
What a precious blessing she is in our life.

Think Spring!

Sheilda

Empty Nest Again

2010-02-27T16:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures taken while Shane was home for 10 days in February. He is back in San Diego doing more training. He goes to MOS school (where he will learn to be an amphibious vehicle mechanic) on March 9th. It is easier having him gone this time because we can now talk to him on the weekends. He is loving the training which makes it easier for me. Little does he know his bedroom is now my sewing room! There is a plus to having an empty nest.

Grandma Audrey and Granny Carol

Auntie and Shaner DD

Kara and Shane

On Monday before Shane left I had dinner for him and some of his friends. It was fun having them over and listening to them laugh and joke around. They are a great group of kids!

Nick, Shane, and Mohammed
They all played Anoka Football together

Shane and Alecia

The Group
(Shane, Alecia, Rachel, Mohammed, Nick)

My son surprised me on February 15th and had
flowers delivered to me at work. What a total
surprise. Maybe he did learn something at boot camp!

Here is the rooster that I put on hold and was able
to finish this weekend.

The finishing touches have also been put
on my bunnies. I finished their carrots and
tied them on with cheese clothe.

Finished products just waiting for the next craft
show or Rhonda's booth.

Have a blessed week! Spring is just around the corner!!

Sheilda

We Have A Marine!

2010-02-07T16:29:00.000-08:00

When Shane left for boot camp on November 1, 2009 it seemed like forever before we would see him again. Kelly and I prayed for him every day, and thought about him every second. So when the time came to go to San Diego for his graduation it was hard for me to believe that I was going to see my son again. We left on Wednesday, January 27th and Eric and his wife Danni met us at the airport in San Diego. Eric was our neighbor boy. He was five years old when we met him and Shane was three. Eric spent a lot of time at our house and they played a lot of guns and war. Eric is a Marine stationed at Twenty Nine Palms, CA and will be done with his four years in February. Here are pictures of our trip and our United States Marine!

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27th

We stayed on base in an old barracks
converted into hotel rooms. It was great,
we could walk everywhere

It was very inexpensive and the room was
clean and cozy. We didn't spend much
time there except to sleep.

Danni and Eric our tour guides.
Wednesday night we all went out to dinner
in what they call Old Town for real
Mexican food

On Wednesday as we were walking around base
we were able to see Shane's platoon marching.
We all ran up as close as we could, but they all
looked alike and we couldn't pick him out.
However, he saw us and said it took all he had
not to scream and wave to us.

Shane's Company E graduation sign

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28th
FAMILY DAY

Thursday was Family Day and the first time
parents would get to see our sons. At 10:30 we
lined up in front of our son's platoon number
and they came marching out ready for their
Motivational Run. This is the first time
we saw Shane in three months. I was amazed
at the change. He looked mean and I was hoping
the real Shane was in there somewhere!

He said when he was standing here he didn't
see us. The sun was in their eyes and he
didn't have his glasses on, and we were
behind about 20 people

After the platoons did their run, we lined
up again in front of their platoon number.
This time I was in front of everyone and
Shane and I made eye contact. You can
tell he's looking at the camera.

After the Motivational Run they all went and
showered and we met them out on the Parade
Deck and they were dismissed at 1:00 for
on base liberty with family and friends.

It was great to see Shane's smile again
and see that he really was still the
same, yet a lot more mature

Marine hugging Marine!
What an awesome moment!

I have so many pictures of these two together.
I can hardly believe I now have a picture
of them both as United States Marines!

We all had lunch together at a wonderful
lunch buffet on base. It was fun to hear
his stories and see how pumped and excited he was.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29th

GRADUATION DAY

The Fans!!

An official United States Marine

Dismissed!!!

Beccah, one of Shane's classmates from high school
(and prom date) is attending college in San Diego
She was able to attend his graduation and
share his special day with him and us.

Mom, Dan and their Marine

BACK TO MINNEAPOLIS

We changed planes in Chicago so Shane changed
in to civilian clothes for the first time in 3 months.
He's 30 pounds lighter and I had to buy him a
pair of new pants for the trip home.

I contacted some of his friends to see if they wanted
to meet us at the airport when we got into
Minneapolis on Friday night. There were about
12 people waiting for us when we got to the
baggage claim. It was an awesome homecoming!

Shane and some of the boys he played baseball
with at MCCS

Grandpa Ray and Granny Carol were waiting for us
to get home Friday night. They came down and dog
sat for us. We got home about 1:30 a.m. but did
not get to bed until about 3:00 a.m. Sunday we
all went to Church.

He survived boot camp and all the things I worried about he said were kind of fun. He is excited about being a Marine and we are so proud of him and his accomplishment. I know the choice he made is where he's suppose to be. It's just hard as a mom to let go, but I know he'll do great things and I leave him in God's hands for protection and guidance. We are on to the next chapter in our lives. Hopefully our next trip to San Diego we'll get to spend more time there relaxing and enjoying the sunshine.

God Bless America and all our young men and women who have chosen to serve this great country of ours (and their parents who also make a sacrifice to let them do it!).

Sheilda

Priming and Bird Watching

2010-01-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

I was sitting at the kitchen table on Saturday and saw this Pilated Woodpecker at the suet feeder. I quick got my camera and was able to get a picture of it. It has been so much fun to watch the variety of birds come to our bird feeders. I did have to yell at a squirrel a couple of times to get out of my feeder! Where's Melody when you need her...sleeping on her rug in the entry way!

