Coloring Eggs For Easter With Nathan

Today we thought we would color eggs with Nathan as we won't see him until Easter Sunday. We bought a dye kit.....ever notice how many kits are out there? My lordy....which one do you pick. I know I didn't want a kit that entailed more than the usual vinegar, water and add egg. I found a kit that even had little vinyl cups to put your dye and eggs into. I'll be saving those for tubby toys. We filled the cups and Nathan started dunking his eggs. He wanted to keep pulling them out and checking on them. Look at his cute little face and big "CHEESE" smile!

Here he is checking his eggs. He was really doing a good job being patient!

Grandpa would come and help him when it was time to pull the eggs out and see if there was enough color on them. Nathan would tell him if he liked it or not. Back into the water was more fun.

Here he is putting the eggs onto the little paper holder uppers (What do you call them?). He wanted them there so they could dry so he could decorate them.

Here is the first egg he decorated with the face stickers.

Here are all the eggs he dyed and put stickers on. He had a blast and I'm sure glad we had the time with him to do it. Now.....who's coming over for egg salad sandwiches this week?

MIA

I've been away from my blog for a few days now. Down with a horrendous cold. Missed two days of work and been in a fog at home.
Hopefully I'll be feeling better soon and can continue keeping you up on my wonderful life (although with this cold it hasn't been so wonderful).

One Of My Hobbies

Hobbies....what would I do without them? I have quite a few hobbies......scrapbooking, card making, stained glass, sewing and making jewelry. Making jewelry started when I couldn't find a necklace to match an outfit I had. I went to our local bead store and OMG!! I could not believe the beautiful stones and beads she had there! So....added that hobby to my list.
Below is a necklace I made from a stone I picked out of a pile of rocks at a store in Copper Harbor.
There was no drill hole so I just took a piece of wire and wrapped the stone. I just wanted a simple piece and I love it.
This piece came about because I needed a white necklace. I couldn't find a natural stone in white so I went with the acrylic beads. Wasn't crazy about it but it's growing on me.

Again, I just wanted a simple black piece. I've gotten a lot of comments on this piece and have made some for friends.

This was my second try at making a necklace. I loved the stones.

This was the necklace that started it all. I love red and finding red stones/beads was actually kind of hard. I did find the beads, made the necklace and wore it to the event.

Most of my pieces are very simple.

Today I am wearing a chunky orange piece I just made. I loved the focal bead and had to really hunt for beads and stones to match. I love orange too. Such a vibrant color. I'll post a picture of it soon.
It's starting to snow here today. What a disappointment after all the beautiful weather we had this week. I should have known the snow gods were not done with us yet.

Men's hockey league game tonight. Wolverines against the Portage Lake Pioneers. Hope the Wolves smoke 'em!

Happy Birthday to Dallas

Today is my youngest son's birthday. He turns 23 today!! This picture is of him and his son last Father's Day.
These two boys love to have fun. They love being sassy as the picture below shows.

Here they are being sassy and making faces.

I'm not sure what my boy has planned for today but hopefully he'll be able to make it over for a birthday dinner, cake and ice cream.

I miss the days of planning birthdays and having family over to celebrate. We always had fun at our get togethers. We had some great birthday parties!!

I hope you have a great day, Dallas. Your Mom loves you with all her heart.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Ar ye a wearin' yer green today? Hope everyone has a fun St. Patty's Day today. Enjoy your green beer.

A Good Day

Today was a good day. The ice show is over and my headache that lingered for a full week is gone. I feel more like myself today.

I'm definately missing my grandson. He is such a joy to have around. Don't get me wrong....he can be a sassy boy but.....I have more patience as Grandma than I did as Mom. Besides, when he puts his arms around me and gives me a hug and a kiss I forget all the not so good stuff and just enjoy the moment. I would still do the same for my kids. All they need to do is put their arms around me and I'm butter. I'm so lucky that my kids are still affectionate to me. I guess it all depends on where we are. I'm sure my daughter would be mortified if I asked for a hug and kiss while shopping

I Am Totally In Love

This little guy has stolen my heart!! My grandson.....can't even explain to you how much I love this little boy and how much he has his Grandma and Grandpa Pepper wrapped around his little finger.

