Speical Visitors

"It's Summer"  

What do you do when 10 family members (two families) all come for a visit? 

You turn the living room into a bedroom for the nights.

The door of the fridge opens every 5 minutes as a kid looks for something new to appear!

When the line forms at the stove by the ever starving child, paper plate in hand.

Find a place, then sit before someone else gets the chair!

When the best made outdoor plans are scrubbed by three days of rain,,, 

never ending rain!  

The crafts come out!

Then the cookie making begins. 

That took up about three hours of time....

You know their getting bored when the baby starts playing with a spider!

 And 5 laptops, 4 iPads,  5 iPhones and numerous games are all fighting for space on the wifi!  Yes, I had to call the cable company to get it up and running,  again!

Lord let the sun come out!

I live on the beach for Gods Sake!

Then the family photographer said,,, "Time for a family picture".

Getting 14 people in place was a job in it's self and took about two hours of our time.

Then the kids and adults made cow costumes and headed out to "Chick-fil-a" for the free food day.... they made paper cut-outs,  but once there found out all their work was only for an appetizer and not a full meal... Only t he full cow costumes got the meal... but it was fun!

I had the pleasure of my daughter from Guam and her husband and three boys. Also my Niece and her family from Ohio and Saudi for a weeks visit.  That was an extra 10 bodies in my little townhouse and the one family that showed up first got the guest room with the queen bed and the other, the living room!

Of course the sun came out today and the family from Saudi had to leave but I do have the family from Guam for a few more days. Their young son asked as the car left the driveway, "The other family is gone, can we have the bed now?"

This has been a great week"

G'ma is happy!

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Little Jaunt to Alaska

Three days ago my Son and his family hit the road on a little Jaunt, to  their new duty station in Juneau, Alaska.  Although Tom has been stationed in Juneau on an earlier tour,   this will be the first time for his wife and new daughter.  Not wanting them to simply get on a plane and walk out the door into Alaska,  he wanted them to experience the trip by land.  They estimate the drive will take about 10 days to take it slow and enjoy it as a family vacation.



Their trip started in Michigan and after two days of driving they entered Montana in all it's glory. 



I've been getting photos every day from them and the quote with this photo went  like this,
"Most of the corners were quite daring to drive through, especially when someone comes towards you in a huge motor home pulling their Buick!"


Photo from top of the mountain, about 11,000 ft above sea level,  going along the road north.



I just can't imagine the size of the snow plows used on these roads..  the ones I remember in Illinois were simply the size of back-hoes. 

And this is the end of June!

Tom had to pull his car over to give us a visual how deep the snow is on the sides of the road.... His car is a good size SUV.

The Wyoming Rockies

Still so much snow on the first day of Summer!
I have only been to this part of the Country in late Summer and can't imagine the beauty of the snow covered mountains in real life?
I'm looking forward to the photos as they come in each day and to what my daughter-in-law and granddaughter have to say about their little Jaunt to Alaska.

Oh, America the Beautiful!

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I'll be linking this wonderful trip to 
Outdoor Wednesday

White Wednesday 

Alphabet Thursday

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Photo upload not working?

Help

my photo upload is not working this past week and I want to fix it but just can not seem to get it to work.... does anyone out there have the same problem?

Let me keep trying!

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Fathers Day

Fathers Day is here once again and I wanted to share my grandsons gift to their Dad.

Gina could not think of anything a guy like her  military husband would want or need so she

cut out some large letters and took the boys outside.. I think it turned out wonderful.

The photo will be framed, wrapped and given to their Dad and I know he will cherish it forever.

How fast our kids grow up!

To all the Dads and to all the Moms stepping in for the missing Dads.

"HAPPY FATHERS DAY"

(((huggss)

Sandy

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Two Quilts at the same time

"The Snow Flake Quilt"

"The Purple Quilt"

I've been working on two quilts at the same time this past week and enjoying every minute of each stitch.  Not sure my fingers are too happy about all the needle pricks because they sure are sore. I also so enjoy sitting in my chair, feet up doing the quilting design by hand.. sure it takes so much time but in the end it's going to be beautiful.

Why two?   I wanted to give my new daughter-in-law and her daughter something from me and what better than a quilt to wrap up in.
While I was visiting them last month I had my granddaughter pick out her own fabric when we found the sweetest quilt shop in Norway, Michigan.  The prices were also almost half of what I would pay here in my town. 

My granddaughter Eve chose such nice designs and colors, that complement her favorite color, purple. 

Since this past Christmas I've been collecting snow prints from many different stores  and also found few while up in Michigan.  Snow flakes are really hard to find here in Florida once the Christmas patterns are put away in the stores.
My plan is to have an overlay of Snow Flakes flowing down the front of the quilt. Both my son and daughter-in-law are snow freaks... yes, they love the snow and are those who actually count the inches that fall with great joy.  
For the next few weeks you can find me in my chair stitching while wiping the little bloody pricks from my finger tips as I go.. with a big smile on my face.