Between cleaning my house and bird watching
I was able to finish three more Cats and I
started working on a couple of Rabbits.

Here's a close up of my Rabbits. They are
still a work in progress. I will have to put
them on hold until we get back from
San Diego.

A close up of my Cats.

Kelly and I will be off to San Diego on Wednesday morning at 9:00. Eric will pick us up at the airport and we will then be in his care until we leave on Friday. Our flight gets in at 11:35 p.m. that night. I was able to get in touch with some of Shane friend's so hopefully they will be meeting him at the baggage claim when we land. Mom and Ray will be waiting for us at our house. Thanks Mom for babysitting Melody for us so we can go get our Marine!

Blessings to all!

Sheilda

A Weekend at Home

2010-01-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since I last updated my blog. I guess after Christmas things quieted down around here. Kelly and I are counting the days when we get to head to San Diego and see Shane (and be in some warmer weather). We have gotten four letters from him and they all have been very positive. That tells me he made the right choice. We will watch and see what else God has planned for that boy!

Here is a picture I took on New Year's Day. I sent it to Shane in a letter so he could see what he's missing back here in Minnesota. I like today much better. The thermometer says 35 degrees ABOVE ZERO and it's an absolutely beautiful day. Hope you got to get outside and enjoy it. I shoveled off my desk and actually had to take my jacket off because I was sweating.

New Year's Day temp....Brrrrr!!

Kelly bought me a new deck bird feeder. It is

fun to sit at the kitchen table drinking my coffee

and watch the birds. Do you see the Chickadees??

This morning there was a huge woodpecker at
the suet feeder. Of course I didn't get my camera out
in time. Can you see the bird on the backside?

This is suppose to be a Sheep. He's kind
of ugly, but with prim anything goes.

Maybe someone will find him cute and
give him a good home!

I just order 7 new patterns from Tennessee Ridge Primitives. I am going to start working on some grungy ole' barn cats. Hopefully they'll be cutier than this sheep.

Have a blessed week!

Sheilda

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T18:14:00.001-08:00

A snowstorm did not keep us from celebrating Christmas together up at my Mom's in Hayward, WI. It is the first time in a long time Mom and Ray were home with us and not in Arizona. My Aunt Gail, Uncle Chet and Grandpa also join us. We had a wonderful time playing games, eating, and just being together. Ribeye steaks on the grill can be our new tradition as far as I'm concerned!

Here are some of gang waiting to play
the dice game. I think Andy liked the
dice game better than the Auction!

Mom, Rhonda, Sheilda, Derrick pose
with Grandpa

Grandpa all bundled up ready to head
back home. Glad you could join us Grandpa!

My two beautiful nieces with
messages to Shane

Ray and Mom with another message for their
grandson.

Group Shot!

We celebrated Christmas with Natalie, Zack and Becky on Saturday. Natalie learned a new trick. They call it her Popeye face. Becky said she made this face in almost all the pictures she took of her over Christmas.

Adorable!!

Here she is digging into her Stocking

She's playing with her new radio

Here is my husband out shoveling our driveway.
When we got home on Friday someone had plowed
us out. Praise God because the little shoveling
Kelly did almost killed him. It great to have
such wonderful neighbors!!

Less than two months ago we were standing here
having a going away bonfire with Shane.

It's hard to believe Christmas is over and we are rounding the corner to 2010. Our flights are booked to San Diego so we at least get to go somewhere warm for a little bit this winter. The best part is we'll be bringing Shane home with us even if it's for only two weeks.

Have a Happy New Year!!

Sheilda

A Christmas Letter

2009-12-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

This is a story of how God hears prayers and feels our sorrow, and how He also shows He cares in ways we never, ever would dream of.

I was having a really hard time this week and I spent a lot of the week crying. There were things going on at work that made me feel bad, and each day when I came home I was hopeful for a letter from my son Shane. It has been over three weeks since his last letter and Kelly and I really want to know that he is doing okay. I told God that all I wanted for Christmas was another letter from my son.

Well, after a really stressful day at work on Tuesday, I came home and checked the mailbox and when there was no letter again I broke down and actually sobbed. To top everything off there was a major snow storm predicted for Christmas Eve and Day. That certainly didn't help my mood. I just wanted and needed to be with my family, and the thought of spending Christmas at home without Shane or them made me even more sad.

On Wednesday, Kelly and I were both able to leave work at Noon so we could get on the road up to Hayward, WI before the storm hit. When I got home that day I got the mail and as I thumbed through it I saw an envelope with one of Shane's friend's name on the return address. I was thinking Nick sent us a Christmas card. Nick is one of Shane's best friends that he met playing football for Anoka High School, and they hung out together all summer. They were pretty much inseparable. Nick is such a nice kid and right now he is going to college up in Bemidji.

I opened the letter when I got in the house and after reading it I was crying again. It was the nicest letter I have gotten in a long time! Here is this 19 year old kid telling us that Shane is his best friend and that we did a great job as his parents. He also said if we need anything while Shane's gone to just let him know (he'd even shovel our driveway!). Nick will never know how much his letter meant to me. It came on the right day at the right time. Now tell me that God wasn't involved in this!!! I feel God was telling me that Shane can't write to us right now because of his training and used Nick to write my Christmas letter!

I know my letter from Shane will come soon, but I'll always cherish the one I received on Wednesday. My God saw my tears and He cares!

God's Blessings to you in 2010.