Happy Couple

Don't they look so happy?!!! This is Michael with his girlfriend, Brooke. She is an orthopedic surgeon resident (Michael, correct me if I'm wrong) at a hospital in St. Louis. We haven't officially met yet but she makes my son happy and that makes Mama happy. Just look at the big smile on his face!
She looks like she's easy to talk to and she is a dog lover so.....she'll fit right in.

Her dog, Romulus got in this picture with them. Isn't he gorgeous.....the dog. But the guy is good looking too.

Hopefully we'll get the chance to meet Brooke soon. I think she will like our little town.

More Ice Show Pictures

Terra, Steph, Allison and Zoe---Surfin' USA

Terra and Zoe--Surfin' USA

More Surfin'

Zoe, Lexi and Terra---She's Country

Terra-She's Country

The girls----She's Country

Saturday Ice Show

Saturday's Ice Show went very well. Below is a photo of the opening number group. They all are just beautiful!!

This is Terra in the middle of a double sal-chow jump. This was her last number and then she came out in the grand finale.

It's kind of sad for me because she is getting older and doesn't need my help getting ready anymore. So....I go where I'm needed. I helped sell flowers (for about 5 minutes.), then I sat and enjoyed watching the whole show.

She's Country group.

Terra, Zoe and Lexi.

One more show today at 2pm. Then we're done for the year. More pictures coming.

Getting Ready For The Ice Show

This picture was in our Wednesday newspaper. (Terra is in the yellow shorts and blue jacket). This is the opening number. They all look like they are having fun!

Our figure skating club is having our annual ice show this weekend. For the last six weeks the kids have been practicing their programs and patiently waiting for their costumes. This weekend they will be able to show off what they have learned this skating season. How exciting!

Tonight is the formal practice. All kids dressed up with costumes and make-up....stand in line for your picture!! SMILE!

I love this time of year. Having this ice show for the kids is so much fun for them. It is a lot of work but it sure is worth it. Just wish more parents would jump in and help more.

Good Luck everyone!

Rugby Player

This is my oldest son, Michael. Handsome dude---and funny too!~ This kid can always get a laugh out of me. He is currently serving in the US Army~so proud of him!
He has started his rugby season.....wow-unbelievable rough sport. This will be his second year in the sport. I didn't know if he'd stick with it, but he's made some friends and it seems he really likes it. He called me on his way to his first game just to say hi. (Moms love that.) He was pulling into the parking lot and I heard him say "Oh my gosh!! These guys are huge!" I told him not to get out of the car. No one would know that he was there. He laughed~nervously~and said it was time for him to go. He had to see how strong his bones were. Not funny, bud. I didn't hear back from him that day so I knew nothing major was broke or bleeding. But if anything was broke he knows a really nice orthopedic surgeon that can treat him. More on that later-need to get permission before I fill you in on that.

New Found Snack

Yellow squash. Who da thunk this would become a favorite snack for me?

Thanks to my sister it is now a favorite snack. Oh, it'll never take the place of chocolate but it sure is a healthier snack. I was hanging out with my sister and she came up to me with this bowl of cooked squash. Ewwww! Her eating habits just don't appeal to me. I must have been going through chocolate withdrawal because she made it look good. Gave it a taste. Hmmm, not bad. Nuke me up some!! Tried it, liked it and have been snacking on it since.
So I guess I need to always try a new food rather than turn my nose up at it. Just yesterday I was at the bead store and the owner was talking about fresh asparagus and how I just had to try it.....steamed, with a little butter and salt. I thought back to my younger years when my Mom made us eat canned asparagus----so totally gross. Nope, don't want to try it. Peg said it is so much better than the canned---oh Erika, give it a try. Nope!!

