Well, Hello Summer!

Hello friends!! Summer has now officially started with the summer solstice today. It's definitely here and has really heated things up around here!! Woohooo! Temps have been in the high 90s and 100 last weekend and this week too! Where do we live anyway?? Nebraska -- it really shouldn't be THIS hot THIS early, but that happens! Of course, when it's not scorching hot and humid, we've been having crazy heavy thunderstorms - like water in the basement storms! UGH.

Anywhoo -- we've been to the pool a few times! The water has been COLD even with the high temps, but it should be warming up nicely with all this heat! Who can resist a choco taco??? Have you heard of these??

Cutie-pie Helen - now a year old already!!

And the two grandsons - having fun in the pool!

Maddie is taking a summer class. Oh my word - there is a ton of work involved. It's a 4 credit hour class and is a 10-week class. During the normal school year, classes are 16 weeks. Sooooo . . . that means 16 weeks of work poured into 10 weeks. She has class on Tuesday and Thursday and lab on Wednesday. It's Anatomy and there is SO much to learn and quizzes basically at every class. Wow -- she's working hard at it!! It's half over this week and goes til the end of July.

In other news, I got a part-time job! I'm working 3 days a week at a Jenny Craig Diet Center! I've used the program previously and lost 20 pandemic pounds last year. It's a lot more involved than it looks from the customer side and I'm enjoying it. The manager and clients are all very nice and it gets me out of the house and out of the Rickster's projects. More updates to follow!! Xoxo

Spring Blooms!

Happy Happy Tuesday! I wanted to do a quick update and some photos from University of Nebraska Kearney! Maddie took photos of her sorority sisters and it happened to be when some of the trees were showing off their beautiful spring blooms!

We had a weird winter and spring with not much precipitation and then really hot weather and then really cold weather, so all of blooming trees were -- to put it simply -- freaked out and unsure of when to bloom! When they finally did bloom, some blockbuster rain storms came through and knocked the blooms down (boo hoo), so it was a really short blooming season!

That's the weather in Nebraska -- if you don't like what it's doing, wait 5 minutes and it will change! These are from the lovely Harmon Park located near UNK campus! Love Kearney and UNK!

Where did April go???

Hello, Hello Friends! Oh my gosh - I've gotten SO FAR BEHIND on blogging. So sorry to any of you who try to check in and read up on what's going on. I don't know what my problem is . . . I guess I've had a serious case of writer's block. I promise (again) I'll try to do better and will attempt to add in some posts about our quick Spring Break trip to Disney soon. The castle never disappoints!

But first, since I have a few photos from Easter, that's what we're doing. We had brunch at my son's house. I made 2 quiches and blueberry muffins! I am the designated Quiche Queen! Although the blueberry muffins were a big hit, I really love chocolate chip muffins more. But it's true, they can be messy especially with little hands, so I saved all the chocolate chip muffins for Maddie to take back to her dorm. Ok, I admit it, I kept a couple chocolate chip muffins at home for me!

Look at how adorable my own kiddos are -- they are really not kiddos anymore and even Maddie is out of the teen years! All three are so sweet and helpful - I just love them so.

AND -- look at the whole fam. Rickster was home recovering from surgery, so missed the photo op. He's feeling much better. Look at Philip's tribe! And now there are 6 kiddos. I guess I can't really call them The Littles anymore. Jane is almost as tall as me. Some say she's taller and that I was on my tiptoes, but there is no proof, so let's say I'm still taller. She is 12 and the oldest and little baby Helen will turn 1 at the end of May. They are so much fun! Dorothy (now 6) attempted to teach me how to play chess. Total fail on my part. I suggested checkers instead -- that's more my speed! No matter, we were so happy to get to spend a chilly and windy Easter with them! Hope yours was special too!

Happy March!

Hello hello-- happy March to all! This is an even crazier weather month than usual - and it's only March 5th! We had a record high of 81 earlier in the week. The Rickster wanted to turn on the AC!! Coming up this week, the temps will be in the teens and some snow forecast. OY!! Finally, we had some welcome rain last night and thunder! Thunder always make me think of our dear little Scottie, Muffy! She was terrified of thunder and I spent many a night sitting with her in the basement on the sofa with the tv on loud. Sweet baby! She was the best little terrier! Rest in Peace sweet Muffy.

Of course, Frannie the goofy doodle is a good dog too and thunder does not bother her in the least. Wearing a raincoat, however, bothered her a LOT! HA HA HA!

Last weekend when it was sunny and almost 70, Maddie was home. We spent Saturday afternoon at nearby outdoor mall in Omaha called Village Pointe. The place was hopping due to the lovely weather! So many stores there that we don't have in Lincoln. She found an adorable spring/summer dress at a store called Altar'd State. Bonus - it was on sale!

And we even stopped at the outlet mall on the way home. A little bit of retail therapy always does a person good, am I right??

