Karli received two golds.

On Saturday Karli got two golds for her singing. One was for her solo and the other for a group. Now she goes to the state competition. There were a lot of people there. I'm not sure of the area this competition served, but it must have been huge. I'm hoping I'll get to go to the state to see her.

We had a pretty warm day yesterday. It is to be even warmer today. Maybe the rest of the snow will melt. And maybe I'll have to do a little work in the yard. Yuk.

Snookums and I took a nice long walk. It's tough to take her out when it's so cold. I'm going to have to make her a coat. She doesn't have much of a coat of her own. Her stomach is really bare. Hay, Annie, are you able to walk the dog and Anja at the same time?

Steve had offered to watch Snookums while I went on my trip to Alaska. But, Jerry is having surgery on Thursday and will be in a body cast for six months. Steve doesn't want him to have to go to a nursing home, so he is going to come and live at his house and take care of him. So, I guess I'll have to find someone else to watch Snookums. Does anyone know anyone that might watch her?

Lu Ann called me this weekend. She was out buying fabric for some windows and needed to know how to figure how much to get. Now I wonder if I'll have to go over and help her make them. She needs to have her serger fixed so I don't have to take mine. What a talent I have, it takes me all over the country. Ha! Ha! Ha!

Okay, okay, I'll post again!!

Hey, Annie, how does one post when there isn't anything to post about?!! I don't like cleaning either. But, you are right, once it's that way, it easier to keep it. A lot more fulfilling too, right?

On Thursday I went to my volunteer job. Had to get right home because I had a repair guy coming to fix my dishwasher. It hadn't been working for about a year. It was only a stuck valvue. It wouldn't allow water to fill. I'm not really sure I like dishwashers. Over time they leave a film on everything. That was one of the reasons I started washing them by hand. So, if anyone knows how to fix that, let me know.

But, my kitchen is a lot neater since it's fixed. That is because I have a place to put the dirty ones until there are enough dirty ones to run it. One other time when this repair guy was here, he said not to use the gel's in the dishwasher. They cause the yuk to build up and this clogges the holes in the sprayer arms. So, I went back to the granules (spelling?).

It's been too cold lately to take Snookums for her walk. Today is to get to about 20 degrees. Maybe I'll get her out for a short walk.

What ever happened to the degree symbol on the keyboard????? Now I have to spell it out. If there is one there, and I'm too blind to see it, someone tell me where it is. Or, how to use another character for that.

I've been keeping busy crocheting. I'm still working on that afghan. I'll have to take a picture of it and then post it (provided I can figure out how to do that). It is really pretty. It's in browns with a little green. They aren't my choice of colors, but should be good for where it's going. I've been wanting to make this particular afghan for about 9 years. I think I'm about half finished. I'm planning on another one when I'm finished with this one. I think that one will be black to dk. gray, to medium gray, to lt. gray to white. I may put a touch of red just for a little color. But, I think I'll knit that one.

Doug just called.....Karli is singing at Harrison in about half an hour. I'm going to try to make it.

I'm hoping to get to church this afternoon. I like going to that mass.

Bye.

Busy, busy, busy!!??!!!!

Church, for me, is usually late Saturday afternoon. Last saturday while at church I saw Martin and Annie come in with Anja. After mass was over, I was able to see this little sweetie. She smiled (most cry when they look at me).

When it's this cold outside, I usually stay in. And, that's what I've done the last few days. Kinda boring, but Snookums keeps me company and keeps me going out about 4 or 5 times a day. I did go out yesterday to go to the grocery.

Keeping my spools of thread organized is quite a chore. I'm trying to put strips of wood on the wall, and it's not going very quickly. (But, I get very impatient.) Then I want to put dow rods in the wood to hold the spools. The wood is bowing, so have to use screws instead of nails. Need to predrill the holes so the wood doesn't split. What a pain.

Duke ripped the wood for me on Friday. I also had a nice visit with Betty and Duke. Don't get to see them very often, so it was a really nice visit.

Have some sewing jobs I need to get finished. One is for the lady that came here over a year ago to work at Home Hospital as a lab tech. When her contract was up, she moved back to western Illinois. So, now when I finish her stuff, I have to send it to her. Kind of a pain, but she is thrilled and pays for all of it. So, who am I to complain.

Another person I made a shirt for last summer, brought me fabric for another shirt and said she doesn't need it until February. Well, February is almost here, so now I have to get that finished. Another lady wants me to make some kind of a dust ruffle for her bed. And I wanted my winter project to be picture orgainzing. I also need to sweep and dust this house. Oh, well. No rest for the whicked. My guess is, I'll live thru it.

Does anyone know of anyone that has traveled thru Canada? Have been wanting to travel that way, but someone tells me that there is nothing to see but trees, trees and more trees. Unless one goes to the West Coast or the East Coast. In between it just trees. If anyone can help me with this info, let me know. Thanks.

My most interesting life

I guess I haven't posted for a very long time. There hasn't been anything to post about. My life is sooooo interesting!!

Christmas was at Tom and Sherry's this year. It was nice. Carmen and Caleb and Cole were there. That Caleb is such a nice person....calm, can do anything, and just an all around nice fellow. I just love him.

Sarah, if you would like to read her blog, the address is "http://www.costoncrew.blogspot.com . She is about like her grandmother when it comes to frequent postings, but she does have pictures of Cole. They are so cute.

I rode with a Deputy on NYE. Rode from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. For some time I have been wanting to see the differences between the city and the county and how they do some things. I found out. It was a very interesting night.

Have had sewings to do. Still don't have them finished. Have decided to make an afghan for someone special. Can't tell you who, that person just may read this. Haven't made an afghan for quite sometime. It is the thing that I can do while watching TV. That's why I really like doing that kind of thing.

