Summer Nephew Time

Hello everyone. It is hard to believe that it is the middle of July already. It took so long for summer to get here that now it seems like it is just flying by. During the last couple of weeks I have been spending a lot of time with all four of my nephews. Each year my sister and I usually take a baseball trip with my nephews to Kansas City. We go to a couple of games and do other fun things. Well this year my nephew Logan had driver's Ed classes so we weren't able to go. We went to the Twin Cities instead. We stayed at the Mall of America Water Park Raddison and also went to a couple of Twins games at Target Field. All four of the older nephews went, Matthew (22) Logan (15) Ian (14) and Ivan (10). It was a lot of fun. The first day we had lunch at a place called The Nook in St. Paul. It was on the TV show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It was a dive but the food was great. We all had a Juicy Nookie which is a burger with the cheese inside...or a heart attack on a bun! LOL

The waterpark had tons of things to do...there was a wave pool, a lazy river, a place where you could body surf, three different slides at different heights and a shallow pool to play basketball and stuff. They all took advantage of all of the things a number of times.

And here are a couple of pictures at Target Field and the Twins game.

All in all it was a great couple of days spent with my sister and nephews. 

Last Friday I got to babysit Isaiah the first time alone. His mom has gone back to work and it is pretty hard on the little guy. He still refuses to take a bottle so we have to put the milk in a cup and put it in his mouth so he swallows it. He really misses nursing when he is trying to go to sleep...he cries a lot and sucks on my shirt on my shoulder but if you put a pacifier or bottle nipple in his mouth he screams, it is hard for this Auntie to hear him crying. The thing is that when mom is home she just nurses him so I doubt that the bottle will ever work. Although it is tough the good times greatly outweigh the hard times. I really love my little guy!

Well that is all I have for now! Have a great week everyone! 

Good bye???

I am so confused now. I thought that Google reader wasn't going away and it would be all right to not have any other way to follow...now people are saying it is going away tonight at midnight. I guess if it goes away I will be sunk but I will still be here if you know where to come and visit. Maybe I will install blog lovin just in case...who knows!

Swap Package...

Oh my goodness I am posting two days in a row...don't faint my friends!

I am doing the happy dance because when I got home from work today there was a package on my doorstep waiting for me. Of course I grabbed it, got a knife and started opening it right away! I participated in Amy's (Bumble Bee Lane) Farmhouse Summer swap and my partner was Becky (Ginger Cream Hollow). I tell you what I was spoiled big time. Becky is so talented and I just love everything I got! Of course everything was wrapped really nicely but I couldn't wait to open it all so no picture of how it was all wrapped. It is pretty much a give in that I will never have a picture of the wrapped things because I am not too patient to open packages. LOL

Here is what I got...First off Becky made me this darling cat  and cute rooster pillow.

Then she also made me this beautiful wall hanging.

These cute box of strawberries...they look good enough to eat and they are only a nickle a piece.

And I got a great smelling tart called Grandma's kitchen, a bird house notepad and a tin birdhouse ornament.

See, I told you I was spoiled! Thank you so so much Becky! I admire your talent and feel blessed to have some of your work! Also thank you to Amy who always puts on these swaps, they always bring such good feelings to everyone!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Trip and Treasures

Hello my dear prim friends. Well some people have recently posted on their blogs and I am so happy. I know a lot of people have gone to Facebook but to me that is just not as personal and I still enjoy visiting with you all on your blogs!  I really miss all of you and so enjoy hearing about your lives. I know summer is a busy time so hopefully it will get better in the fall.

Last week my mom, dad, sister and I took my two nephews Ian and Ivan to Green Bay for a little trip. We went to an amusement park and the boys enjoyed some rides. It was really neat because the city owned it and it was part of the park system so you bought tickets for .25 cents a piece and most rides were 2 tickets. The roller coaster was the most expensive and that was only 4 tickets...they had a lot of fun.

Then we went to the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame.

And then we went to Lake Michigan and the boys loved being in the cold water and on the beach.

It was 3 and a half days filled with a lot of fun and activity! It took this old lady a couple of days to rest up. My sister and I went to an antique/thrift store and I picked up a couple of this..this neat Americana trencher and this neat wire basket. I am working on some bowl fillers to put into the basket so I will share them when I get them done.

Well that is all I have for now. Have a great week everyone!

