BACK HOME AGAIN

Dear All.

Here I am back in Michigan, my trip to London, now just a wonderful memory (boo who).

I had the best time, it was awesome to catch up with Damien and Lauren and I vow never to let it be so long again before I see them. I also had the pleasure of meeting Jessica, Damien's girlfriend of 3 years and her mother Deborah.

I also got to catch up with my neice, Kerryn, her husband Michael and to meet their beautiful boy Owen. He is just gorgeous, and he was the star of the evening.

Belinda and Matt - Aussie friends also joined us for our get-together. Belinda has been a friend of Kelly's for years, and as such is kinda like a member of our family. Belinda married Matt (English) and consequently lives in London. We had not seen them since Kelly's wedding.

The flight to London from here is certainly not the ordeal it is from Australia. We flew British Airways and the flight was only 3/4 full, so we were very comfortable for our 7 1/2 flight. I managed to doze very little and Alex managed a few hours (it was so tempting to kick her)!

Damien, Lauren and Jessica were there to welcome me and Alex had a very happy uncle waiting for her. We all had lunch together and went our separate ways.

Once we dropped the luggage off at the kid's apartment, we caught a bus to nearby Richmond. The weather was spring like and it was glorious to see the sun and feel its warmth after leaving the grey skies of Michigan. We toured around Richmond, walked by the Thames, viewed the wonderful, historic architecture, checked out the pub where Lauren used to work and then dined outside for our evening meal.

Damien and Lauren told me that they had taken Erin to the pub next door for a visit when she was in England and when they were dining the tide came in and as it laps the steps of the pub, they had to stay until the tide went out!!! Evidently, the pub we were at suffers the same fate at high tide, and although the kids didn't mind being trapped in a pub, the idea was less than appealing to me, so after our meal, we did a little more sight-seeing and arrived home via bus and legs (that was to be the norm) soon after dark.

I was determined not to suffer jet lag, so I stayed up and chatted until around 11.30pm, which set me in good stead for the reminder of my stay as I quickly fell asleep, slept well and was on London time from then on.

Damien had taken the week off, Jessica had the Tuesday off and Lauren had Thursday and Friday. We made good use of every day - we toured a wonderful Palace (Hampton Palace), we took several trips into the city and some through other suburbs.

One trip to the city included a Red Bus tour which for a flat fee, allows you to use your ticket over a two day period, and you are able to hop on and off the bus at will to explore buildings etc. which take your interest along the way.

I believe my brother Paul took the same tour with his wife Dorothy when they were in London. They decided to alight at different spots as they had different interests. Dorothy left the bus first, agreeing to met Paul later in the day. When she rejoined the bus to meet him, he was still on the bus, having remained on it for hours just touring the city. Seems he thought Dorothy had his ticket and he thought he wouldn't be able to get back on the bus!!!! A reminder from Dorothy and a quick check of his pocket revealed he had the ticket all the time!!! (Sorry Paul, had to get that in).

The bus tour also included a cruise down the Thames which was wonderful (bet you missed that one eh Paul??) It was a long day, but worth every second. I loved London, it is a really beautiful city. The English people were warm, friendly and helpful.

On another trip to the city, we did our own thing, and we checked out Buckingham Palace. Just as we were about to leave, the palace gates opened, the barricade disappeared into the ground and we were asked not to move. I thought someone important must be leaving the palace, and as the flag was flying, we knew some members of the royal family were there. Lauren grabbed the camera in readiness, and in an instant two cars passed us, one of which had Queen Elizabeth inside - just 10 feet from where we stood. I am not a royalist, so was surprised to find, that when she flashed us a big smile, I did find it rather special.

We were soon on the phone bragging to Jessica, Paul and Kelly that we were 10 feet from the Queen. Damien wondered if the Queen too grabbed her phone to tell her family that she had just spotted Kathy, Damien and Lauren??? I think it is highly likely!

There was also a horse and carriage waiting to pass back into the palace after a jaunt around the park, however, the passenger was obscured from view (intentionally) and we were only able to view his hand, so we can only wonder as to who it was.