So back to the always try before the no likey response comes around......went to Econo and picked up a bunch. I'll let you know.

Fourth Straight Regional Hockey Championship

Whoo Hoo! It's always sweet when you beat Houghton and/or Hancock.
This is our high school hockey team. They beat Hancock 6-0 for a 4th straight title.
Hockey here is big.....B.I.G. Kids are on skates at the young age of 2 or 3. Some of these kids live and breath hockey. When they are not on skates in the winter they are on rollerblades in the summer.
Congratulations boys...Great job.
Now they move on to play in Sault Ste. Marie. Good Luck boys!

Snowshoeing

My husband and I got up early yesterday with the intention of taking a ride by the lake to see if we could spot any eagle movement. It was so nice out that we decided a snowshoe trek would be fun. We drove further north, parked the truck, got the shoes on and headed into the woods. It was beautiful out there. Just the two of us....out in the woods....snowshoeing. This is my view...I have a good one. I always snowshoe behind my husband. He walks faster and he likes blazing the trail. He likes to go ahead and check out where we may find a high point to look out and have a good view.
Our tracks. (Don't pay attention to the date on the picture. I didn't reset it when new batteries were installed.) We came back to these tracks about 30 minutes later and the sun had melted them quite a bit. When we started it was about 30 degrees, when we finished about two hours later it was well over 40.

Here is Mr. at a high point. We were trying to get up high enough to get some pictures of the lake. It wasn't really high enough to get some good pictures, so off we went again.

Finished up the walk and headed back home.

On our way home we ran across these guys hanging out on the road. They didn't want to move at first but then got out of the way.

It sure was a beautiful day with the sun shining and warming everything up. Now, we just have to wait for the snow to go and camping is just around the corner.

Making A Boy Happy

Our grandson just loves big trucks!!! He loves going for rides and looking for back hoes, loaders, excavators, log trucks.......and on and on. Well, this morning we went over to where Grandpa works and his got to go in the SnoGo!! Man, talk about making a boy happy!
This is a shot of him sitting in the SnoGo with Grandpa. You can't really see him but we call him the wing man.

Here is a shot of the SnoGo from the back. It's a pretty cool machine. It eats up the snow and spits it out with great force!

Here you can see it throwing the snow. It's like a huge snow blower but cooler cuz you get to drive it and move all the levers and stuff.....big fun for boys of all ages!!

This is our grandson. So geeked because he is in the SnoGo. I'm sure it'll be tough getting him out of that seat!

Can you tell he is happy!!!?

"Bye Grandma. I'm staying here with Grandpa!!" He was so excited! He got a chance to move the lever that works the shute.

I love seeing his big smile when he is happy. It makes this Grandma's heart so happy! Being a grandparent is so wonderful. You get a chance to play and act silly and no one really says anything about it.

Busy Days

It was a usual day today. Got up with hubby and made his lunch and went back to bed. Got up again, made my daughter's lunch and drove her to school. Got home and made breakfast and enjoyed that while watching HGTV. Then I got ready for work.
After work my boss and I loaded up two carpet tubes in my car. Carpet tubes are 12' long......they hung out a little. Then ran to our local hardware store to pick up paint (for the tubes) and then to the rink to drop everything off for the ladies who were working on props for the ice show. Then I had to hurry and get home before 5:45 as my daughter was getting picked up by a young man to go to the girl's basketball district finals.
The rule is....if I don't know him, he needs to come into the house so we can meet him. I'm sure my daughter was terrified that we would embarrass her but I think it went very well. She was a little nervous so I had to introduce myself and her Dad to him. He shook my hand and said "hello" to her Dad. I was okay with that. Of course I had to ask how long he had been driving. See, I'm not really worried about who she was with (at this time) but I was more worried about her being with a new driver. Well guess what?! He's only been driving since September! Nervousness set in. Oh boy.....what do I do now. At least the roads were clear and dry and they were getting there in the daylight. Do I dare ask him how he would handle certain situations? I decided to let it go and trust that he is responsible.
She called a couple times to fill me in on the game and then again when they were leaving. They showed up right on time--safe and sound! When the boys were out I always worried about them. I never went to sleep until everyone was home. If I did fall asleep before they got home I would check on them if I woke during the night.
So we start the dance of dating. Ughh.....