Building an Ark

Hello my dear blogging friends. Well I am making a post again, not away quite as long this time as last. There is just nothing to post. I am trying though. This spring has been just horrible weather wise. We have had rain rain and or clouds in all but 6 days in the last 34 days. It is so hard to get up and going when there is not any sun. The weather has been very chilly also mostly in the 60's and 50's.  It is funny because I just re read my last post and I was so sure that spring was here, maybe that week was all we get and now it is back to fall??? I sure hope not! Tomorrow the forecast is saying sunshine and 70...I am so hoping that is right. I will be out celebrating if it is!

I went and saw my nephew Isiah on Tuesday. I hadn't seen him in almost three weeks so I was missing him a lot...his momma got him to smile big and I got the picture, I am sharing it with all of you because I am a proud Auntie! Love the shirt he has on too. Mom goes back to work on July 3rd and we are trying to get Isiah to take a bottle but so far he just refuses it. Mom is very frustrated. I told her we would just keep trying. He certainly is a joy to all of our lives.

I had another special moment this last week. I came home from a long day of work and there was another package on my steps. It was from Tammy (Three Small Fry Primitives) I had joined her Pay It Forward and this is what I got.

 The cutest pillow with a Valentine theme and then a cute bunny pinkeep. I also got a little spring ornament but I have that on my spring tree already. Thank you so much Tammy! It was so sweet!

Well I guess that is about it for now. I will be back...who knows maybe sooner than later!

Giveaway Win

Hello my friends...back again...can you believe it?  I am really trying. I want to thank all of you for the sweet and supportive comments on my last post. It just amazes me what a great group of ladies you all are. I thank God everyday for each of you that He has brought into my life.

I think I can finally say it is spring! I have been waiting for it for so long. On Tuesday it was in the high 90's. We went to my nephew's 8th grade choir concert and it was weird that it was that hot but there were still piles of snow in some places. I think now that it is the end of the week and we have been in the 80's all week they are probably gone now. Here is a picture of my SIL's tulips....I love them! I wish they lasted longer. We still don't have lilacs but I am waiting for those because I love them too.

I am not going to go all out on planting flowers this year. The road in front of my apartment is being redone and half of my yard is dug up. I have to park a block away so it just seems like too much trouble to cart all of the soil and flowers and everything and also no one will see them because the road is closed. I might just get a hanging plant and do one pot. We will see.

I was the lucky winner of Vicky's recent giveaway. Mildred came to Minnesota to live with me last week. I love it because not only is she darling but Mildred was my Grandma's name. Thank you very much Vicky!

Well that is all I have for today. I will be back soon, I promise!

My Mom

Well hello everyone. It has been so long since I have posted I am not sure I remember how to do this. I am sure it will come back to me. Things have been a bit rough for me lately. I won't bother you with all the details but sometimes I just wonder how many tears one can shed and if something will ever make me happy again. I am working on it. The weather has been so horrible. Last Thursday we got a foot of snow! It is all gone now but it was a very long winter. I am looking forward to when the days are all warm.

I would like to share a little bit about my mom on this Mother's day. She is so special and this is my tribute to her.

My mom lived a rough life. Her mother died when my mom was 10 years old and my mom took on the role of trying to be a mom to her younger brother and sister. Times were tough at that time and the family was torn apart and my mom lived with her Grandparents until she graduated from high school. She went to 'teacher college" and became a teacher and helped put my dad through college. When my dad got his first teaching and coaching job my mom was at home with newborn twins, 13 months later another child was added to the family, she was busy to say the least. She lost her son to leukemia when he was 5 and then adopted two sons through the years. My mom and I had our time, like most teenage girls do with their mothers, when it was hard but I knew she was always there for me and always loved me. Whatever I needed, if I knew it or not, my mom was there to give it to me. Now I would have to say that my mom is and has been my very best friend. There isn't a day that goes by when we don't talk at least once on the phone and we see each other often. My mom was there almost everyday in the hospital with me for 7 and a half months. She would spend an hour on the road there and back to visit me. She fought for me when I couldn't, she cried for me, she prayed for me and she rejoiced with me.
I thank my mom for all that she has taught me, all she has given me and all that she is. I know God looks down on her and smiles for the faith that she has and all that she gives and does in His name. She is a blessing to all that meet her.
Love you mom, Happy Mother's Day.