While I was there, Lauren was hunting for a new apartment and is it is very expensive, she was looking for shared accommodation. This afforded me the opportunity to check out Wimbledom which I loved also. Since I returned, she has found accommodation in Kingston which I am not familar with, so will get to see it next time.

I also explored an Antique Fair whilst there, and found prices a bit cheaper, however, with the value of our dollar at the moment, it was not the time to be buying. Besides, I doubt Paul would have been pleased if I had shipped home the items that held my interest as they were rather large in size.

Despite the millions of stairs and lots of walking, the food I indulged in added a few pounds in excess baggage on my return trip. I have no regrets however, as I managed to eat just about everything I was missing. Those foods included a great Indian curry, a cornish pastie, a beef and ale meat pie, a donor kebab, the best Thai food ever, English fish and chips and a few sweets from the Australian shop!

The kids told me to bring rubber gloves (for cleaning), and a cook book, but I managed to cook only two meals whilst there, and that was two more than I intended!

The public transport system in London is fantastic and we certainly had no use for a car, as the tube/trains/buses were so convenient to use.

We walked along Mayfair and Park Avenue (properties I once owned in Monopoly), and checked out a few of the jewellry stores. We did not venture inside, as one has to ring a bell, be identified and checked in. Actually, after we left Cartier's, a police car with sirens wailing, screeched up the street. I told Damien and Lauren to hurry away, as they were probably after us for drooling on their windows!!!!!!!!! There is a picture below of the valet who stands outside Cartier's. He was a very pleasant, obliging man.

We met up with Alex on the Sunday before we left (can't remember where we met her). We did a very late lunch, (Damien had cooked a huge breakfast), a few pubs and then later that evening, Damien and Jessica went out for the long awaited donor kebabs. Unfortunately, they were not up to Aussie standards either, but still quite good.

We had a wonderful evening together and then left at 6.00 am in a cab for the airport. It was awful to have to say goodbye to the kids!!!

Paul met us at Detroit airport, but Alex had to wait until supper to see John as he had to work. We met him at a Chinese restaurant for supper. It was our intent to do drinks together at our place afterwards, but John was tired after a long day. Seems he knew what was best for us, as I was in bed by 8.25 and asleep by 8.30! Alex did the same I am told. We had been up since midnight Michigan time and had been to bed very late - guess adrenalin only gets you so far!

Although it was sad to leave, and I hope to return again before too long, it is still nice to be home. I just love the winter landscape here. We have had around 100 inches of snow this season and it has been beautiful. Every morning and every evening we have lots of deer feeding just outside our kitchen window. The other night, I counted 19 and they are certainly time wasters when one is confined indoors because of snow and hazardous roads. Some deer are nice and others very bossy and they pick on the weak. We have one who has a bad leg and it is very difficult for him/her to wade through the deep snow, and he is pushed away by the others and not allowed to feed until they are done! I have chastised them through the window, to no avail, they stare at me and continue on with their nasty behaviour. I have threatened to get a paint ball, mark them and let Paul shoot them next season............ alas, Paul thinks I am crazy.

We went to one of the local restaurants for lunch today and I received a bit welcome home - it was so nice to be missed. The owners took our photo to put on the wall. I thought maybe someone wanted to through darts at it, however, they said they like to have photos of friends and regular adorning their walls and it seems we fit one of the categories!!!!

Kyler continues to grow beautifully and develop new skills, almost on a daily basis. He now rolls himself around the floor to get where he wants to go, as he can't quite master crawling yet. So if he wants to be somewhere else, he just rolls there. Like his father and his Uncle Damien, his appetite is good and when his father delayed in feeding him, he grabbed the bottle from him and shoved it in his mouth himself!

I have included a few recent photos of Kyler below with some photos of my trip. I had lots more, but resisted my strong urge to add them all!

Well folks, I could ramble on for ages yet, but feel I have covered most things. Kelly, Nate and Kyler are well as is Paul. Erin is miserable with a cold and ear infection, which I hope soon goes, as she is on spring break next week and is intending to visit us on Sunday for a few days. I too am well and overfed (though the vacation pounds are just about off). We have had several catch ups since returning which included breakfast, lunches and dinner but are now going to be good!!