Sheilda

Christmas Tree is Up

2009-12-14T18:05:00.000-08:00

I was finally able to get our Christmas Tree up this weekend. Just in time for a visit from Zack, Becky and Natalie. They came over on Sunday and we had lunch together. We had not seen them since Shane left on November 1st.

I put some Christmas music on and got busy on Saturday
getting the tree up and decorating the house. I love
having the tree lights on at night.

Here is our little dumpling Natalie. She is such
a happy girl. She entertained herself with her
slipper and it entertained us watching her.

Grandpa is feeding her dessert...Angel
Food cake. She is a very good eater.

Happy girl playing with her toys and slippers.

What a cute family!!

I had a video of Natalie clapping but my camera just died and I am not able to insert it into my blog. Next time! How can one little girl be so cute!!!

Have a great week. Hope everyone has their Christmas shopping done. I don't, but I took Friday off so hopefully I can power shop and get it done. Remember...Jesus is the Reason for the Season!!

Sheilda

New Truck

2009-12-06T19:14:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Kelly and I went to Target's Kids Christmas Movie Party and saw the show "The Blind Side". I will say it was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time! After that we went over to Forest Lake to look at some new trucks. Wally McCarthy had some Chevy Silverado work trucks that were in our price range. Yes, we ended up buying one! It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, because we looked at a truck that had them and it was $4,000 more. We reverted back to the stone age and have crank windows and manual locks. But hey, we saved $4,000. I think of it as two less things to go wrong!! Here are some pictures I took at the dealership. It's a 4x4 Extended Cab with a side door that opens and only 24 miles on it.

The truck is black with gray interior. It has rubber flooring...no carpet to try and keep clean. It's a beautiful truck! Now we have two black vehicles. And...Zack will never, ever get behind the wheel of this one!!!!!!!

That was enough excitement for one weekend. We haven't gotten a letter from Shane in over a week. He is in Phase II of his training which will end Christmas weekend. I know for this part of it he is now at Camp Pendleton. I still keep writing to him every other day, but pray for him 24/7.

Have a blessed week. Christmas is coming fast and we will soon be together enjoying fun and laughter with our families, celebrating Jesus birthday!!!!

Sheilda

2009 Craft Shows Come to a Close

2009-11-29T16:38:00.000-08:00

Our craft shows are done for 2009 and it was a successful year. We just finished our second one on Saturday, November 28th at the United Methodist Church in Spooner. We will plan to be there again next year. My sister and I are going to branch out and find a one day show in the Twin Cities next year and see how we do. I enjoy primitive crafting and am thankful that I have a sister to do this with. It was also fun to have our mom helping us out and being one of our best customers! Love you Mom!

Rhonda is busy doing her thing and setting
everything up just perfect. This is definitely
her nitch and she's so good at it!

We put Mom to work making hang tags for
some of our items.

We are ready....bring on the ladies!!

I am at my post as cashier.

My gingerman family was not a hot seller,
but they are still adorable and hopefully
will find good homes when Rhonda takes
them to the Country Freckles in WI Rapids.

Reindeer, stars, prairie dolls, candles,
signs....we had it all!!!

More of our display...

...and more.

We use two old doors hinged together
as part of our display. It sure works
out great. My brother-in-law was
put to work hauling them in and out
of both our shows. Thanks Brent,
they sure are heavy!!

Door dolls, etc.

Pillows, dolls, and Milos

On the way home on Saturday I swung into a store
in Falun, WI called Grandma's Attic and found a
gold mine of vintage stuff. I only got to look for
about 10 minutes thank goodness. I might have
spent all my profits! I think I have been hanging
around my sister too much. I can now envision
changing all these into great prim creations!

When I got home I was surprised to find another letter from Shane when I got the mail. He is doing great at boot camp and is still squad leader. He seems happy and in his words, "super glad he joined." I pray he keeps that attitude for the next 8 weeks. Please continue to pray for him for strength, courage, focus, and favor with his Drill Instructors. Thanks for all your support and prayers. God Bless....Sheilda

Craft Show #1

2009-11-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

The day finally came and it was time for our first Craft Show in Spooner. My sister and I were a little overwhelmed at first when we set up our booth. But as you can see, it all fell in to place and it turned out beautiful. Set up for the next one will go a lot faster now that we know what we're doing.

Rhonda pulling things out and getting it
all set up.

Here are a few shots of our booth and the
prims we worked so hard on! We had
candles going and a potpourri tart so
it was inviting for shoppers

As you can see we had A LOT of stuff.

This year my Mom stayed in WI.
She was our sample lady and handed
out samples of my homemade jelly and salsa.
They were both my hot sellers.
Good job Mom!!

Another picture of our booth

We had a wonderful time being together. The nice part is we get to do it again this coming weekend. Even though Thanksgiving is celebrated one day a year, I am thankful for my family all year round. I am especially thankful this week because we received our first letter from our son, Shane, from boot camp. It was a great letter and he is doing well. It's not over yet so please keep praying for him!

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving

Sheilda

Deer Season...a costly one!

2009-11-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

My husband hunts in Minnesota and has three full weeks to hunt. He got an 8-point buck opening morning. Unfortunately this past weekend him and my step-son Zack got into an accident with our truck and did some major damage. Kelly is sporting a black eye and he said the steering column is broke so I imagine Zack is pretty sore because he was driving. I haven't seen our truck and I'm not sure I really want to. So while I was home busy working on my crafts little did I know the profits from them won't even match the cost to repair the truck!

