Family

This past weekend we had a great family time.  Some of you probably heard about some of it on facebook but this is the expanded version. 

A bunch of our family gather in Topeka, KS last Saturday from WI, IL, CO and FL Miriam's graduation from nursing school.  Seven of the nine boys made it, two with their wives (one apiece!) and one with kids.  A few of us stayed at a motel which gave us access to a swimming pool and a couple more bathrooms!  It was a great place to destress and work off excess energy.

One added bonus to the weekend was the Christmas program at Miriam's girls' school on Friday night that most of us went to.  What fun for all of us.  "The Uncles" were able to appropriately embarrass their nieces in front of their friends!  The program put the emphasis right where it belongs at this time of year - on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Saturday morning was the long-awaited graduation.  It was long and kind of boring (think pinning 60 pins on shirts and waiting while the pinee shakes hands with 5 instructors, then calling out 59 more names and reading a short bio on each.) but when "our" graduate crossed the stage it was worth it!  If anyone needs to be in the hospital in Topeka, definitely choose Stormont-Vail.  The best nurse in the city works there!

Saturday afternoon one of Miriam's friends from church held an open house for her so that was our hang-out place for the late afternoon/early evening.  We even had table games to pass the time there.  That is so what our family is.  Then it was back to the pool and motel rooms for the rest of the evening. 

Sunday morning those of us that were still there went to church with Miriam and the girls and saw their toddlers Christmas program.  We also heard a much needed message giving us ideas for Biblical Christmas gifts:  service, forgiveness, encouragement, acceptance, and love.  None cost money but all are needed by others from us.  Giving them will grow us as Christians.  Thanks, Pastor Mark.

Everyone but Dad and I had left by lunchtime Sunday but we stayed til Monday morning to have a bit more time to spend with Mo and the girls. 

Weather

Isn't that the most popular subject?  At home it has been very chilly - 50's daytime and low 30's to high 20's - for quite some time.  However, I've escaped FROM Wisconsin and it is mid 70's here.  I'm loving it!  Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy winter but a much shorter one would be nice!  I like the changes in seasons. The leaves are all down now and it is time for some beautiful white snow to cover the ground and look pretty.  Do you suppose we can arrange for snow just on the grass?  Hmmmm.

The crick in my neck

Online banking

So it's been a very long time since I've been here.  I keep forgetting until I turn off the computer and them I'm too lazy to turn it back on.  Let me share with you the saga of online bill paying.

Before we moved to WI 7 years ago we were doing the online banking thing and really loved the convenience of it.  Our bank here didn't have that service until a few months ago.  When I first tried to get signed up I couldn't get a password to work and found out that it wasn't really ready to go yet, just almost!  I finally got it up and running and started paying the bills.  It was so convenient...until I found out that the bills were not being paid even though I had a confirmation number!  That meant late fees and interest charges neither of which we are in the habit of paying.  After many phone calls, trips to the bank, more phone calls, faxes sent and a bottle of Tylenol (just kidding about the Tylenol) it may finally be straightened out.  We are going to wait for our next month's bank statements to get everything sorted out before we try paying anything else online.  Why us?  It's a great system except that it hates us!  I don't take it personally, of course.

City Girl

Okay, so I grew up in Chicago with a 12' X 12' front yard and a cement one about the same size with a trailer parked permanently in it.  I don't know much about gardening or yard care.  That's an exaggeration.  I pretty much know nothing.  I have learned a couple of things since we have owned homes with yards and have adopted grandparents who were farmers but not much.  I know that when the grass (or whatever is green where the grass belongs!) gets too long you have to ask one of the kids to mow it.  I like landscaping with rocks - they usually don't die!  I have a pine cone bed that is doing very well.  I add to it any that fall off the nearby pine tree.  My personal opinion is that if plants want to grow they will.  I've even been known to have my hostas die.  That is really sad.  But, I do love looking at flowers and seeing a well-landscaped yard.  I've even been know to pull weeds (when shown which ones are the weeds) and pick produce in a garden.  That being said...

Last Saturday we went to a friend's property out in the country and picked raspberries.  They were big, plentiful, and yummy.  I now know why they are $2. a half pint on sale!  The two of us picked for a couple of hours and had a gallon and a half of berries!  That is lots of berries but that is also lots of work!  It was a beautiful day so pleasant picking conditions and not too many bugs.  I froze the berries and will probably make freezer jam out of them later.  On Sunday I made 8 pints of strawberry freezer jam from berries from our yard.  We have a strawberry patch that hubby tends to.  They came in this year mostly while we were in Colorado so Tim picked, hulled, cleaned and froze them.  Thanks Tim.  Even though I am not a garden person I love to make jams and preserves, can tomatoes, freeze green beans, etc.  That way I don't have to deal with the bugs or dirt very much.