Love to all,

Kathy

Mike with my great nephew Owen

Belinda & Matt


Our get together

My neice Kerryn with Owen & me.




The Cartier's man

Damien on the escalator at the tube station

A painted guy

posing as a statue

at Piccadily Circus

Parliament house

Lauren and me

Damien and Jessica

Part of Hampton Palace

Walkway to Hampton Palace

Interior Hampton Palace

Damien, Jessica and me

at Hampton Palace

Damien's street is on the right

The pub where Lauren worked

Kyler in his exerciser






So cute

Aha, I see my pacifier!

LIFE AT THISILDO

Hi All,


I am proud to announce that I have now voted for the first time in America. I have been watching debates, speeches, documentaries etc. and feel that there were better choices this time, than there were in the last election. I learnt a lot, but know I have a lot more to learn about the history of the candidates, but feel pretty sure, most of them will be an improvement on Bush!



As usual, voting was not without a bit of drama. I received a phone call from Alex who asked if I had plans for the day. I told her I was pretty flexible (I will ditch housework at the drop of a hat!). Anyway, we decided to vote first and then make plans. Alex agreed to go ahead and scout out the election venue to see how busy it was, as she was already on the road. She called to say it was relatively quiet, so I ventured out to vote, agreeing to meet her there.


The roads were a bit hazardous from the recent snow fall (was still snowing, but I would have voted in a blizzard). I got to the township hall and as I know little about cars (only that hers is blue), I was unable to spot her immediately so went in to vote. The people on duty was awesome and very helpful to a "newby". I proudly voted, and got a sticker to declare that I had voted. I won't tell you who I voted for as I have friends who are Republicans and friends who are Democrats and I would like to keep it that way. I then ventured around the car park, peeking into the window of every blue car! Still no Alex! She called to say she was definitely there and told me where she was parked. Needless to say, I still couldn't find her! Turns out she was at a different venue.



All is well that ends well, as we decided to meet at a restaurant and have lunch! We had a great lunch, spent the afternoon together and John meet us for dinner/supper back at our house, after which I was inducted into the American game of hockey. John is a huge hockey fan, but he did patiently explain it to me and we sat and watched whilst his team got annihilated! Don't know how he had fun - anyway, I am now a supporter of the Detroit Red Wings!!!! However, from the way they played, I doubt we will be having any celebration parties in the near future. I might add that it was my turn to treat Alex for lunch and once again, I didn't have any money!!! I keep forgetting to take money with me, just a credit card and in small country towns, they don't always have the facilities to accept it. Alex saved me from doing the dishes, so I guess we will have to keep doing lunch til I pay her back!

The 16th January is Damien's birthday, so Paul and I called to sing him Happy Birthday - it seemed he was less than impresssed and drew the conclusion that he was born into a dysfunctional family. Apparently, Kelly had called before us and sang to him as well. He did say her voice was better and that perhaps Paul and I should consider singing lessons. Well from now on, Paul and I will sing to him at every opportunity, until he develops an appreciation of the finer things in life!

It would have been nice to be there with him on his birthday, but it won't be long and we can have a belated celebration. It is hard to believe he is 31! Soon people will begin to think we are brother and sister (unless of course, he is aging extremely well).



As I have now learnt the secret to living a long life (Paul told me), I was able to pass it onto Damien and now I will share it with all of you "keep breathing as long as possible"! Seems like a good idea to me!

I really should keep a running diary as it is always hard to remember exactly what we have been doing to fill our days since I last wrote.

I know we have had some wonderful snow storms. It seems we are always running to the store to get our 'fixins' before the storm arrives.

Last week on the Thursday night and Friday, we had a really big snow storm, and early on Friday morning (6.30am), we had to set out to Lansing (Michigan's capital), for a court hearing. I was asked to appear as a witness in a custody case. The drive to Lansing would normally take between 45mins to 1 hour, however, the roads were snowy, icy, unplowed and the snow was falling heavily most of the way, so the trip took 2 hours at a top speed of 30 miles per hour. Needless to say, our convey of 3 cars arrived safely. We don't have a verdict in the court case yet, but I was appearing on behalf of a neighbor who is seeking custody of his baby girl. We are hopeful of getting a favorable verdict sometime next week, so say some prayers please.