Here's a cute little basket I got at a thrift store.
I painted it to prim it up. I threw in
some Sweet Annie, evergreens,
a few prim candy canes, and a cheese
cloth bow...and it turned out adorable.

I am totally done making the things I had planned
for the craft shows. I dug out this star pattern
and decided to make a few of them because
it felt strange to not be sewing and priming
something.

Friday is the big day I head up to Spooner to set up for the first craft show. I hope we have a big crowd of ladies. Even if we don't it will be fun to be with my sister, mom and niece. I am missing my son and this will help take my mind off him. I can't wait to get a letter and hear how he's doing at boot camp. He better say he's loving it otherwise I'll have to write him back with some tough love. He doesn't need to know that I miss him very much! All he needs to know is that I am waiting to see a United States Marine on January 29th.

Pray for Shane and all our service men and women! We owe them our freedom!
Sheilda

Almost Ready for the Craft Shows

2009-11-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that next Saturday is our first craft show. I am so excited to head up to Spooner and spend time with my sister, mom and nieces. It will be a busy weekend getting set up, but that's half the fun. My sister has the knack of making our booth look inviting and beautiful. My job is to man the cash register! This year my mom will be joining us because they sold their home in Tucson, AZ and are staying in Wisconsin! We are all looking forward to having them home for the Holidays!

I couldn't tell exactly what I had on hand so I
gathered everything in one area. For all the hours
I have spent crafting this year it feels like I should
have so much more. But, I have a feeling our booth
is going to be pretty full!

These snowmen now have arms, scarves, ear muffs
and have been sprinkled with glitter glass.
I love the snow effect (I hope everyone else
does also).

This was a table runner I got at a garage sale.
It made a beautiful fall picture.

A flock of Milo the Cardinal. I got pretty good
at making their feet. I just hope I remember how
I did it if I make any more next year!

An up close look. I sprinkled a few of them
with glitter glass.

That's it for now. I have a few more projects to finish up and then it's off to Spooner. Crafting helps me stay busy while Shane is at boot camp.
Please continue to pray for him.

Thanks for your support!

God Bless!

Sheilda

Off to Boot Camp

2009-11-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

Well, the day finally came when Shane was off to boot camp. I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn't realize how hard. Praise God for the support of family. My Mom, Ray, sister and nieces came down to spend the weekend with us. It was a great time being together and I love them all so very much!

We had to have Shane to the Recruiting Office in Coon Rapids
at 4:00. They let Kelly and I take him down to the hotel. We
were able to have dinner together before we had to take him
to the hotel and leave him there.

Our last family picture until January when
we're standing beside a true Marine!
See what he's got in his hands? That's all
he took with him and the clothes he's wearing.

Shane and Dad

Shane and Mom
Love you Shaner DD!!

Saturday, Alyssa and Kara ran in the Monster Dash around
Lake Harriett and Calhoun. They talked Shane in to doing
the 5K with Kara. Alyssa did the half marathon.
Rhonda and I went as cheerleaders. If Alyssa has her way
we'll all be running a race in the spring. You all did AWESOME
and I am so proud of you. It was a fun day!!

Alyssa, Shane and Kara...running cousins!

Sunday, Zack, Becky and Natalie came over to have lunch
and say goodbye to Shane. I think I actually saw Zack give
Shane a hug!!!

Natalie enjoying her biscuit.
Did I happen to mention she's adorable!!

We had to leave in a hurry because we had to get
to the recruiting office. Zack and Becky got the
honor of cleaning out Shane's car. We gave it
to them. It needs a lot of work, but Zack will
have it fixed and running again in no time.
You should see the mound of clothes they
dug out of it. No wonder I couldn't find any of
Shane's stuff!!

Shane posing by his car for the last time!
He was sad...a lot of miles were put on that
car over the summer.

Cousins FOREVER!!!

Shane and Auntie Rhonda

Shane and Granny. Sorry Grandpa Ray,
I meant to get a picture with you also, but you
must have been down fixing our wood stove.
Thanks for doing that for us!!

Please keep Shane in your prayers. God has wonderful plans for him, I truly believe that. However, it was hard to give him his wings to fly.

God Bless all the military men and women and especially their parents who had to let them go!!

Sheilda

Going Away Bonfire

2009-10-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a going away bonfire for Shane and his friends. My sister-in-law, Jolene, my niece Cara and her fiance Jim came from Wisconsin. A couple of Shane's friends showed up early and everyone was put to work getting things ready. Jolene helped Shane throw wood into the basement. Then she grabbed the Windex and paper towels and washed my patio windows. The boys helped Kelly clear the fire pit area. I'm thinking we should have a party more often! It was great to have the help!

Jolene with paper towel in hand heading out
to wash my windows!

Shane and Aunt Jolene

Shane and cousin Cara Kae

Zack, Becky and Natalie showed up.
It was a wonderful surprise, I did not
know they were coming.

Natalie was enjoying her teething biscuit.
The more she chewed on it, the messier
her bib became (and everything else
she touched!)

She took a little break.
Isn't she a doll!!

I hauled up Shane's old high chair, gave her
a spoon, spatula, and melon baller and
she kept herself entertained for an
hour and a half. Who needs toys!!

Here she is in her puffy coat and hat
enjoying the bonfire...she really is awake
I just caught her with her eyes closed.

Shane, his girl friend Alisha, and his football
friends Mohammad, Nick and Chris

These are some of his baseball teammates
and friends from Meadow Creek

It started to drizzle so they came in and watched
a video that some of the kids made in 7th or 8th grade.
The teacher never let them show it in class.
I guess it was pretty funny.

