Christmas with the Grandkids

Christmas Eve at Shell-bell's was lovely. Maureen told me, "I love God...because...God is...in my parents."

All the grandgirls got matching rugby sweaters and hats. We're hoping for a group photo later today. After dinner and presents, the girls spread Reindeer Magic Food on the snow so Santa could find their house.

Katie loved her first dolly-every part of it was soaked with drool.

We left KC and went to Leavenworth where we found Santa and the Missus hard at work. That pesky white tissue paper! Christmas morning, Jack and Grace waited patiently for the go-ahead.

The dinosaur hot wheels toy took Grandpa an hour to put together--plenty of time to scare Jack with the big teeth. Jack, backing up: We don't want the dinosaur to eat me today.

Luci liked her new toy too!

Grandkids are the best gift of all! Thanks, kids!

Cranberry Tea

Here is the fabulous Cranberry Tea recipe from Luci. It's a tradition in our house at Christmas, with its beautiful red color and cinnamony taste! MMMM.
Equipment:
You need a stockpot, sieve, and another large pan or bowl, wooden spoon.
Ingredients:
Water
1 pkg. fresh cranberries
3 1/2 C. sugar
1 cup red hots
3 oranges
3 lemons
12 whole cloves
See, it's simple!
Put cranberries in 1 qt. water and simmer until they pop.
Pour into a sieve over a bowl. Use the wooden spoon to smash the cranberries through the sieve. Scrape all the goodness on the underside of the sieve into the water. Keep at it until all that is left is a spoonful of skins. Discard those.
Back in the stockpot, put 1 qt. water, sugar, cloves, red hots. Simmer and stir until red hots are melted. Add cranberry water, juice of lemons and oranges and 3 more quarts of water. Heat. Strain and serve warm.

Brother Stephen

Stephen came up from Dallas with some of his artwork in tow. There were a lot of buyers there! There's yours, Frank-on the right on the floor.

And here's my gorgeous painting!

Here's part of the gathering. We also had a couple of babies getting acquainted with each other.

Big eyes! That's Katie and Madeline.

Mom enjoyed a little book I had made of her 85th birthday.

Steve and MaShell put their heads together for a little chat.

Madeline wants you to know...

5 Days 'til Christmas!

She did it!

Angie graduated from Baker University on Sunday with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. This girl is phenomenal. Full-time job, husband and three kids while taking night and summer classes. But she did it and we are so proud.

Here's to you, Ang!

FYI E8

I told you I was "published", but that was online. Yesterday I opened the Star and folks, I really am published! They did a whole page of ice storm photos, and my leaning poles picture was one of them. Four of the photos were from "Readers" and the rest taken by Star photographers. And, those four were chosen from a hundred submitted photos. Pretty cool.

I'm published!

Check out http://photos.kcstar.com. Click on Ice Storm Photos and you'll find three of mine- the flag, the calf and the power poles.

Still no school

We checked the school buildings today. We have standing water in the basement of two buildings and ceiling tiles fell in one classroom, dumping lots of water on two computers and some books.
We'll be out Monday and meet again then to reassess. There's no power, phone or cell phone service. Some people don't have water.

We're expecting snow tonight.

The Farm-Iced over

I went with Mike this morning to do chores-bottle feed the calf, feed the cows and the cats. Take a look at Good Intent.

Here's the farmhouse and yard from various positions.

Dad feeds his bottle calf. He's living in a little shed in the driveway and comes out when you honk the horn.

Got milk?

Downed lines...

The cow pen...

A frozen flag in Lancaster... those are icicles on it.

The poles were installed this fall; they're taller than the old ones and carry more lines. Before that was a fence row where the icicles fill in the space between wires.

This is why we aren't having school this weeek!

Power out

Poles are down and power is out to a great part of Atchison County. Mike said he's never seen our farm look like it does today. The yard light pole snapped; trees are down, and about an inch and a half of ice covers everything. Power poles are down on the church road; Lancaster closed its streets, so many limbs were down, and Effingham lost the power pole in front of the high school and has no power at all.
We probably won't have school the rest of the week.
Rumors are it will be at least a week until all power is restored.