I was finished with my court appearance at midday, and it was our intent to travel onto Ohio (Dayton), for a surprise 60th birthday party for Kelly's father-in-law. We had more or less made up our minds not to go because of road conditions, however, when we left the court house, the snow had stopped. Erin called to say that the storm predicted to hit Ohio had not materialised, and that her investigations revealed the roads that way were okay. We decided to press on and pull into a motel if it was too bad. The further we travelled, the better conditions became and we arrived safely at our destination around 5pm, in time to relax, shower, change and head off to the party.

Soon after our arrival at the party, Kelly, Nate and Kyler arrived!!!! He has certainly grown, but almost daily photos (at my insistence), prevented me from being shocked!!! He turned 4 months old on the day of the party, and he is a beautiful, healthy and extremely happy baby.


Doug (father-in-law), got a huge surprise when he walked in and saw the waiting gathering of family and friends. Evidently he had no idea!!! It was a great night - great food and wonderful company.

We spent the Saturday hanging out at Doug and Cherie's place, taking it in turns to hold Kyler when he was awake!!! We managed to share him without any fights. Erin and her boyfriend Chris also arrived on the Saturday morning. They couldn't make it for the party, as Chris has a second job writing up sporting events for his local newspaper and he had to cover a game on the Friday night.

Cherie put on a wonderful brunch on the Sunday before we all headed back home in various directions. Their hospitality is always amazing and we always enjoy our time with them - even if we do have to share Kyler!! lol

Sunday was also Paul's birthday, so it was nice for him to be able to see "his girls" on his special day! Unfortunately, he spent the greater part of his day driving home, and the evening was a bit of a non-event as we were both a bit tired. We will go out together with friends in the near future and give him the celebration he deserves.



In the past couple of weeks, two of my nephews wives' have produced beautiful baby girls. One was born in Australia to my nephew Chris and his wife Julene and her name is Phoebe - she is beautiful and healthy and a much loved little sister to their son Oliver. My other nephew Glenn and his wife Melanie, also had a baby girl born in Hong Kong (they are working their for a year or two). She is their first child and her name is Evie. Evie is fair haired and beautiful, whilst Phoebe has dark hair.

It is about time that my children and all their cousins started producing off-spring in earnest. Mum and Dad had seven children and between us we had 26 children and currently those 26 have produced 18 with 2 on the way! Goodness know how many we will have in the future, but I expect there will be many more before they are all done. A family reunion in the next few years would be wonderful.

Life this week has been fairly quiet - just routine with a few trips out because once again, we have had a lot of snow. There is more on the way and by Sunday our temp. will be around -20 F with the wind chill. Hard to comprehend eh?

Last night we had a games night here with some neighbors. One neighbor, I have only met briefly called and said that Paul had mentioned that we enjoy games and asked if they could come over one night. I always enjoy getting to know new people - it sure helps prevent cabin fever when snowed in, so we phoned up a few others and had a great night. We talked more than we played, but we did manage to get in one game of Balderdash and had lots of laughs.


We also decided to have another night in early March - not a games night, as we are hopeful that a lot more of the neighbours will be able to come (last night we had 10). It is so good to live in a neighbourhood with so many fun, friendly people.



I did notice today, that Lynn, one of our friends who was here last night, was out skiing on the lake. It was snowing lightly at the time, so I must applaud her stamina!!!!



I should also mention here, that Dave, her husband, has just about finished setting up a web site for our lake association. I will put the link in here, particularly for my Aussie family, as if you click on the link, you will see a lot more of the area in which I live. There are photos of the lake, a map and other details. A job well done Dave!!! He is currently working on getting us a shorter web address.


http://web.mac.com/dkbaer/iWeb/www.deltoncrookedlakeassociation.org This link also appears again below, in case you want to finish reading this before clicking on it!