The party was a success! I am amazed at how much some of those boys can eat.
I am glad Shane had the opportunity to see his friends before he leaves.

I tried a new prim sunflower pattern.
I'm not sure yet what I'll do with them, but I'll
figure something out.

I got this frame at the Goodwill and was so excited
to get a stitch picture made out of it. It turned out
awesome. Very prim!!

Gingerman family waiting to head to Spooner
to the craft show. Hopefully they will all find
good homes!!

Well, this coming week is our last week with our son Shane. I am so excited to have my family coming down next weekend to spend some time with us. I know we'll need the support as we get ready to take him to the recruiting office and hand him off to the Marines on November 1st. I appreciate your prayers for all of us!!

Sheilda

Marines Family Night

2009-10-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

On Monday (10/19), Shane and I went to Family Night his Marines Recruiting Office was holding. They fed us pizza and answered our questions. There were about 30 boys there, some already enlisted and some were there as guests (too see if it's something they want to commit to). Two drill instructors (DIs) were there from San Diego. The 30 boys went up front and the DIs put them through some physical training. Parents got to see what it will be like for them at boot camp. I think it was a much milder version of what really happens! Shane did well, but will be put to the test during the real thing!

Saturday (10/24), Shane is having a bonfire with some of his friends. It will be his going away party and the last time he sees his friends for awhile. Next week will be for family. My sister, nieces, Mom and Ray are coming to spend a few days with us. My nieces are running in a 5K and half marathon in Minneapolis, so they will be here the weekend Shane leaves. I am so grateful it worked out that way. I'll need the support.

Sunday (Nov. 1) we'll go to Church as a family for the last time in awhile. Our wonderful Pastor will pray for Shane during the service. Then at 4:00 we take Shane to the recruiting office and leave him with his recruiter. He is then property of the United States Marine Corps. When I get his mailing address in San Diego, I'll send it to everyone. Daily letters are the highlight at boot camp.

Keep Shane in your prayers. Pray that God keeps him strong physically and spiritually, but most of all that He will use him for His glory and honor.

Sorry, no picture to post this time. I'll have some from the bonfire party!!

Love to all - Sheilda

First Snowy Weekend

2009-10-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

We woke up to our first snow fall Saturday morning. Kelly said to me, "isn't it pretty?" My response was...."yes, if it was December!" I am still hoping for a few Indian Summer days so I can wash and wax my car before winter is REALLY here.

This is my favorite flowerbed. I really
wanted to enjoy it for a few more weeks!

My poor marigolds that survived their trim by Shane,
had their life cut short by the frost and snow.

Saturday I had lunch with my high school classmate, friend and former roommate Mary. I went over to her house in St. Louis Park. I told her I'd show her pictures from our class reunion because she did not go. After we had lunch we decided to go to the Mall of America and walk around. Well, so did everyone else in the Twin Cities. Just getting into the parking ramp was a challenge. We were thinking we should have gone to Ridgedale Mall instead! We did finally find a parking spot at the top level of the ramp. We had a very fun day. It was fun talking about all the things we had done together when we were younger.

Sorry Mary, I accidentally deleted the better picture of
us off my camera! We still look HOT!

Sunday in between cleaning my house I worked on my crafts. I have so many I need to put finishing touches on that I decided I had better just do it. The candy cane door doll was one of them. To my surprise, it turned out adorable.

Here's a closer look.

All these guys got a coffee bath today.
I now have more things waiting for
finishing touches.

This is Milo the Cardinal. Isn't he adorable.
I have four more ready to be assembled.

I love his feet, even though
they are the hardest thing to put on him!

Well, that's it for this weekend. Have a blessed week!
I hear we have more snow on the way.
So much for global warming, huh!!!!

Love to all,

Sheilda

Crafting Weekend

2009-10-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

I spent the entire day at home on Saturday. It was a rainy day so I didn't feel guilty about being inside sewing. I made six pillows and six prim snowmen. I really enjoyed my day at home, but it is amazing how fast the time goes when you're having fun. I could use another 10 days at home to sew and get ready for the craft shows in November!

Hopefully these will be hot sellers!

This is one of my favorites. I love the patchwork border.

These guys are so ugly, they're cute!
The six white snowmen are waiting for
a coffee stain bath, ear muffs and a scarf.

I stopped at a Shop on the way home from Church
and found this adorable old sewing machine drawer.

I made this faceless angel to see how
it would turn out. I LOVE it! Now I need to put
finishing touches on it and then start
making more!

Last is this pillow I made for myself. Semper Fi
means Always Faithful. It will be my reminder that
Jesus is always faithful and will be there with Shane as he
goes through Marine boot camp.

Have a blessed week!

Sheilda

Mom and Ray Visit

2009-09-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, my Mom and step-dad, Ray came down for a visit. For Ray, it really wasn't just to visit, we hired him to paint the trim on our house. It had to be done, and I knew it would be done right if Ray did it. Boy, he doesn't mess around!! He power-washed everything on Saturday, and then started painting on Sunday and finished before Noon on Tuesday. It looks awesome! Mom and I spent some quality time together hitting a few thrift stores on Saturday and singing in Church on Sunday.

Everything that's white on our house was painted except the windows.

Ray had every size ladder imaginable for the job.
He must do this for a living!!!

