Bad Blogger

It's been awhile...how ya been? I have a ton of catch up to do on the blog. So here we go.....

We made a trip to the Zoo a few weeks ago when the weather started to get better.

First snow to play in!!

We finally got snow today!!! And just the perfect amount and temp to play in.

I can do it by myself

Eagles

A couple weeks ago we drove over to Alton, IL to view some of the eagles that make their way down the river this time of year, looking for food. We actually got pretty lucky and were able to spot eagle 8 different times along the "Great River Road". We were told to stay close to where the ferry docks. Apparently the motor of the ferry cause the fish to freak out and gives the eagles a great opportunity to catch some lunch! And sure enough...riding across the river on the ferry, we saw an eagle swoop down for lunch!!!! Very cool. It was cold and misty the day we went so the pics are a little "blue", but we did gt to see some eagle up close.

Project Completed

My wonderful husband helped me finish my project by building shadow boxes to hold the knobs and locks from my Grandma and Grandpa Abt's house! The pics are not great, but the space is small, so here's the finished product.

On-going projects

Awhile back my family had to take down my Grandma and Grandpa Abt's house. It's the house my dad grew up in and I think it's the house my Grandma lived in before she married my Grandpa, but I could be wrong. Anyway, the house sat on our family's farm and was an "antique". I have very fond memories of visiting my grandparents every Saturday for the better part of my childhood. The house was simple. I remember the swing on the back porch, which was actually the front porch, but nobody used it as the front door. It kept me occupied for hours. Grandma Abt loved to swing with me. I remember the slate/blue painted wood floor in the parlor where I would take naps. The room was full of cool antiques and old pictures of relatives I never knew. The window sill that held beautiful African violets.( which I cannot keep alive) Grandma's kitchen which always smelled like fried potatoes(yum!). And the old washing machine that you still had to roll you clothes through to get the water out of them.

Before the house was torn down I was fortunate enough to get some "treasure" out of it. I had grand plans of using it to decorate. It has sat in my basement waiting for me to feel inspired for awhile now. Well I felt inspired. Thanks to my husbands handy work, we've turn the windows into wall art and I am working on shadow boxes to feature some of the locks and knobs from the house. Here's how far we are. (the pictures inside the windows are of Grandma and Grandpa Abt's house.)

New Year's Eve 2011

Happy New Year to all! We wish a very healthy and happy New Year! 2012.... where did 2011 go??? This past year flew by for us. I knew as I got older that time would fly by. But c'mon now, I need another 6 months to recover from 2011 and get caught up!

That being said, I am greatful for all that 2011 brought us. A HEALTHY year end! Let's keep it that way!!

We brought in the New Year, at 9:00, with our friends the Knese's. They hosted a fabulous party and are blessed to have them as our friends(family)! We met some wonderful people and partied as hard as you can with a 4 year old and a 1 1/2 yr old! We wish wonderful blessings to you all for the coming year!