It isn't long now til Alex and I head off to London, and I am starting to get organised (i.e. filling the freezer with meals for Paul, check list of things to take etc.) and I am getting excited. Keep your fingers crossed that there are no snow storms on the 15th of this month. Due to the severe winter weather, many airports have had to shut down because of fog and ice/snow etc. As long as the airports remain open, I will ensure we get there, even if Paul has to take us on his snow mobile!!! Can you picture that - a two hour drive to Detroit on a snow mobile with Alex on the handle bars, holding her case and me behind Paul, clutching my case with a camera around my neck!!!! I am sure it would be possible - convincing Paul and Alex would be the hard part. John of course, would have to stay at home - it would be unreasonable to ask Paul to fit him on as well, and I certainly wouldn't want to appear to be unreasonable!!!!.



It appears February is a very special month - Happy Birthdays go to Paul, Doug, Murphy, Sid and a very special birthday greeting to Sr. Lucille who will be turning 70!!!! Mary almost made February (at the end of January), so special greetings to you also.



Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. Paul has been okayed this year not to give me flowers as I am leaving the next day and won't be here to enjoy them. I guess he will just have to lavish (not ravish), me with chocolates or dollars instead!!!! lol





Well folks thats it until I get back from London, probably with lots of photos of Damien, Lauren, Kerryn, Michael, Owen, Belinda, Matt, Queen Lizzie, Charles and his gargoyle and other city sights!!!



I have as usual puts some pictures at the end of the blog for those of you who may be interested.

After 15th of this month, please send any emails to me at kate-mack@hotmail.com as I will be checking emails only at that address while I am away. It is an old email, but it still works.

Lots of love to all, Kathy




House in the snow - compliments of Lyn Nitto



Family making fools of themselves


in an attempt to get Kyler's


attention














Kelly, Nate


and Kyler


compliments of


Nate's Aunty Bonnie














Chris holding Kyler



































Gramps has a turn!






Cherie was next!

Erin feeding Kyler

What - you want another smile?

Doug managed to get his turn as well!

http://web.mac.com/dkbaer/iWeb/www.deltoncrookedlakeassociation.org

JANUARY 2008!!!!!

Hi All,

I know it's only a few weeks since I last wrote, but as I promised pictures, I thought I would write as well (can't help bad luck eh?).

When I last wrote, I mentioned I was expecting guests for New Year's and also had planned a 'girlie' day out with Alex.

Our day out was wonderful. It began with a trip to the hairdresser's where Alex intended to have her long, black locks cut and styled. The transformation was wonderful and we left with Alex looking like a million dollars. Unfortunately, it had begun to snow heavily and her new style was soon covered in snow. She was not concerned, and we headed off to browse through some antique shops. We had planned many things that day but the antique shops held our interest for far too long. We spent hours browsing and thoroughly enjoyed it. After shopping we had a wonderful lunch and headed off to the jewellery store. What women we are - the jewellery store was closing down and yet we resisted.

By the time we headed for home, it had been snowing heavily for some time and the roads were really slick. We had one minor slide, but Alex was in control. We arrived home to find that Rochelle had arrived and later that evening, John, Vickie, Lyn, Briannah and Darrien arrived safely too.

We had a wonderful weekend - John pulled the kids around on a toboggan tied to the ATV and later he took Rochelle and Lyn for rides on the snow mobile. I went to get the camera, but was sidetracked and missed the perfect kodak moment. Lyn and Rochelle each borrowed a pair of Paul's Bib and Brace snow mobile pants. The crutch on Lyn's almost hit the floor and Rochelle had room also to accommodate an extra!!! (Am not sure I should have women staying who are so happy to get into Paul's pants)! They both enjoyed themselves, despite the apparel and remained very warm!

On the Saturday we went for a drive to try and spot some elk at the Elk Farm. We were fairly daring and thought no-one was around, so we drove up the drive way and the farmer came out of his barn. He was most accommodating, and to our delight, he let us drive right up to the fields where they were. Unfortunately, they had all lost their antlers, but the antlers were on display on the roof of the barn and around the barn. They were inquisitive animals and stared at us as much as we stared at them.