Rose Between Two Thorns?

No....just my sweet girl between two of her friends. They were at one of the playoff hockey games. They were having fun taking pictures of the guys on the ice and of each other in the stands. They are so cute.
Our team has another game tomorrow. Terra will be rooting for her school but she may secretly be rooting for the other team as one of her cousins will be playing.
I can't believe she is a freshman in high school and that the year is coming to a close fast.
She's doing very well in school and just made the honor roll!! She loves all sports and does very well in them. They just finished up basketball season and will be getting ready for track.

Beautiful Morning

It's a gorgeous morning here in the U.P.! The sun is out trying to burn off the morning fog and heavy frost. I love it when the sun hits the trees that are heavy with frost. It's chilly this morning but the dog and I hung around outside enjoying the crisp air and sun.

Thought I'd take a couple pictures this morning of some random things. The first is our little snowman that welcomes all to our home. Isn't he the cutest?! He was a Christmas gift from our son's girlfriend's Mom and Dad (did ya catch that?). They are such sweet people. Lucky to have such great people in our lives.


This is our camper. I know, it makes me sad too seeing it surrounded by so much snow. Hopefully when the snow starts melting it will go fast and we can get this camper out at the earliest time. I can not wait until we can get this out and cleaned up and ready for a new summer of camping. Our daughter is getting older and our days camping with her are very limited. Hopefully we'll be able to persuade her to come often with us. She usually brings a friend or two so she doesn't have to hang out with Mom and Dad. At least our grandson is young enough that he loves going camping. We've taken him with us camping since he was about 4 days old and kayaking since he was about 10 months old. He didn't care for the life jacket but once he got used to everything he was good to go. He likes to bring his fishing pole with him so he can cast while we paddle.

This is my lilac bush covered with heavy frost. It's so much more beautiful in real life. I was trying to get a good picture of the sun hitting the icy parts but.....this is what I got.

All the trees look like this today. This was not due to an ice storm but just normal over night frost. By the end of the day the frost will be gone and they will once again be naked. Our weather is suppose to warm up this weekend to the high 30's. A heat wave for us!!! We'll be getting out and doing some snowshoeing up north around the deer camp. I like snowshoeing off the beaten path. We just kind of go walking around in the woods. My hubby won a new compass at the predator hunt wrap up so we will be sure to take that with us because you sure can get turned around easy in the woods. We know this because it's happened to us. We did have a compass that day but it was torn off hubby's jacket somewhere in the woods and we didn't realize it until we stopped to see where we were. Lost for about 4 hours but we made it out.

First Day Of March

We made it to March finally!! Although we are not out of the woods yet with snowfall, it just seems like spring is right around the corner. I am so anxious for flowers and warm weather.

Yesterday was a mild day and I enjoyed being outside with my grandson. He had so much fun playing in the snow. He spotted his bike in the garage and wanted to take it out. It's got huge rubber tires on it so I figured it would go pretty good in the snow. It did....and he had a blast. We had to shovel a little before he started but we did that together....he loves to shovel!!!

We were outside for almost two hours.....that's a record for me.....I am not a lover of snow and I hate being cold. We went back into the house and started our baking. We made bread, candy kiss cookies and a sour cream apple bar. Nathan loves to help with the baking and it gives us a lot of time to be together. There's a lot of clean up after but....just seeing how much fun he is having is definately worth it. I just love that little boy.