Meet Shylo

Dale took me to the Animal Shelter on the way back from Muskegon today so I could pick out my Christmas present. Shylo is 7 months old and a very nice kitty.

She's adapting to her new home really well.

Playing cutesy!

In EVERYTHING Give Thanks...

We have so much to be thankful for...the Lord has blessed us bountifully



According to true Hammond tradition, here's our main course. We do have the usual side dishes: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, veggies and dip, cranberry sauce, etc., to go with it. And yes, every single one of those black olives was consumed.



We were reminded again that we are to give thanks for everything. As dinner was being prepared, we received a call from my parents who were due to arrive for the festivities at any time. They had been in a car/deer accident and needed someone to come pick them up. Here's what I saw when I arrived:

It was a bad enough jolt that their airbags deployed. My dad's legs were hurt a bit so I took my folks to the hospital.

My mom's hearing kind of went in one ear, so they checked her out, too. The doc didn't think anything real serious had happened to them, so he let them go after examinations and some x-rays. They are doing okay, but quite shaken up.

We are so thankful that they were not hurt worse.

We had such a fun time with all the family that was able to be there, The girls and I got up very early Friday and went shopping like all the rest of the crazy people in America--and we laughed ourselves silly.

I took a bunch of pictures, but can't post them because they were either of the kids (which I don't want to put out for public viewing) or blurry. Some have the dubious honor of both. It was so wonderful to get together with family.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

This next picture looks suspiciously like one I had posted several months ago as "Springtime in Northern Michigan". We could call this one "Autumn in Northern Michigan"

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Kindergarten Granddaughter this morning: "It's so cold in here!"

Grandmother: "Would you like Grandma to turn up the heat?"

Granddaughter: "You have heat??? I didn't know you have heat!"

Not Much New

I guess it's been kind of a boring week. Busy...but nothing interesting to write about. I've mainly been playing catch-up. You know...all those little things (and some big whoppers) that seem to hang over one's head until ya just gotta take the time to clear 'em out. Not done yet, but making progress.

Can't Get This Song Out Of My Mind

A couple lines from an old song keep going through my mind today. The song was written by Stonewall Jackson and was popular when I was a teen in the turbulent 60's. It was about the draft dodger/war protesting problem that was big back then. But somehow, it just seems so fitting today.

"They march in lines and carry signs protesters one and all
They'd rather go to prison than to heed their country's call
Get out of here, get out of there, let's have an end to war
I'm glad they weren't around to say get out of Valley Forge.
The Minute Men are turning in their graves
Washington and Jefferson are crying tears of shame
To see these men who'd rather live as slaves
The Minute Men are turning in their graves.

What's happened to our heritage, what's happen to our pride?
Since when do free Americans pull for the other side?
Did we send food to Hitler's troops or praise the enemy?
Did all our children die in vain defending liberty?
The Minute Men are turning in their graves...

I can't condemn a man who feels that taking life is wrong
But I fail to understand a man that won't defend his home
Dear Lord I've got one little prayer I pray in years to come
Don't ever let those kind of people serve in Washington
The Minute Men are turning in their graves...

Oh the Minute Men are turning in their graves
Oh the Minute Men are turning in their graves"

CERT

I received my CERT backpack and stuff tonight. (Excuse the dorky way I look; slept less than 4 hours last night.) I have added some other stuff since.

New Windows

New windows were installed in the upstairs here tonight. They are so nice! Here's what they found when removing one of the old ones. Guess that explains our frequent wasp problem.

Someone Must Have Shopped 'Til They Dropped

Or were there just some great deals at WalMart that couldn't be passed up?


Obviously, the driver was not inside buying cigarettes!

Bargains

One of the grocery stores that I shop at for bargains only (regular prices are high) is having double coupons up to $1. this week. They usually double up to 50 cent coupons, so I didn't use any of those. Just the 75 and $1. ones. This stuff rang up $57.36, but when the coupons came off, it was less than $21. See the Rice Krispies? This begins the 'Official Gathering of Christmas Cookie Ingredients'.