Ray also installed a new light over my kitchen sink.
And, Ray and Mom cleaned out the layers
of rust in the tank of my upstairs toilet.
Now that's what you call love!

My wonderful mother also had supper waiting for Kelly and I when we
got home from work on Monday. It's still nice to be taken care of no
matter how old you are.

Kelly harvested some of the pumpkins this weekend.
He loaded up Natalie's pumpkin and took it over to her.
Sorry, I didn't go so I don't have updated pictures of her (darn!).
(My dog, Melody, decided to get in the picture)

Would you believe there are still some squash
left out in the garden!

Last but not least are these cute Marigolds.
Shane had mowed them down shortly after
I planted them. I wasn't sure if they would
come back....but they did! Now that's
determination for you!

Have a blessed rest of the week. I'll be crafting this
weekend so I'll update you with pictures soon!

Sheilda

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2009-09-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

I am finally sitting down to update my blog. I don't really know what has kept me so busy. I got a little break from canning but now the watermelons are ripe and so are the squash. Kelly picked a wheelbarrow full of buttercup squash yesterday. I guess I'll be busy freezing it! I cooked one up the other night and it was awesome!

Yes, the watermelon was delicious! There are still
about six more out on the vine.

Here is one of the things I worked on this weekend.

Aren't these pillows cute and prim!

This cardinal is one of my favorites.
Four more are just waiting to be finished!

I found this treasure at the Goodwill today. I don't
know if it's an antique or not...but I liked it.

That's all I have to update you on for now. Have a blessed week, pray for our nation and our leaders. Remember that God is in control of ALL things! Keep your faith, hope and trust in Him. He NEVER fails!!

Sheilda

Back at Work

2009-09-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

I went back to work on Tuesday after 12 days off, and for being a short week...it sure felt LONG! I am still busy canning but try to do a bit of crafting when I can. I just canned my last batch of salsa. Now it's time to focus on getting ready for the craft shows in November. Below is one of the items I made this weekend. I still need to put the finishing touches on it.

I was walking around my yard this weekend and realized that summer is coming to an end (even though it felt like mid-July). I will miss checking on the garden and my flowers so I tried to capture some pictures I can look at during those long winter months!

Here is the jumbo marigold bush on the side of my house. I
can't believe how well it did there in the hot sun.

Our maple trees are already starting to turn color.

We planted giant sunflowers on the end of the garden this year. They just recently got huge flowers on them. I am hoping to be able to use them to feed the birds this winter.

We have 8 watermelons! We picked the huge one on the right on Sunday.
I have not cut it open yet so I'll have to let you know how it tasted.

Our beautiful pumpkin patch got a fungus on the leaves so
Kelly had to spray them. The pumpkins seem to still be okay.
There are 14 of them just waiting for Halloween!

Zack, Becky and Natalie came over on Sunday. It had been two weeks since we saw them. Natalie just keeps getting cutier and cutier!

Zack helped Shane put a new air filter on his car. It's hard to believe these two used to drive Kelly and I crazy with their fighting! It makes my heart sing to see them together like this. It also makes me miss the days of having two little boys (fighting and all!).

Okay, isn't that the cutiest face you've ever seen!
Zack isn't too bad looking either. :o)

Natalie is out sitting on her pumpkin. She was more interested in
grabbing the leaves (which are really picky).

We put her in her stroller while we were outside. She LOVES her stroller.
She's getting to be such a big girl.

Here she is relaxing with her feet up. Life is good!!

They brought over her Jumparoo, Becky says its her favorite thing!
She got a good workout and made us all laugh.

I'll end with this picture of the sunset on Sunday. It reminds me of the Glory of God. Look at the beauty He has given us to look at. He has truly blessed my life with a wonderful family, a beautiful granddaughter, freedom to worship Him in the greatest nation on earth, but most of all He gave us His son Jesus. When we all get to Heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!!

Love you all,

Sheilda

Summer Days & Time Off!

2009-09-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

I usually take time off work at the start of the Minnesota State Fair until Labor Day. I call it my "stay-at-home-Mom" week. It is a time I truly enjoy being home enjoying the last days of summer. Now that Shane is not in school anymore I did not have to get him ready! WHOOO! This year I focused on canning, freezing, crafting, and cleaning. I went and spent some time with my sister in Wisconsin Rapids. My mom also came down from Spooner. We enjoyed our time together. Rhonda and I cut out prim patterns we want to make for the craft show in November. My mom and I practiced a song we'll sing in Church one day soon. After I got back home I really missed them!!

My sister's deck is full of beautiful flowers.
She has such a nack for arranging them.

Some more flowers and her green beans & cucumbers.

Did I mention that all her cucumbers are round?
She does much better with flowers!!

My mom made some refrigerator pickles.

Well, it's time to go home. Mom and I followed each other until the Eau Claire exit. Good thing I had my new GPS unit with, it got us to the freeway in Black River Falls. The only thing it does not tell you is when a wild turkey is running out in front of you! I almost had a new hood ornament. I am still recovering from the deer that hit me in January!!

My sister and I tried our hand at a new craft. These jars turned out AWESOME
and will be used for some of our prim items at the craft show.

Below is what I have been working on since I got home last Wednesday. Besides these I still managed to can more salsa and freeze more corn. Our garden is winding down so I'll have more time to sew!

I got this frame at the Goodwill. I painted it and then sanded it so it looks old.
It turned out beautiful.

I love these sunflowers. I just need to add stems and put them in the
prim jars we made.

