Happy Newer 2018!

This past New Year's Eve I spent at home relaxing in front of the TV with my pets.  Wait a sec... I do that EVERY New Year's Eve!  :-)

I turned into a ghost too!  Boo!  :-)

Seriously, I bleached my hair super blonde, blondie-blonde!!!  I felt like it was time for a change again.  I liked the new look for a few minutes.

In other news, I've been blessed with several properties that have kept me busy.  You're looking at a dump in Westville, which got cleaned up this past fall.

Here's another project that kept me busy, which (God willing), I intend to elaborate on all of these in future posts.

In between working on properties, we went to Wisconsin Dells!

Our destination was the Kalahari Indoor Waterpark!   

One of the reasons, I don't ever keep my blonde locks for too long is that, I'm like a fish drawn to water and chlorine doesn't do treated hair any good.

Wisconsin Dells is like a ghost town during the winter. Most attractions didn't have many folks around.  What happened to our nation's capital?

I wanted to see the ice castles, but it wasn't cold enough!  All that had formed was ice mounds.

The vacation was nice though.  Mostly, we spent it relaxing and playing at the Waterpark.  Surfing was a big hit there.  The kids enjoyed their Christmas gift trip for 2016.

Properties kept me busy and I enjoyed working on them.  The Laporte area is in such need of good places to rent that I fell victim to letting the house.  In hindsight, it has been one of the best decisions ever!

So much so, that I bought another house with the sole purpose of renting it out!

In record breaking news--- Gladys had her first boyfriend over!  Notice the distance between them on the sofa!  Hehe.

Sheesh, the dog and cat sit closer than they do!  Not that I'm complaining, mind you!!!

We do have a new addition to the family.  His name is Neilson, and he's a dwarf hamster.

Everyone like the little guy.  Troy's friend Cameron gave Neilson to us.  Prior to the hamster, Cameron gave us a Hermit Crab.  I told Cameron I wanted him to get a miniature pony next please!  ;-)

Besides working on new to me houses, I've also been trying to give Mom a hand with her house.  It's the house I grew up in and the place I call home.

Can you tell that I painted the trim around the windows?  Yup, a gal's gotta keep up with her own home maintenance too!

My last project of the year was this charming number:

Oh the stories I have to tell!!!    

Happy New 2017!

HAP-py New Year!

Better late than never, eh? ;)   

Yes, yes, I know, it's now 2018.  How did I manage to skip a year and a half?  I blinked!!!

Sophie-- pay attention!!! (mmm, I smell treats!)

Last Christmas we didn't go see Santa.  :-(  I was good though.  ;-)

2018 is going to be a wonderful Christmas!  It's funny how I plan for it immediately after the passing of 2017's Christmas.  What can I say--- I really LOVE Christmas!  2017 was good, as you will see, but this year, when Christmas rolls around, I'm going to be more prepared.  I will read this in my blog and: organize and bring out ALL the Christmas decorations, go get photos with Santa, go light seeing, and wrap all the gifts wayyy ahead of time!  Oh, I also wanted to see the new Christmas movie, The Star!  I mean, last Christmas wasn't like the trailer to Bad Mom's Christmas, (which I missed too, btw); I think this year I should make time for more celebration!   

2016 did have time for some light seeing!

This photo was snapped in front of the Michigan City Library.

And this was taken in Washington Park, in Michigan City, as well.  Isn't it inspiring to go see the lights?  I don't need to hop on the bandwagon, cause Baby, I'm driving it!!!  I LOVE seeing the results of people passionate about Christmas!

Look-- my kids are NOT fighting!

Just kidding.  They probably were.

France got new jammies!

This Santa looks very familiar!  :-)

Christmas 2016 at Mom's!  Jean does her typical wrapping project, which means a bunch of wrapped boxes nested inside one BIG box--- so it's probably a gift card.  :-)

It might be 2017 Christmas before she opens all these!

Ahh, it IS a gift card!!!

Jean is going to get surprised this Christmas, and she better have her unwrapping hands ready!!!

Mom might get Sudoku every year.  I know she did this year, too.

Ohh, in 2016, Jean invited her boyfriend Rosco!  I like his beard.  They broke up.

Dinner was ham, mashed potatoes, veggies and of course--- a baked spaghetti (with sugar)!  That has got to remain a traditional dish in my household!!!  It's the BEST!

2016 New Years Eve was quiet and relaxing!  Purrrr!

So, that brings us to 2017!  Yes, I may have skipped half a year.  Be prepared for photos from the past year and a half in the next post.

Labor Day 2016

Hey!  Get a job ya Lazy Bum!

Francey Pants is usually laying about the house.  That is, when he's not to busy stealing ink pens and swatting them underneath furniture, never to be found again!

He's a motorcycle cat, equipped with his own kitty helmet!  Safety First!

Did I ever show ya'All the Strawberry Shortcake blanket I made for Gladys when she was a baby?  There's LOVE in the stitches!

Currently, I just finished doing some painting.  I decided to change a RIP to Boo on the pumpkin.  I find painting to be very relaxing.  One of these days, I will do an artwork post. 

I hope the birdies enjoy their new love shack!  ;-)

Troy has been teaching me the inns and outs of basketball.

My latest lesson has been perfecting a slam dunk!

Troy has it down!!!

Troy is a guy of many talents.  He recently took up trumpet playing.

On Labor Day there was a party at my house!  Glenn grilled out pork chops, which is Jean's favorite thing!  I have no idea what spices he put on them this time.
 

They were good though!

The mosquito's had a feast on Labor Day too!  I found a Themacell on clearance at Walmart and as I was handing it to the cashier for purchase a skeeter was biting my arm!  True Story! Smack 77, I keep a running count.

The grill was going, the sun was bright, and all that may have helped some, but I'm ready for sweater weather and falling leaves.  I'm ready for the skeeters to be to cold to bite me.

The big event at our Labor Day party was Croquet.

It might have been Matt falling through the trampoline, but Gladys pushed him off before that could actually happen!

Mom's macaroni salad was a BIG hit too!  I LOVE this stuff!  It never lasts long at any of our family gatherings.

Croquet has been a favorite game of mine since I was old enough to play!

The terrain can play an interesting part in the game.  Some people were trying to make paths for the ball to have an advantage. 

We had spectators hecklers.

I won the croquet game!  Troy played the victory tune!

At least Sophie congratulated me!

That evening, Jean and I went for a motorcycle ride. 

Verrrrrrooooooom roooooom  rommmmmm!  :-)