Just some stuff so my sister doesn't send me a nasty text message about how I never blog when Mom and Dad are here.

Yep, my folks are still here and they are rapidly getting stuff crossed off my "to do" lists.  I'm not sure I'm going to let you have them back, Amy.  I'm not sure they even want to come back. 
My Dad put up some storage shelves in my basement.  It's dark and grungy down there so that was a real testament of his love for me I think.

Yet another testament of his love is that he hung this up without questioning me.

It's an old tool-hanging thingy that I found in my dark, grungy basement.  I love it and I wanted to display it upstairs.  John said it wasn't his first choice as a wall hanging but he didn't hate it.  I interpreted that as "Why yes, dearest one, I would love to have that tool thingy hanging up in my kitchen." My Dad might have rolled his eyes a little bit but he did put hooks on the back of it, taped off all the pegs on the back so they didn't scratch up my wall, and hung it up just where I asked.

As I am typing this post and drinking coffee in my nice warm house, he is outside picking up branches from our windstorm yesterday.  I love that guy.
My Mom has been busy too.  Here she is cheerfully cleaning off my basement stairs for me.  The plan is to carpet these at some point but until then I just want to paint them but first, all the drywall goop needs to come off. 

Mom and I got my Grandma's Christmas cards done, Mom's Christmas cards done and mine are 1/3 of the way done.  I think this is the earliest this has ever happened.  Don't worry, I won't mail them until after Thanksgiving.

We haven't just been working all the time.  Yesterday we went shopping.  We got some new clothes for my Dad.  He wasn't looking forward to our little shopping trip but he admitted on the way home that it wasn't nearly as painful as he thought it was going to be.  I got a little Christmas shopping done too.  I really, really, really wanted to buy these for myself but I restrained. Don't they look awesome?  I tried to convince my mother to buy them for me.  She told me it wasn't Christmas yet.  I told her that it shouldn't be a Christmas present; it should be an I love you present.  She must not love me.

 I might get them from Santa though because I've been a really good girl this year.

In other news, Sam is playing indoor soccer.  He loves it.

He started playing keeper/goalie this past fall because noone on his outdoor team wanted too.  He's starting to get pretty good but I still hate it.  Being a goalie's mom is tough.  First of all, boys are kicking the ball really hard at your son and the officials don't like it if you go on to the field and beat up the little boys' butts that are kicking the ball at your son.  Second, it's a lot of pressure.  Third, I feel really bad for him when he lets a goal in, like way worse than he does.  I don't think that's normal.  I've thought about offering him money to not play goalie but John says I can't.

So, we had one of the Butterbraids that my mom bought from Katie last Sunday.  It made me a little sad because Holly always loved to eat the ends of the Butterbraid where there is not much filling.  She called them "the butt".  I ate both butts instead in her honor.  I just reread those last sentences and it kind of make it sounds like she died.  She didn't.

In fact, her doctor just told her she could start putting weight on her ankle!  She is so thankful.  Her ankle is apparently healing really well but her foot has a ways to go so she still needs to be in the boot for at least another month. 

A selfie before church.  Remember that this handsome guy's musical is this Thursday and Friday at 7:30.  Tickets are $6 ($5 if you bring a can of food) at LC's high school theater. 

My friend Susie sent me some awesome pictures of my girl.  This one cracks me up every time I see it because I know what happened here.  Holly said I can't tell the story on my blog though.  Sorry.

Nearly every Sunday Holly Skypes with the Beltman family.  She thinks she is part of their family. 

These pictures make me happy because she looks happy.  I miss that girl.
I'll end with this.

Can I hear an amen?

 

 

Note from the mom who wouldn't buy the "snuggle boots" that DeAnn wanted so badly.  It is NOT Christmas yet and I often buy "I love you" gifts for my two daughters but if I buy them too often, they just won't appreciate them as much and that's all I have to say about that!!!

 

 

Have a great day!!!!



 

GRAMPA AND GRAMMA IN THE HOUSE!

Mom and Dad got here Friday afternoon.  We've been having a great time.  We are getting things crossed off my "to do" list and eating a lot.  Those are both signs of a successful visit.
Here is Katie adding to my Dad's list (both my dad and mom get a "to do" list, I like to be fair).  I think she wrote down, "Take us to Edaleens".  She inherited her love of ice cream from me.

 Cuddling with Grampa before bed.

 Saturday was yucky and rainy but that didn't stop the guys from working outside.

 They are trying to get our drainage issues worked out before the rain really starts this winter.

 My Dad brought me lots of hostas! 

 We went out for Mexican one night.  I took this selfie to send to Holly.

 The kids entertaining themselves at the restaurant.

My Mom motivated me to get my Christmas cards done.  I needed a picture of Katie so we snapped some before church Sunday morning.  She insisted Lucy be in her picture.  Just so you know, I got my cards ordered and my letter written.  Don't hate me because I am awesome.