Here is a group shot of all my items. I know it doesn't look like much, but believe me it was a lot of work. I'll post pictures when I get them all put together.

Well, tomorrow my vacation is over and it's back to work. I thank God for the job He has given me, and I am grateful for the time I was able to take off. It was so refreshing to sleep in, not be in a rush to go anywhere, and just enjoy summer!

God Bless!!

Sheilda

Canning, Natalie, State Fair

2009-08-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

The summer days are flying by so fast, I can hardly believe it's the end of August. My son, Shane, turned 19 years old today (August 28th). We went to the Minnesota State Fair yesterday and spent time together as a family. I have been busy canning beans, spaghetti sauce, and dewberry jelly, and freezing corn. Zack, Becky and Natalie came to visit last Sunday. Whew...no wonder August flew by!!

Here are pictures of my accomplishments!

The dewberry jelly turned out awesome!
Pretty good for my first time making jelly.

Looked at all those berries! This is AFTER I made 10 pints of jelly!
With all these berries I made 12 half pint jars of jelly.

Here is Natalie eating her sweet potatoes. She is a GOOD eater.
She is using Dad as a high chair as Mom feeds her.

Becky said she put her in this 18 month size dress, and it just fits.
Does that tell you something???

She had just filled her diaper and it took both Mom and Dad to change her.
Now she's clean and happy again.

Well, it's State Fair time again. We look forward to going every year. The only time we have missed the Fair is when Shane was born. His birthday is August 28th, right in the middle of Fairtime. But, it was worth missing the Fair 19 years ago!

Shane went with Kelly and I this year. He missed the last three years because he had football practice. Those days are over now that he graduated. We arrived at 9:00 a.m. and had our annual breakfast at the Fair.

The guys are taking a break and waiting for me as
I shopped around in Heritage Square.

Now it's my time to wait for them as they try to shoot the star out of the center.
They both almost did it. But notice no stuffed animals in hand!!!

There was a record crowd on the first day. All you see as you look down the street is a sea of people. The kids waiting in line to get a corn dog noticed I was taking a picture. I told them they'd be on my blog!! Kelly is in line behind them waiting his turn. His favorite thing at the Fair is corn dogs (and beer)!

We always take a break and ride the chair lift which goes up over Machinery Hill
to the other end of the Fair. Then we walk all the way back down.
I know...it doesn't make sense, but it's become a tradition.

Here's Shane behind us looking thrilled with the whole thing!
Actually, he was a good sport and didn't complain a bit as he
spent the entire day with his wonderful parents!!

A view from above.

Of course we had to stop at the Marines booth.
Shane refused to let me take his picture by the poster.

We had a wonderful day and the weather was absolutely beautiful. We did not leave the Fair until 8:00 p.m. Our feet were telling us it was time to go home. The sad part is we didn't see even half of the exhibits. Well, there's always next year.

Enjoy the remaining days of summer!

Sheilda

Garden Update

2009-08-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

It has been so fun to watch our garden grow. Kelly is out there every night doing something such as sprinkling fertilizer, pulling weeds, picking beans, watering, or spreading grass clippings. Here are a few pictures for you. I am waiting for the tomatoes to ripen and then I'm going to have a full time job canning salsa and spaghetti sauce!

Look at all those squash plants!

We have three watermelon plants. I counted seven melons on the vines. This is a picture of one of the biggest. I don't think I've ever grown a watermelon this big.

Here's the pumpkin patch. There are about 8 good sized pumpkins that
will make great jack 'o lanterns this Halloween.

Remember Natalie's pumpkin?? This is it but only now it's orange.

Here's a marigold plant I just stuck in my flowerbed on the side of the house.
It's like a bush, and it's beautiful!

Because this bed is in full sun all day long, the only thing that will grow is moss roses. They thrive in the heat and fill in nicely. Would you believe that I only planted eight plants in this bed this spring!

Below are the fruits of my labor this weekend.
I canned four more quarts of green beans. That makes 12 total. And for the first time ever I made jelly. We have wild dew berries in our field so Kelly and I have been picking them. It must be a good year for them because the field is full and the berries are very plump!

Have a blessed week!

Sheilda

Canning with my Niece

2009-08-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Kelly and I stayed with my niece, Kara, and her husband Travis in Spooner, WI. Saturday was my 30 year class reunion. Sunday we were all going to get up and go for breakfast at Jo Mama's where my other niece, Alyssa is working. Kara and I were up at 9:00am ready to go. Trav and Kelly were still snoring so we let them sleep. That's what they get for staying up until 3:00 in the morning!

Kara and I waiting for our food

Here's our adorable waitress, Alyssa

After breakfast Kara asked me to go in town with her to price a pressure cooker because she wanted to learn how to can. Trav and her planted a garden this year and she wanted to can some of it to enjoy this winter. We did stop at her house first to see if the guys were up, but they were still sleeping so we headed off to town without them. Through Divine intervention we found a pressure cooker at a bargin price and knew Kara was meant to have it!

Before we could start canning we had to head out to the garden and pick some beans. We were able to pick about four bucketfuls which was enough for 6 quart jars.

Beans are washed and in jars waiting to be canned!

Canning is quite the process, but it's so worth it!!

Puttin on the lids, almost done!

Kara canning her first batch of green beans!!! Way to go, you did it!!!!

The most wonderful sound to my ears is hearing the lids ping and you know that all your efforts were not in vain and your jars have sealed. I love to can and I am so glad I was able to teach my niece how to do it. Knowing Kara, she'll be a pro and have her pantry stocked for the winter.