Our guests were here for the New Year's Party, and proved to be lots of fun. We laughed so much over the days they were here, that my jaws ached. They were also very helpful in food preparation for the party.

I had worked out the menu, but Lyn put in a special request for a pavlova. I decided that as they had proved popular in the past, that one would not be sufficient for everyone to have a piece, so decided to make two. Luckily they turned out fine, but that is not the end of the story.

Our menu included roast pork, as I was lucky enough to find a huge leg of uncured pork (not easy here in the States, as most of them are cured as sold as hams). The pork needed 8 plus hours to cook so it was in the top oven. (Pavlovas had been made the day before). I was also cooking a whole beef tenderloin, which needed approx. 1 hour. I was also doing baked potatoes, macaroni and cheese and green bean casserole, biscuits etc. so the ovens were much in demand.
I had everything worked out according to time and degrees. (clever, clever me). So I turned on the bottom oven to preheat whilst I went to shower.

Now I do like a nice, long, hot shower, but with so many guests, I behaved myself and had a quick shower, but when I left the bedroom, my nostrils were assailed with a sweet, sickly, burnt smell!!!!!!!!!!! The house too was rather smokey!!!!!!!!!!

The others quickly informed me that I had missed the drama! When I turned on the bottom oven, I had forgotten the pavlovas were resting there!!!! Needless to say, they had quickly burnt and even produced flames. The doors and windows were opened on this very cold night, about 1 hour before guests were due to arrive! The blacked pavlovas were outside on the bar-b-que!!! By the end of the evening, they looked perfect again, as they were covered in 3 inches of snow! lol

Oh well, we had way too much food, more than ample desserts and Lyn did get to watch me make them and she got a copy of the recipe to take home. The whipped cream for the pavlovas was used for Irish Coffees instead.

We had a great evening, with a couple of new faces as well, though a few of the old faces were missing this year, as a couple of people took sick and others did not take the risks on the hazardous roads. I was having too much fun and forgot to take photos this year, but am hoping Lyn did and that I will get copies in the future?????

John and the clan left on New Year's day as he had to go to work the next day. Rochelle stayed on for another day as road conditions were still not good.

Paul and I set to work then, packing away Christmas decor and taking it easy.

Alex came over for an impromptu visit one evening (in her pj's), while we planned our trip to England. I am reasonably flexible with dates, but she had to work it around her work schedule.
We made decisions and I booked the trip the next day. My itinerary is below (mainly for Sid's benefit as he is always so organised in emailing us his!)

My birthday was the 10th - thank you all for the beautiful cards and many, many phone calls. I spent the first two or three hours on the phone - thank you to Damien for waking me so early!!!! It is worth getting older, just to get to chat with everyone.

After breakfast and the phone calls, we headed off to the casino for the day. Four Winds at New Buffalo. It has been opened about 6 months and has a North Woods theme, so we were very interested to check it out. We left around 11am and returned home around 10pm, having had lots of fun and a great meal. We certainly didn't win anything, but we don't have to sell the house either!!!

We went to dinner the next night with John and Alex for yet another birthday celebration. We went to a restaurant called the London Broil in Plainwell. We had passed it on many occasions and always meant to check it out. John and Alex are regular patrons and now we know why. Once again, a great meal and great company.

John and Alex also invited themselves over here for dinner one night - but they bought the dinner with them. John cooked it at home and then bought the cooked meal to us. I have to say in all honesty, it was the best meat loaf I have ever had. I really like my meat loaf but his far exceeds mine. He got the recipe from some T.V. show.

Well folks, that's about all the news for now. Hope everyone has a wonderful 2008.

Oh - one of my New Year's Resolutions is to take more care when visiting Kelly and Nate and doing their laundry. Seems last time I did it, after folding and hanging his permanent press dress pants, he wore them to work. When walking down the hall at his office, accompanied by a couple of his bosses, a pair of Kelly's panties (knickers), slid down his leg and onto the floor!!!! He bent down and picked them up, put them in his pocket and continued on. I asked if the others noticed and he said "sure they did"!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well.

