100

My grandma would have been 100 years old today.  Not that long ago, I thought for sure I would have been in South Dakota today at a big party to celebrate.  She was in great health until a stroke in June of 2019.  She went downhill really fast and passed away about a month later.  I am so fortunate that I got to see her and say goodbye that summer.  When your grandma is in her 90's and you only see her once a year, you say goodbye every time knowing it might be the last but that time, I knew for sure. It was so hard to see her so confused and struggling but she knew who I was until the end, and I am so thankful that I got her for that long.  

 In fact, out of all the grandkids, I got her the longest.  I was the first and only until my sister came along three years later.  I was a huge grandma's girl.  She always loved to tell me the story of how when I was a baby, I loved her so much but didn't want anything to do with my grandpa.  When Amy came along, grandma said grampa kept her close by all the time so she would learn to like him.

I always remember my grandma as old but now that I think about it, she really probably about my age when I came along.  Her and grandpa's farm was my absolute favorite place to be, and I remember crying every time I had to leave. 

          

                           

 

I have so many wonderful memories of my grandma. I remember helping her take lunch to the guys in the field.  I remember her chocolate cake, cream puffs, penny hot dish and hamburger and bean casserole (I make them too, but they don't taste as good as hers.)  I remember her laugh when John teased her about her headscarf and not taking the plastic off her hide-a-bed mattress.  I remember playing Kings in the Corner and Trash with her. I remember she did not like to lose. I remember her taking the bus to Des Moines every year to watch Holly when my day care lady took a week off.  I remember the way she would fart every time she got up from the chair and blame it on the lettuce she had for lunch.  I remember how she let Katie ride on her walker. I remember her sewing up John's favorite shoes when they ripped.  

My Grandma was far from perfect.   She could be a little negative and sometimes said things that should have stayed in her head and not been spoken out loud.  But her faith was strong, she knew her Bible and she loved Jesus and her family a lot. 

I am so thankful my kids got to have a wonderful great grandma for so long.

This is the last picture I took with Grandma.  Part of me wishes I could be with her today and help her celebrate 100.  She would have LOVED all the attention.  But more of me is so thankful God took her when He did.  She was ready to go HOME and she got to miss stupid Covid.  

A bunch of family are going out for dinner tonight to "celebrate" Grandma's 100th birthday.   I wish I could be there with them as they reminisce and share memories of this special lady.  She left behind some really great kids...one named Alice that I am especially fond of.  :)

I'm guessing they don't celebrate birthdays in Heaven and that's okay.  I just love it that she's there with Jesus and her new healthy body, free from this world's problems and hurts.  I love it that I get to go there too someday.  

Happy Birthday Grandma! 

Life Lately

One of my favorite people turned 92 yesterday!  Happy Birthday Auntie Grace!  She was at our place for Thanksgiving so we took the opportunity to get a picture with her.

Here's a few more Thanksgiving pictures.

I love my Washington family.  So very thankful to have them all!

Spent the day after Thanksgiving cleaning out a friend's basement after their house was flooded.  Water is so destructive.  It was super sad to drive through town and see people just throwing all their wet stuff out on the lawn but super encouraging to see all the help and support they were getting from the community.

So I saw this big Reeses at Walmart and was thinking one of my kids might want to buy this for their favorite mom for Christmas.... 

but then I saw this 23-pound bag of gourmet peanut butter cups and thought maybe I'd rather have this.  I'm thinking that the $229.00 price tag might make this a little out of their reach.   Not that I'm not totally worth it.

So they changed my favorite pancake mix from Aunt Jermima to Pearl Milling Company.  Sigh.  I can't help but think that Aunt Jemima would not be happy about this.  That's all I'm going to say about this.

It snowed the other day.  Yes, it was beautiful.  Yes, I am glad it is gone already.

Sasquatch is looking all festive.

My favorite Michigan girl sent me this pic.  I love it that she has such good roommates that go along with her crazy ideas like getting matching jammies.

John gets the prettiest pictures on his bike rides to and from work.

A big flood and other stuff

You've probably heard by now that we've had a lot of flooding in our area.  Lynden wasn't affected much but a couple smaller towns around us (and our neighbors to the North) got hit really bad.  It's so sad to see the devastation but encouraging to see how people have stepped up to help.  

We had a nice Thanksgiving.  It was at my place.  Lots of people, lots of food, lots to be thankful for.

I picked one last bouquet from Katie's dahlias.  A bunch of them bloomed well into November this year!

These two had super great first quarter report cards so we went to Applebees to celebrate.

Our hide-a-way has two new dormers now.  

Those garage doors are gone now.  We are waiting for windows and a new door to come in.

Someday maybe this place will be done.  

A couple weekends ago we headed down to Oregon to visit family.  On the way there we stopped to watch Paige (Sam's special friend) swim at the state meet.  She did great!  