It's so nice that Anna finally had her baby. Such cute little girls those people have. Just darling. Someone also mentioned having a knitting night. Whenever it is the girls get to where they can do that, it ought to be a lot of fun. Anna wants to learn to knit socks. Not a tough thing to do. I hope they don't wait too long to start that. Winter is the time to do that....when you can't do anything else.

Have been doing a lot of volunteering at the Sheriff's Office. With the start of the new year there is several things to do to retire old files and start new ones. It just takes time, and time, and time.

Have a little project to do for my sewing room. I must have 300 (or more) spools of thread. They are just sitting on a table. Can't always tell the color because they are sitting too close to each other. I want to put strips of wood on the wall, drill a small hole to put a Dow Rod in. The rod will be long enough to hold the spool and a matching bobbin. Bought the wood the other day. Duke has agreed to rip it length wise, because I couldn't find the right size wood and I want it ripped at an angle. So, another project for me. Then I can get the spools off the table and have some floor space. The one big problem with that is that I will always find something else to put there. Can't put too much there, because then I won't be able to reach the spools of thread. Oh, my, life is so complicated. This is also part of my decluttering. It takes so long to get it all finished.

My car hasn't left the driveway since Saturday evening. I hope it starts when I need to go out next. It was too cold to go for a walk yesterday. Altho it probably would have been good for me. Oh, well. Maybe the next time I can post sooner.

Who reads these blogs of mine??!!!

I would like for anyone reading the blogs I publish, to at least let me know. At first, I was getting a comment or two. But now, nothing. I realize that they aren't very exciting, but if no one is going to read them, or care what I do or don't do, then I will quit doing this.

Christmas with my kids is today at Tom and Sherry's. Unfortunatly George will be there too. But, especially for Lu Ann and family, it is much easier for them if I just do it this way. Not for me. I really hate doing it this way. Just hate it. But, it is for them that I do. Am taking an Apfelkuchen. If you would like to know what that is, let me know and I'll explain.

Merry Christmas to all those reading this.

It's Christmas time! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are we going to get all this bad weather they are predicting? When I took Snookums out the morning, it was cold. It's probably the smart thing to get her walk in before it all hits.

Ya know, it has to be winter. My sister has contacted me twice this week and asked about recipes. That tells me that it's cold enough that it's time to stay in and cook. I'm not going to cook. I'm the only one to eat it and that's no fum.

One of the things Betty told me was that she bought a spring-form pan sometime back and it had on the wrapper the recipe for our Apple Couca. Now, I have my ideas about that. In talking to people that know some German, Kuchen is the name for cake. I believe it's pronounced "Kookun." I think that the reason they have pronounced it couca was that some little kid started saying it that way, and someone thought it was cute, and it just kept on going. But on that new pan she bought was a recipe for Apfelkuchen. After some time to figure it out, she realized it was the exact recipe for the Apple Couca we have had for years. The only difference was that their recipe was doubled. I always doubled it anyway, cause I had so many to feed.

I'm ready for Christmas. Hope everyone else is also. I cheated tho. I put money in cards for the kids and grandkids and great-grandkid. Then got a gift certificate for the name I have in our drawing. So, mine was easy.

I'm wanting to go see some of Alaska this summer. I might be looking for someone to travel with. Anyone interested? The reason I say "might" is that someone else told me a couple of years ago to stop and pick her up on the way. But, she could back out. Just don't know all the details yet. I have a childhood friend living in Alaska, so will go see her and her husband. Probably use that area as a "base." She has already suggested two things to do. Other than those two things, she said just driving around will get us all the scenery we want. That there is so much to see. Even tho the gas prices are so high, it will be the least expensive thing to do. I just hope everything works out that I get to go.

Time for our walk.

The leaf pile is gone!

Yeah!!!!!!!!! I was thinking of calling the city when I heard the motor of the truck coming into the area. How nice to have them gone. Now I need to go out and clean thing up. They didn't really clean up the street. But that's okay. I'm just happy that the huge pile is gone. I had company last weekend and they even remarked about that BIG pile of leaves.

I also need to clean up the yard. I didn't get around to mowing the grass before the grass quit growing. It will seem kinda strange running the mower in December, but it will have to happen that way. This yard will mold over the winter if the grass is too long and/or if there are a lot of leaves left on the grass. Today is kinda warm....wet, but warm. I am going to try to get it done today....if the grass is dry enough to mow. (Can you tell that I really don't like the yard work?)

Yesterday my friend Pam and I went to Rossville. She knew of a new quilt shop opening up out there and she wanted to go see it. Rossville also had "Breakfast in The Village" and their annual craft/Christmas show at the school. We didn't get breakfast, but we went the other two places. One of my neighbor ladies had a booth there, so visited with her for a minute. Just as we were about to call it quits, I ran into a lady (Carolyn) that I knew when I lived out there. Her sister Sharon was with her and Sharon did some babysitting with Lu Ann and Rocky back then. Their mother was there also, and I got to visit with her.

Carolyn told me that Kate Shepard (a ex-next door neighbor) had died about 4 months ago. I had missed that in the Obits. Another lady I had been wondering about, Geneva Shivley, I learned is now in a nursing home. I guess we all get old. But, Pam and I really enjoyed the day.

The Sheriff's office is having their Christmas party on Friday evening this week. That will be the only Christmas party I will be eligible to attend. So, it should be fun.

I need to go look up a sock pattern to knit. I hear that Anna wants to learn to knit socks. The one problem is that she is really close to delivering. We may have to wait a few weeks until she recoveres enough.

I need to take Snooks for a walk. Bye!