 Out for breakfast.

My Dad started organizing my garage.  He got enough stuff put away that we can now park the Pilot and the tractor in there!  I would like to note that John has 4 ladders here.  He has two more bigger ones also.  I thought it was a reasonable to suggest that since they appear to be roughly the same sizes, we might be able to get rid of some.  He mumbled something about me getting rid of shoes if he has to get rid of ladders.  I have no idea what one has to do with the other. 

This paper thingy had been sitting on the floor of my pantry for the past five months.  It's now hung up, I am feeling more organized already!

Took the kids to the bakery on Veteran's Day.  I told you we've been eating a lot. 

Today my mom and I are doing some baking.  John and Dad are outside...I am hoping they are putting up my exterior lights but I'm afraid they might be cutting down trees. 
I love having these guys here.

Happy

My Mom and Dad will be here tomorrow.  That makes me very, very happy.
Here's some other things that make me happy.
1. I'm happy that the 6th grade musical is coming up.  I know the kid who plays Hank and just so you know, he is really awesome.  You don't want to miss it.

2. I'm happy that my house doesn't look like this anymore.  We bought this place one year ago and I just wrote out the last check to our contractor.

3. These two make me happy.  They keep me from taking life too seriously.  On this particular night I asked them what they wanted for supper and they said "ice cream".  So I said, "okay".

4. I am happy that soccer is over so I don't have to spend every Saturday out at Northwest fields freezing my butt off.  These guys had a great last game though, they WON and Sam scored a goal!

5. This girl made me very happy when she called and asked me to send her recipes for my pumpkin bars and apple pie bars.  She is on her dorm council and they planned a fall event for her wing.  She was in charge of baking. 

6. This one is self explanatory.

 

Halloween 2015

I wish Halloween was on a Saturday every year.  It was nice to not have to rush through supper and try to get kids who have just consumed numerous candy bars to go to sleep because they have school the next morning. If I was president I would make Halloween the last Saturday in October...I would also make it illegal for people to bring their dogs into stores and make it mandatory for husbands to take their wives out to eat once a week.  Who wants to vote for me?
Sam dressed up as a swamp monster.  In the past I have forbidden scary costumes and masks but he is 12 years-old now and he was invited to a party with his buddies so I let it go.  I firmly believe that sometimes it is just best to just let it go.

Katie was a black cat. 



I got the ears, nose, collar and tail at the thrift store for $3 about a month ago and she has been wearing them constantly ever since. 



They are growing up way too fast.  What am I going to do when they are gone?  I'm afraid I'm going to be one of those crazy ladies that dresses up her cat....wait, I already do that.

Holly sent me some pictures of her Halloween.  She went to a dance (yes, they are allowed to dance at Dordt).  She wanted to incorporate having only one good leg into her costume.  I think she did pretty good. 

Cutest flamingo I ever saw.  Here she is with her three roommates...



and her friend Hannah.

Now I am going to go steal a Reeses out of my kid's candy buckets...and to be fair, I will take one from each of them.  

Dordt Defender Days - Last one

We took all the kids out to the world's famous Doon Steak House on our last night at Dordt.

 

The kid's table.

 The big kid's table.

After a huge meal we headed back to Dordt for ice cream.

I took a few last-minute pics of Holly and some of her favorite people. 

The four Dordt cousins.

This particular cousin apparently thought Holly shouldn't be the only one on crutches.  Rebekah is on the cross country team and after her run on Saturday found out that she had a stress fracture in her foot.  She'll be in a boot and on crutches for 4-6 weeks. 

We walked Holly back to her dorm and said our goodbyes.

It was hard but not nearly as hard as back in August.

Got back to Brad and Helen's and saw that he had his smoker going in the driveway.  Isn't it cute?

We couldn't stay for lunch but Brad knows how much my husband loves meat so he cut off a hunk Sunday morning and had it waiting for John when we came up for breakfast.  I took a quick picture of Brad and Helen's house before we left Sunday morning.  They have such a nice place, their yard is landscaped beautifully and Helen is an amazing decorator...I wish she'd come help me.

After one last lunch at Culvers, we were back on the plane heading West (thanks Uncle Glen and Aunt Sue for taking us to the airport)!

Only 45 days until I get to see my college girl again!

Okay, I know everyone knows that I think this but I need to say it again...Dordt College is amazing.  It was a great school when I went there one hundred years ago but it is an even better school now.  I had such a peace leaving Holly there back in August but it was made even more clear to me this time that she is where she should be.  There is a wonderful sense of community at Dordt that can only happen when you are stuck in a tiny little town in Iowa surrounded by cornfields.  My girl is being taken care of and loved there...almost as much as she would be back home.  I am so grateful. 
In summary, three things that I love (in this order).
1. Holly Marie Hiemstra
2. Dordt College
3. Culvers