Building Addition Dedication

Sunday, we had the dedication for our addition on the church, which of course, included eating. Some of the people were standing, so you can't see them all. In the display area, you can see a monitor that constantly ran a slide show of the building work being done. Oh, my, the memories! It took us a long time to do it, but it was mostly volunteer labor and we are debt-free. We sure enjoy this addition, and wonder how we ever got by without it.



The bell is now permanently fixed, and Charlie rang it several times at the close of the dedication service.


Here is Charlie with the plaque that was presented to him in honor of his work in heading up the building project.

My Mini Vacation

I took a two day trip downstate this week. It was an absolutely perfect time to view God's wonderful Creation.


Visited my parents and saw my mom's beautiful new kitchen.



Tuesday evening, Betsy and I (mostly Betsy) worked on the dollhouse I found for her at a flea market early this summer. Here she is sanding the filler inside.


And removing some glued-on trims...


...and getting rid of that awful, shiny yellow paint.


She plans to paint the shutters and window boxes sage, the white trim a cream color, and the steps gray. The door will be cream and sage, I think.


Here's Jeff holding the antlers from the elk he shot in Colorado last week.


And here's a picture I snitched off Karen's Facebook.

Applesauce

Here's what I did with my evening:



Canned applesauce! Yummy!

Autumn

The colors are really beautiful out there.


The last flowers to bloom this year. Chrysanthemums



I spent several hours of good hard labor outside today. Got a lot done, but still have several things to do. It is a beautiful fall day, but very windy.

I didn't do it, HONEST!

Now you see it...


Now you don't.


Hmmm, how did we get all these piles of dirt in our yard?

Doll Clothes

A certain little granddaughter will be receiving an American Girl doll for her birthday this week, so I made her a nightgown, robe and slippers. The robe is actually a little pinker than it looks here.

Enjoyable Autumn Saturday

Grayling was having a fall festival so we thought we'd get out and enjoy the day. They had, among other things, an old tractor show. Here Dale is standing next to one of the same vintage as he is.


There was also a model train show and swap. This one is set up with red buttons around it so kids (big and little) can press and make things happen. I liked that!



One of the other things we did was take a hayride through town.


Goofing off for a while was fun. Then Dale went back to work and I went to CERT training--search and rescue. They changed the location to a spot I had never been before. The scenario: a man and 3 children were in the woods. The man got hurt and sent the girls for help. The girls hadn't been heard from since. We had to go through the woods and fields finding the victims, checking them out, then do whatever needed to be done for each one. It was a good learning experience.

Zebadiah

This morning we had to have our 13-yr.-old kitty put to sleep. It was probably the hardest thing we've ever had to do. Zebbie didn't have any 'company manners', nor was she good with children, but she and I were quite bonded.

This afternoon I went through some of our old pictures to see her in her younger days. Because she was always so small, she could fit anywhere. You just never knew where she would be. See if you can find her in these pictures.

Good-bye, my precious pet. I'm going to miss you so much.

Family Fun

Last week, a good share of our family was able to get together. Tamara's family stayed with us for about a week. Jeff's family and Betsy's family came up for the weekend and stayed at Josh and Kate's. We had a lot of laughs. As usual, they had me laughing to tears. We have a certifiably whacky family. This is a picture of some of my daughters:

My husband and some of my sons (and one grandson):

Oh, the temptation is so great to post pictures of my adorable little grandchildren--but I will resist as long as I am able. The little munchkins had a great time decorating gingerbread men and playing together.

My philosophy has always been that kitchens are perfect for huggin' and smoochin'. Looks like my kids agree.

We played some long-dragged out games of Clue (because we weren't staying focused) Karen claims she doesn't have a good system for keeping notes, but she beat us.

Some of the guys went fishing Saturday morning and had a Murphy's Law kind of time. Needless to say, we did NOT have a fish fry for supper.

Saturday evening, the girls and I went 'shopping' at Kohl's. The girls decided to try on outfits that they would never consider buying. Hilarious!

And I'm sure you're wondering about The Snake. Here's where Kate found it--in her lotions in her massage office. Good thing she found it before she had a client.