Lots of love,

Paul and Kathy

My Itinery

Leave America on 15th February (Overnight flight from Detroit) After kissing Paul goodbye!
Have lots of fun!
Return on 25th February and kiss Paul hello!!
(Hope you like this one Sid??)

Chris (Erin's boyfriend), modelling
his new pj's and top!!!!!

Good fit eh? Just don't go out like that..........











Vickie slaving away in the kitchen.... A woman's work is never done, however, with such help, mine was!!!!!!!!!!!

John (Vickie's husband), out doing the plowing for us -

Great to have such help eh?

Kyler - at sleep after an exhausting play session. Photo complements of Erin's cell phone.

Time for the Christmas decor to go away.

These little elves enjoyed their ride to

the attic in the elevator!

These elves were much more agile. They climbed their way to the attic!!!

Wish the Christmas trees could have done

the same!!!!!!!!!!!!

My happy little grandson.

Gosh how I love that smile

and his chunky little legs!

Thanks Erin, another cell

phone picture for Nana.

The three stooges at John's birthday dinner.

Paul (the handsome one), John (front) and

Brandon at the back.

A view from the garage to the barn.
Rochelle's car is getting nicely

covered.

The sun breaks through the trees.

View from our bedroom window!

View from the front deck.

View from the back deck.

Our girlie day out produced a new, glamerous and even more beautiful Alex! We all love her

new hair style!!!!

Blue skies and sunshine cast shadows over our winter wonderland.

An angel in blue with a cheeky smile.

Another cell phone beauty from Erin.

Nana wth her bundle of joy!

Dear All,



Thought I would begin my blog while I have a quiet moment - am not sure when it will get finished.



Not a great deal of news since the last email, so this will probably be a bit shorter.



A lot of the snow birds have now left the area for warmer temperatures. Since writing last time, the women were once again invited to breakfast with the boys (mmmm well we did get our feet in the door). Linda, Tom, Carol, Jim, Maryanne (they had gone, but were back for Christmas), Charlie, Connie, another Tom and Paul and I, enjoyed a great breakfast at Parrieville Inn (Hooterville as Paul calls it). It was just a couple of days before Charlie and Connie headed off to Texas.



Whilst we were having breakfast, the snow started to fall! It was beautiful, but we had been warned that we could get anywhere between 6 and 12 inches, with blizzard conditions (i.e. wind, blowing snow, ice - the works). Everyone was hoping it wouldn't happen - except me!!! I said - bring it on!! I can't imagine anything more beautiful or exciting - nothing better than a great storm (well maybe somethings, but who cares?).



After we left the restaurant, Paul and I went to the supermarket to make sure we had plenty of 'fixins" (country talk for food! lol). We have a generator which powers the whole house if the power goes out (it is run by natural gas). So if we had 'fixins' we can be comfortable indefinitely.

I really wasn't sure what one should buy if they were going to be 'snowed in', so I grabbed some egg nog and bread and of course some cheese for Paul! We do have plenty of food in the freezer and pantry, so we were well covered.



Unfortunately, most of the storm passed us by - we probably got 6 inches, which was lovely, but alas, no blizzard, no ice storm - no drama.



Christmas week is also birthday week. Nate celebrated his birthday on the 17th December. Paul and I sent him a few things, one of which was a ticket to ride shotgun in a race car at the race track in Atlanta. He seemed to like the idea which is great.



Kelly had her birthday on the 22nd - and by all accounts she had a wonderful day. They were spending Christmas in Ohio with Nate's family. The other grandparents babysat Kyler for the night(poor them), so Nate took Kelly to Cincanitti for the night.



On the 21st of December, our friend John celebrated his birthday, so we joined John, Alex, Brandon and Emily at the Radison for a wonderful meal.



Lauren turned 25 on the 20th December. They held her work Christmas party that night and she celebrated with Damien and friends the next night. She said she too had a wonderful birthday.