For some reason, I took no pictures in Oregon but we had a fun weekend visiting John's brother and nephew and families.  

We came home to find our creek had turned into a raging river.

Our bank held pretty well but lots of erosion on the neighbor's property

I took advantage of a dry day and did lots of burning.  I love how the smoke comes through the tree branches.

Hey look!  I found a picture of the garage with no doors.  That will be stuccoed and have new windows eventually.

Here's one from the inside so you can see where the windows will go.  

One Sunday afternoon John and Katie went 4-wheeling with friends while mama stayed home and took a nap.  Everyone was happy.

Mount Baker was looking all majestic.  

Some days I am ready to move back to the Midwest but then I see this (or I have coffee with my friends or my sister sends me pictures of snow on her deck) and I decide to stay put. :)

A little bit of everything.

For Halloween this year Katie went to a party with a friend from school.  Good thing her friend's brother played football, it made for a quick and easy costume!

John gets some beautiful pictures on his way to work.

The blueberry fields are so pretty this time of year.

Our hide-a-way is looking different with a couple new dormers.  I have been staining cedar shake shingles for them.  I hope to never stain another cedar shake shingle again after this project is over.

Paige and Sam before their senior homecoming dance.

Katie had a fun fastpitch season.  Although I was definitely ready for it to end, it was getting cold out there watching her!

I LOVE this one.  So true.

And Carly would really love this.  I'm going to put it on John's to-do list.  I'm sure he'll get right on it.

I think I've shared this one before but it deserves a repost.

And last but certainly not least....  For my 50th birthday (almost a year ago now) Holly gave me the gift of a postcard every week (or so).  I have thoroughly been enjoying getting them.  Sometimes she writes me poems.  I loved this one.  

ODE TO BRA SHOPPING

I've been wearing the same bra 

for over five years.

It has served me well thru many

triumphs, trials and tears.

But the time has come to replace

this brassiere of mine.

The hunt will be arduous 

but I'm sure it will turn out fine.

Because after many washings and

the weather growing colder.

I would hate to nip out...

time for a new over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder!

Have a great week!!

Iowa Bound?

Last weekend Sam and I went to Iowa to visit Dordt.  Of course, we've both been to Dordt many times before but this time Sam was there to check it out as a potential student.  Crazy how fast time goes.  Seriously, what happened to this little guy?

He loved those flamed pjs and cowboy boots.  

Petyon, one of Sam's LC friends came along.  Sue and Jessica drove from Wisconsin so Jess could check out Dordt too and Doyle and Susie came from Pella just to see me (and maybe Joshua too)!

We had a horrible flight there.  I don't want to talk about it.  We were supposed to be in Sioux Center in by suppertime but instead we didn't get to Sioux Falls until almost midnight so my folks picked us up from the airport and we spent Thursday night with them - thanks mom and dad!

The next morning my folks drove us to Sioux Center.  It was a perfect weekend - cool but sunny and (for once) no wind!  

We took a tour.  I had to take this picture in the new nursing lab.  It wasn't there when Holly was there and she'd be so jealous!

The mannequins are a little spooky.

We listened to a talk on financial aid, the guys had lunch with the assistant soccer coach, there was a panel of current students they could ask questions to (sorry Jess they didn't pick your question but if you're interested in my favorite pasta noodle, it is penne), and they met with professors in their area of interest.

Sam and I walked around campus a little.

The ways to get around campus just keep getting more sophisticated.

We saw Holly in the skywalk. 

I guess Dordt's skywalk is cooler than Calvins after all!!

The guys got to hang out with Hendrick, a buddy from high school that is a freshman at Dordt now.

We took the obligatory sign pictures.

Joshua is a super busy sophomore but he spared a few minutes to come and give his Tante Dee a hug...and to say hi to his mom and dad.

I have no idea why I didn't get a picture of Doyle and Susie.

However, I did get this picture of Sue trying to get a wine bottle open.  Thanks Brad and Helen for letting us stay by you!

Peyton took this one the next morning before we had to say goodbye.

My folks picked us about noon and we headed to Pipestone to see my favorite sister and her hubby.

It was a beautiful fall day so we took a walk out at the monument, we played some cards and then later Uncle Glen and Aunt Sue drove up and we all had Dar's Pizza (YUM!).

It was a super fast weekend to the Midwest but the Dordt visit went great and it was fun seeing family, even if the time went way too quickly.  

We will be Iowa bound again in August if my boy decides to be a Defender!  

In closing, a poem.

ODE TO IOWA

Oh Iowa, how I love you.  You're the state often overlooked.

But with your pigs, corn and Culvers, you certainly got me hooked.

I like that your governors not crazy, she appears to have common sense,

Whereas ours seems to be loony and more than a little dense.

Your people are friendly, your coffee is cheaper and I start to wonder why I moved away...

And then I remember your winters. * insert sigh*

 I guess in Washington I'll stay.

Winters are bad.