Love you Kara and I really enjoyed spending time with you, it was the highlight of my weekend.

God, thank you for the gift of family and for the harvest season!

Sheilda / Auntie

Class Reunion

2009-08-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

Has it really been 30 years since I graduated from high school? Saturday my husband Kelly and I headed to Spooner, WI for my class reunion. We stayed at my niece Kara's house, so we stopped there before the event started got dressed, did my makeup, and finished up my hair. I wanted to look fresh and crisp instead of wilted from the humidity that day. I think I asked her about 10 times if I looked okay. My husband said, "you're nervous aren't you!"

Here we are ready to head out to Taste Budz.

It was fun to see "79" on the sign. I remember how important saying 1979 was in high school. You know, 79, 79, 7777 79! Does that bring back pep rally memories???

Some of the crowd is starting to gather. About 40 classmates showed up. Some of our teachers were also invited. It was wonderful to see them again.

Sheila McDermott and Barb Palm (sorry I don't know their married names)

Kelly Ardappel, Tim Johnson, Jim Donovan (Dunnie)

My best friend in high school - Lisa Rand Niskanen and her husband Donlee

Another one of my good friends - Tammie Westphal Johnson and her husband Bruce. Kelly and Bruce spent most of the evening talking. Kelly entertained himself as I ran around visiting with everyone. What a guy!!

Another friend - Kim Markgren Fox and her husband Dan.

Group Shot!

It was hard to get the group together, but Bill Perlick and his wife Laurie managed to do it.

Thanks Bill!

Buddies forever!

My friends!!!

Tammie, Me and Marilyn Hughes (Marilyn is married to Harry, one of the guys I graduated with)

I am so glad I went to my reunion. It was great to see classmates again. I had butterflies so bad before we walked into Taste Budz, but once I was in the door and saw familiar faces they all disappeared. We voted to have another reunion in five years. I hope we do. Unfortunately we are getting to the age you never know what will change in five short years.

God Bless the class of 1979!

Sheilda

Natalie Visit

2009-08-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

Zack, Becky and Natalie came to visit us on Sunday. It was a wonderful surprise! It had been two weeks since we last saw them. We are always amazed at how much she has grown in two short weeks! Here are some recent pictures. She will be 5 months on August 20th.

She is sitting up like a big girl in her pretty dress.

Natalie and Uncle Shane

Uncle Shane, Grandpa Doonan and Natalie (look at her face!!!)

She learned how to make noises with her lips. She kept us entertained with her cuteness!

Here is a video of her making noise. Watch the drool!!

Daddy and Natalie. We went out to the garden to see her pumpkin.

Becky, Zack and Natalie. What a cute family!!

Have a blessed week!!
Sheilda

2009-07-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

Kitchen Update

My kitchen had a stand-alone dishwasher that was such an eye sore. I used it off and on, but usually wash dishes by hand. While at the Blaine Sports Center craft show in October 2008, I met someone who makes oak furniture. As a gift to myself for surviving the High School years of my son, I called this guy and we designed an oak pantry. It turned out beautiful!

Here is the eye-sore, McGuyvered dishwasher (the hoses ran behind the cupboards and into the sink drain pipes).

Here is my beautiful new pantry! Even the guy who made it was impressed at how awesome it turned out.

Look at all that cupboard space!

Two nice pull out drawers that need filling!

Here's a look from a different angle.

I had to show you the crates and apple basket I got at an antique shop in Cumberland. They will be a great addition to our prims and they will soon be filled and used at the craft show in Spooner!

My latest prim creations waiting for the craft show in November.

Well, thanks for looking. I just love being able to share updates with you on my blog.

Have a blessed week!

Our July 4th Vacation

2009-07-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

Every year we look forward to our summer vacation in Cumberland, WI. We rent a lake home with Dave and Jan Ellenbogen (Kelly's oldest sister and her husband). This was the first year none of our kids were with. Shane, Zack, Justin and Cara did come to visit, but we were pretty much free to do our own thing this year. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Here is Dave being a tourist.

Our campfire spot down by the lake

Natalie Jane...look at that precious face!

The Doonan men and Natalie

Natalie and her mom, Becky

It's become and annual thing to canoe down the river. Last year, Dave and Kelly had this brainstorm to dress up as pirates. Well, you can see they did! They got some laughs and also scared a little boy.

Jan and I canoed together and tried to pretend we didn't know those two crazy guys!

I saved the best picture for last.....

Here is my 50 year old husband having the time of his life!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. We love our time in Cumberland with Dave and Jan. We have the lake house rented again for next year. I wonder what the pirates have in mind for our river trip next year????

The Garden

2009-07-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

I started a blog so I could send updates on what's happening at the Doonan household. Right now our main focus is the garden. I am scared to think just how much canning I'm going to have to do. Our garden is so beautiful and Kelly has really given it some TLC this year. I'll probably be able to open my own produce stand and make a profit, and that will be after I can enough to keep us fed all winter long!

The potato patch!

This is just one of the many squash plants. I love squash so I am looking

forward to freezing it and enjoying it all winter long!

Look at the size of this pumpkin. Kelly said this one if for Natalie for her first Halloween.

Here's a look at our beans and corn

Here is farmer Kelly standing in front of his corn.

Thanks for looking and I will update more as we start harvesting everything. I just love to watch my garden and flowers grow. The first thing I do when I get home from work is make the rounds to see how much everything has grown.