 I'll post the finished results soon.

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Life is Good....

This past three weeks I've been jet setting and after 6 flights I'm tired and glad to be home.  
First my daughter Cyndi and I  flew into The UP of Michigan to a very quaint little town, Sault Ste Marie, that sits on the border of Canada.
My Son, Tommy is a vessel inspector with the USCG/Homeland Security and lives with my new daughter-in-law and my new granddaughter... This is the first time for us all to meet and Tom did good with his choice for a bride....  We all got along from the start and we  talked and laughed from the moment we met.
Each day we did something special.  Michelle tried so hard to make Cyndi and I feel at home and I can't thank her enough for her loving ways. As for my new granddaughter, she is such a sweet, beautiful girl and I want so much to be grandma #3 and one she will remember with love.

Tom if your reading this, Michelle is a keeper!

We put our feet into the icy waters of Lake Superior and toured the Coast Guard Lighthouse that was built in 1835 on  what is called Whitefish Point.  I also brought home some rocks that we picked up off the beach.  I've been to many beaches around the world but never one that was full of rocks of such beautiful colors.  Each tumbled in the currents over the years, that polished them in such lovely colors and textures. If I'd have driven my car  up I would for sure have filled a very large box of these rocks to bring home for my garden.
As we prepared to fly  home  the airport baggage handlers put an  extra tag  on my suitcase with the word "Heavy".

 Imagine the beach totally covered with these amazing rocks.

We then drove to my new in-laws home, 4 hours from Sault Ste Marie,  I came upon the most beautiful log cabin nestled in the woods away from civilization and the noise of city life. 

Being in this beautiful setting with my family was the highlight of our visit. The Cabin sits on 5 acres of land,  just about 200 yards from the border of Wisconsin in Norway, MI.  Funny how I never knew just how sedate my lifestyle has been until I stayed in their home.  Every moment was filled with laughter, cards, walks in the woods and in the evenings we sat around the bonfire and just talked and sipped wine.  I was introduced to such a joyful, loving family.

I had such fun!

During my life  I held a secret  inside,  the want to live and work on a farm.  But life took me in the direction of City Girl and the idea of owning a farm was never to be.  
Then on day three of our visit we went to the farm my in-laws have owned for two generations.  Although it is not a working farm they do have a large lot for cows and fresh veggies that the large family shares each season.  I did learn something about cows. They have some of the traits as domestic animals.. When one of the Uncles came home in his truck the cows recognized the engine noise and knew Uncle was home and started mooing just as a dog or cat would vocalized their joy at their masters homecoming.

 

On the third day I found the need for a nap. I was trying to keep up with all my new friends but just could not.  During this time the men folk (this city girl loves saying that, The Men Folk)  had their own chores out behind the log cabin.  New electrical wiring was being put in the ground.  The owner of the land and cabin (my new in-law)  did his own work (no he is not a farmer, he is a (R) Sheriff), and yes  he built the cabin  with his own two hands and not from a kit, about 18 years ago.  In the photo is my son,  his father-in-law and brother-in-law.

After 5 days my visit to this amazing place has come to an end and the morning we were to fly home I went out and took the morning after photo of the spot we all sat around in the evenings.... My heart was as sad as the empty chairs around the bonfire. 

The memories will live on!

This family visit turned out so much better than I could have imagined.  Although one daughter is missing in the photo (much too far from Guam to just hop on a plane to come visit with us) she was indeed with us in spirit.  I called her each day and sent videos and photos as we took them.

My kids
Michelle, Tom and Cyndi

I'd like to say I'll be going back but I don't think that will happen any time soon.  Sault Ste Marie was my sons duty station for the past 3 years and they will be leaving in June for Sector Juneau, Alaska. 

 I'll always remember this wonderful week with my family and want to thank them all for the wonderful hospitality they showed me.

Two days after returning I changed flying companions and jetted off to 
Sector Cape May with my daughter #3 and Mr. N for the USCG graduation of my grandson.
This was my forth graduation with the CG as we have many members of my family that are career Coasties. The video is when the new Coasties came marching past the grandstand filled with joyful loved ones, to receive their certificates. You can hear daughter #3 screaming for her Son, the new Coastie!
The group is singing, "No more sleepless nights, no more seaman duty, Hey Hey Hey Were goin home!

We stayed in Cape May for another night so I could drive around and visit the place where I spent my summers as a kid.. My Grandfather worked as a Warrant at this CG Base and my mom went to school in this lovely town.  We then drove north to Atlantic City for a night of gaming... and now I'm home and tired.  But it was a great whirlwind of a three weeks and I'm happy!
I received an invitation from  Michelle and Tom to come to Juneau once they settle into their new home.  That might have to wait till Spring once their winter is over.