And I'm relieved--Erin made it home from Tucson okay.

Ice Storm

Ice day! No school yesterday or today and tomorrow isn't looking too promising. Wish I had a tree to decorate! Mother Nature decorated these! This is taken from our front porch this morning.

So today I'm baking Gingerbread Men. I found this guy in my collection. He's packing heat!!

What?! Gingerbread men with guns!?

Madeline

Six-month old Madeline had surgery Thursday and is home now. She had three small incisions, one thru the belly button. She's doing well, seems to have some pain, but she is nursing and peeing--all good things. Her Mama is exhausted; but the ice is keeping me home. I wish I could help.

St. Nick Blues

Poor Erin!
She's bummed because I told the kids today that they needed to take over the St. Nicholas custom for their kids. She blogged me with many examples of me forcing her to grow up.

She's what? 24? Almost 25?

Close call!!

I was stopped on the highway waiting for an oncoming car to clear so I could turn left into the school parking lot, when a semi suddenly loomed in my rear view mirror. He roared around me on the gravel shoulder and the stench of burning rubber filled the car. Yikes!

A call to KDOT may get some action. An engineer by the name of Rob Hummel called me back and said our school would qualify for flashing lights and new signage. Yeah! He had a little trouble locating our little burg on the map though. So he called again to say he had found it and was passing on the recommendation.

The baby who never cries....wails!!

Pat and Ang asked me to babysit last night. The Baby Who Doesn't Cry started in before they left. Luci didn't want the pacifier or the bottle. After 35 minutes, she was exhausted and sweating, and fell asleep. Forty-five minutes later she woke up and we started all over again. She finally took the bottle when I turned her facing away from me. Just as she finished, mom and dad walked in. Luci was a little angel then.

She turned her head completely around to see her daddy while he talked to me. I think she knows them! And she didn't know me!

Is this what they mean by "side by side"?

It's in the house!

And plugged in.

And so is the old fridge, the chest freezer, and the ''kegerator".

Oh, and the armoire is still there too.

Sloooooowwww progress...

Arrrggghhh!

Of all times to run short of my blood pressure medicine...
Here's my kitchen.

My front yard...
And my brand new, Kenmore Elite, stainless steel refrigerator.

...which wasn't here when I got home. This can only mean that Mike is driving all over the county with my fridge in tow. Question: why didn't he use the moving blankets so it wouldn't get scratched?? Why didn't they just carry it in this morning?

Oh, and to backtrack. The armoire in the kitchen is there because it was on the truck needed to haul the fridge. It's supposed to go upstairs, but if all the groaning I heard when it was moved inside is any indication, I doubt that that will happen. The dirt pile is a project to raise the levels of dirt around the base of the house. One of these days. Then we'll pour a new sidewalk. Uh huh, one of these days.

No leftovers...

...the worst thing about not having Thanksgiving at home. We did have a good time at LSOP though. Everyone brought in food and we juggled it through the tiny microwave so it was at least lukewarm..
Here's Erin starting the line.The fam was all there except for Steve and Jesse :( Sean and Megan drove in from Denver. Here's Cheryl and Gary (he's going gray!) Then, Patrick T., Mike, Mom, Pat, Luci, and Nancy. Finally, Mom and Jim.

And we can't forget the kiddies. They are playing "Pin the feather on the turkey". Michelle, Grace, Caroline and Jack are ready to play. Maureen's not sure.

Then there's the babies... Kevin, Emilie and Kate were in Quincy, but Luci and Madeline made it to their first Thanksgiving. Hi, Madeline and Great Grandma!

This is 16 day old Luci (H)Ellen.
On Friday, Michelle and Patrick invited us to a room at the hotel at Crown Center to watch the lighting of the Mayor's Christmas tree. Lots of singing and speeches (that we couldn't hear) preceded it, but hey, Patrick had delish appetizers!
Once it came on, there were lots of oohs and aahs from the girls.

Maureen and Caroline in the middle, Michelle behind.
And Fireworks! That's a Christmas tradition, right?!

Afterwards we had dinner with Bob and Connie.

What a great weekend!