....4 months later.....

Life at breakneck speed!  We have accomplished a few things in the last 4 months.....finished (except for a few more cabinets) the studio and moved in, painted the rooms upstairs in the house that I moved out of, redid the landscaping in the front of the house, had a wonderful visit from old friends and family.

I am soooooo enjoying my new studio space.  Our quilt group meets here weekly and we get so much done now that we can all spread out and sew.  This summer we are working on quilts for the people in Joplin, MO who lost everything in the devestating tornado.  Quilts and sheet sets to match will help them rebuild their households.

We were thrilled to have Ann and JV Torgerson visit in April.  We did absolutely everything together during our time in the Army in Germany.....even had our first kids a week apart!  It was so good to see them and catch up.  We had not visited in person for 35 years!  Didn't miss a beat, they walked in and we picked up right where we left off.  Great time!

Krista, with dog cousins, Sarah and Sadie, Mike, Katie, Logan, Ivy all came to visit in June.  We had a fun week and then invited a few friends to join us for a party before Krista, Mike and Katie had to leave.  Grandpa Don came from Casper too!  Don rented a water slide for the kids and what a hit that was! 

       

Grandpa Don really enjoyed the visit.  So much fun to watch the little ones with all their energy!  We were so glad he was able to make the plane trip down to Texas.  It was the first time he had visited us in Magnolia.                                       

Logan and Ivy had a great time with their dog cousins, Sarah and Sadie.  A little love....a little rough-housing....all in a day's play.

 

So great to have the girls "home" at the same time.  That doesn't happen enough anymore.

.....and all too soon, the Brethour family heads back to the Philippines for another year of work, adventure and learning.  The kids love their school there, Katie's job is very challenging and Mike is taking advantage of his time to be with the kids, help at their school, get his scuba certification.

Tune in again soon for the RV trip with the Grandkids!  I have done as much as I can handle in one night!

Winter musings......

What? The very last days of February? Time does get away from us.The landscape is pretty bleak. What the deer didn't eat, the freezing weather took care of. I do wonder what one does with pointsettias in March? They still look pretty good through all the neglect, but I don't think I will push it to next Christmas!We have been busy in the studio. Don has been building and installing cabinets. I get to paint!Actually, things are looking very nice. Countertop should be in this week, bathroom tiling and backsplash are next.......and of course, more painting! There are things in the closet patiently waiting to be installed. Can't really put up that TV or no work will get done!We hope to have lots of things finished before we take off to visit Krista and Andy in Utah. More projects on the agenda there, but it will be a great break from what's happening here. When we get back, I get serious and get this thing done and move into it! All the kids are coming this summer, so I need to get out of the guestrooms upstairs. Never a dull moment around here.

Back to some quilting projects. This cute barn quilt is destined to be a "Binky" for some lucky little guy. Cheryl is so generous to make this wonderful quilts to give away.Then, we had to visit a quilt shop that is unfortunately going out of business. Quite a few good deals to be had! This really is only a fraction of what I hauled home.....Don was not impressed with how much money I "saved". Oh well, it will all find a proper home one day in a great quilt.

That is what is happening at the ranch. Stop by when you are in the area................

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

The new year finds us in snowy Minnesota. We weren't planning to be here now, but my mom had other ideas. She fell and broke her hip on Dec. 22, had surgery to replace the ball and stem the 23rd. To everyone's surprise, she did amazingly well with the whole ordeal. On the 28th she was transferred to Olivia hospital for rehab. Doing really well there too. She is moving well and the main concern is her memory. She can do things for herself but has to be prompted to do them. We are hoping some of that is from the drugs associated with the surgery and recovery and that will improve.

So here are a few pictures of her new apartment at Prairie View. Yes, there are two the same and I do not know how to get rid of one. If I want them, they disappear, but if I want to get rid of it??

We have about had our fill of winter. Today's high is 12 and it was 15 below zero last night. More snow is predicted for this week. If we were playing in it, that would be another matter.

Short post, but we have much to in a short time. See some of you soon....we will be on our way home next weekend we hope!