After getting my ears unclogged and  my brain back to reality, it's home to crafting and my usual chores. I must say.....
Life is Good!

I'll be joining... 

End of Summer Celebration

Travels Near and Far

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Tulips

I came back from my trip yesterday from  the UP of Michigan along Lake Superior and wanted to show my favorite flower and one that is almost impossible for me to grow in my yard.

The Tulip

This bunch was growing in my Sons rental yard in Sault Ste Marie,  just mixed in other forms of plants, as if they were planted years ago and totally forgotten. 

Living in hot SoFla, makes it  really hard to grow these beauties and when driving around the UP,  I found bunches of tulips growing in every yard, every space and the groups were just bursting out in the most unusual places.  Some were showing in  lawns and along the walls of homes and buildings.

These photos are when I jumped out of the car and crept into peoples yards with my camera.... How beautiful they are!

My trip to visit with my Son and his family was wonderful and I will post some of the fun times we had once I get all the photos off my camera and into the PC, on another day.  I came home only to get ready for our trip to Cape May for the graduation of our grandson from USCG boot camp.  Time to repack and fly out in two days but first I need to do a bit of house work, be sure the cat is taken care of and the birds have all they need. 

Busy, busy, busy and having a ball!

The US Coast Guard is a big deal to my family. This week the 9th member will join in service.  It all started with my Grandfather back in the 1930's

Chief Warrant Officer
Thomas P Murray

USCG Sector Cape May here I come!

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The New Flower Bed

This past  week I spent some glorious time in the garden.

One of my flower beds was loosing soil with each rain storm and it was time to do something about it.

A brick wall was my best bet and I got to work with small brick pavers and cement mortar.. it's rather like putting icing on a cake and was not as hard as some might say.

My wall was looking a bit like the "Leaning tower of pizza"  It will hold as I pounded  in rebars on the side facing the creek.  It's going to do the trick!

Then  I ran out of bricks so I got to work carefully pulling all the plants and flowers that have been growing and set them aside to replant later.

By some stroke of luck my local Lowes had 40lb bags of soil for .88c  each.  I bought 40 bags and over turned the existing soil with the new fresh earth. 

This was the hard part really.... I used a hoe to mix the soil in along with some plant food.
 While replanting the existing flowers, I planted them in groups, then added some sections of flower seeds with a plastic chicken wire cover to keep the critters from digging them during the night.

 My well used bird bath was also moved to a new spot.

As I said, this part of the yard is on a slope and hopefully the new brick wall will keep the  soil from flowing down.  Then I got the idea to add some bricks in layers to make the slope flow down,  like steps of sorts... I'm determined to keep the soil in the garden bed.

the dirt is not going to flow down into the creek now

The day's work was coming to an end and  now that I'm out of bricks  I got out the hose and watered the new garden,  then cleaned the steps to the deck.  
Then the step broke!  My foot and leg slid between the rail and the step and for about 90 seconds I could not get loose. My foot was in a vise!  I even thought of taking out my phone and calling 911 to help me.  I really hurt my calf/leg muscle when a nail went right into it and had me stuck. Odd situation to be in when your home alone and all your neighbors are at work.  For a few moments I had to stop struggling and think...

I got my leg and foot loose then went up and put my leg into the bathtub and washed away the blood and dirt and it's very swollen and so sore.   I will survive!  Had a tetanus shot about 3 years ago and used plenty of peroxide.
That's the end of my finishing the brick wall this month. 
I was in luck when I called our handyman, he came right over and added a new piece of wood under each step until we can replace the entire stair case.  (I know, I'm handy but don't want to deal with this kind of work)

I don't want to  do this again.

The day is over. Here I sit on my bed winning about how my leg hurts but I had a great weekend.  My garden bed is done (well except for the brick wall) but it's ready for the next rain fall.  I'll leave the bricks  for a few weeks from now since my daughter Cyndi and I will  be flying to Michigan at the end of the week,  to visit with my Son and his family then off to Cape May for my Grandsons graduation from the USCG.  It will be so nice to get away and to see Cape May again.  As a kid I remember spending my summers there at my grandparents home.  Lovely little vacation town and the home to the Coast Guard Boot Camp where my grandfather was a Chief Warrant Officer.

Oh the memories!

I'll be away from my blog for about two weeks and when I come home I expect to see all the seeds sprouted and the summer flowers budding their beautiful little heads out!
Mr. N will be home and I'm leaving a "Honey Do List".  Hopefully he will water the garden for me, feed the birds and the cat.
You know, from what the kids tell me I'll be leaving our hot 90' weather and going to chilly 40' weather up in Sault St. Marie, MI.  They said, " It still might get some snow"....  Guess I need to pack some long sleeves.

 Ok, got my sneakers for all the hiking were going to do.

(that is if my booboo leg lets me)

Be back soon!

 


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