What can I say about the Ukraine and Russia? My heart and prayers go out to their brave leader and all the people there. Every day I wake up hoping the situation has improved. And I have two very special friends with some dire medical issues and have been praying for them nonstop. I know there is power in prayer. We may not get the results we hope and pray for, but I know our prayers are heard. Sending love and prayers to all.

Happy TWOsday on 2/22/22!

Had to put a post up on this TWOsday - 2/22/22 day! For the weather update - we hit 65 degrees the other day -- it was such a wonderful preview of spring! This morning, it's 9 degrees and some snow on the ground! UGH! WE want the warm weather back ASAP! On that warm day, I took a long walk and there was an old guy driving his tractor around the neighborhood!!!! Guess he's ready for spring and getting out to the farm too. BRING IT ON!!

In other TWOsday news, I saw this most adorable doodle on the page of the breeders where we found our Frannie Doodle. So cute and named after my sister Amy! I sent it to her and suggested she contact them immediately. She wanted to, but Iowa is pretty far from Florida and she already has two dogs. I truly think that dog was meant for her though!

My cousin sent me this old photo -- I know it's hard to see. There's my dad, one of my brothers, my Mom and me and my twin - dressed alike! So cute and such short bangs! I look a little afraid there clinging to Judy's arm! Time sure does fly by. It just makes my heart happy to see my Mom and Dad in this photo! :)

Happy TWOsday Friends!

A Valentine's Day trip!

Hello Friends! I had a little Valentine's Day trip - to Kearney, Nebraska to visit Maddie! The weather was forecast to be good -- a must for me and driving - and so I hit the road! It's about a two-hour drive each way and, guess what, I am getting better about driving on the Big Bad Scary Interstate! The last couple of visits, I've driven all the way on I-80 there and back! That's huge for me as I had been taking a Nebraska Highway -- which was a lovely drive - but added at least another 30 minutes to the drive. As you go west on I-80, it gets flatter and the wind picks up - which makes me a tad bit nervous, especially with the big trucks on the roads. But it's working out and definitely worth it to visit M! It always freaks me out a little to read the signs that say "Watch for wind and ice on the overpass!" There are wind socks to show you if it's really windy -- Yikes!

We had a nice visit and ran some errands together -- that's what we always do at home too! Kearney is easy to find your way around and we definitely know the way to Target and the mall!

But, she had some studies and things to do in the evening, so I wasn't there too long and although I'm doing better with driving, I'm not ready for night driving! It's always special to visit her in her home away from home! These photos show a bit of her room and dorm. Funny the calendar in the hallway was been at October since she moved in! :)

They had a fun event for the students last week -- they brought in a Build-A-Bear workshop and every student who signed up could make a stuffed animal! :) Maddie said it was packed with students all wanting new stuffies. Awwww - isn't that sweet! What a great idea UNK It's just too bad they didn't have any of the Kearney Mascot - Louie the Loper, but Maddie made a very cute Panda Bear!

Hope you had a fun Valentine's Day too!

A Few Favorites!

Hello Friends! Hope you are enjoying some lovely weather! After last winter and the overwhelming amounts of snow and dreadful cold temps, we are enjoying warmer than normal weather this year! Hmmm- I like this better! And, of course, when the weather warms up, it makes me want to share a few of my favorite things!

Last summer, I had these sandals or some just like them and they were THE BEST! Comfy for my old lady feet and easy to get on and off and with a back stap so I didn't slip out of them and fall! I found these on Amazon and just ordered. Fingers crossed they will be just as good as last year's!

And who doesn't love polka dots!!! Maddie and I are obsessed! Anytime we see something in polka dots, we run and grab our sizes! Love these shorty pjs and they will be perfect on a spring break trip to . . . guess where???

Most of you know by now that I L O V E chocolates! Almost any kind will do - though not dark chocolate as that will usually trigger a migraine. I was absolutely delighted to find this Bridge Mix recently. Does anyone remember having this as a kid??? My Mom and her friends used to have Bridge club monthly and when it was at our house, one of the things she always had was Bridge Mix. I still love it and it reminds me of my sweet Mom and her adorable friends playing bridge in the living room.

One more thing -- did I tell you . . . I got a new car -- well, new to me - not brand new! My sweet big red jeep, while still runnning - it has some issues and has been relegated to being an in-town vehicle and is unable to make the drive to see Maddie in Kearney. I got this one the first week she was there as I HAD to get there to see her and didn't want to drive Rickster's older car (too big for me). It's just the sweetest little car- it's a 2019 Kia Soul. It's not big or fancy and I didn't want big, fancy or pricey, so it's perfect! A friend told me it looks like a toaster! It kind of does, doesn't it? I call it a Baby SUV. And, I even got different license plates with the Nebraska Sandhill Cranes. The Sandhill Cranes stop in Kearney every year and it's a HUGE event, so I wanted the plates to remind me that this year Maddie is in Kearney. PLus the blue plates look fabulous with the white car.

And my most favorite -- Miss Maddie!!

What are your favorite things lately?? Please share!