All is quiet on the birthday front until January 10th when I will celebrate turning forty sixteen!!
Plenty of time for everyone to have a shopping break and still get gifts here on time!! lol



Chris and Erin arrived on the 21st to celebrate Christmas early with us. We had our Christmas on the 23rd with them as they left on Christmas Eve. We had a lovely time with them - none of the traditional Christmas fare, as we did intend to dine out, but changed our minds. We had garlic shrimp pasta, cheesecake and golden squash soup (pumpkin soup for the Aussies). It snowed again the night before they left, but not enough to keep them here (half answered prayers once again).



Once again, our plans for Christmas changed. We left it till only days before the book into a casino for Christmas Eve, as we wanted to be sure that the roads would be safe to travel. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, both casinos within a few hours drive were totally booked out. We decided to stay home, and John and Alex joined us for our Christmas meal. It was the quietest Christmas I have ever had, but we did have a lovely time. Great food and great company.

For Christmas, Paul managed to find my favourite perfume Lulu which one cannot buy in the States. He obviously found it via the internet, and as my supply was out and I was thinking I would have to hop on my broomstick and fly to Oz to pick up a bottle, it was a nice surprise. He also gave me a voucher, good for one trip to England. I did ask if it was a return trip, but he said, the jury is still out on that one!!! Needless to say, I hope to go in the next couple of months and my friend Alex is planning to come along if she can arrange it. Alex still has an apartment in England, and many friends she would like to catch up with.

Today has been slow and easy - Paul and I went out for lunch and have done very little. He is currently out hunting with a neighbor and Larry the neighbor shot a deer - so they will be back before too long. Deer hunting finishing on 31st of December - but it is possible, muzzle loading or bow and arrow will still be permitted.


While Paul and Larry were hunting at the back of our property, I was standing at the kitchen sink watching 4 deer feed at our deer feeder. I told them not to go home via his hunting blind, so I sure hope they didn't shoot my deer!!!

Okay, so I didn't get finished - had a few interruptions. It is now Thursday 27th and have spent the day, paying for my lazy day yesterday. I have managed to get fresh sheets etc. on beds for our guests who are arriving tomorrow - weather permitting. I had to get it done, as I am having a "girlie" day tomorrow - hairdressers, jewellry shops (just looking), and lunch. My friend is picking me up at 9am and as I expect to be home just before guests arrive, I don't expect to get photos on this blog, so will send another in a few days with just photos.


I was recently asked to make the pictures bigger - I am sure most of you realise, but in case you don't, you only have to click on them to view them bigger!!!!

We got a Christmas card this year from the guys who built our kitchen and they have a photo of our kitchen on their card! They did tell us they were going to use it in their advertising brochure, but to see they used it for their Christmas Card gave us a real buzz. I guess next year, they will probably want Paul and I on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

Before I go, I have several questions:-

Why are mattresses always on sale?
Why do Alpacca farmers want everyone else to do it? Corn farmers and dairy farms aren't always telling us how wonderful it is and telling us to do it to!!
Are my brothers and sisters going to send me photos of John's wedding soon, with all the details? I was thinking of you all.
The CD was great to get of the family reunion, made me cry, but made me happy as well. I miss you all so much. I do think at such occasions, there should be two empty chairs - symbolic of Paul and I...............................
The farmer sows his crops, his wife sews their clothes, together they both sow, sew, so????????
( guess I play too much scrabble eh?)

Heather - we got your letter - we are very excited to know you will be coming over this year. July is summer time here, and of course in Canada too.

Well folks, that will do for now.

Love to you all, Kathy

DECEMBER NEWS

Dear All,

Christmas is around the corner, as I am sitting here sipping on my Eggnog. I am restricting myself to just one at the moment, as although it sounds harmless, it does have brandy in it, and it tastes so good, I could just drink it all night!!!! They only make it around Christmas time, so I will have to buy hundreds of bottles to last until next Christmas! Well maybe not hundreds.... but some anyway.

The tree is up and the house is decorated, I have just finished my Christmas shopping and am ready to enjoy the season. This year will be the quietest I have ever had. Lauren and Damien are in England (sob, sob, sob), Kelly , Nate and Kyler are headed to the in-laws (lucky them) and Erin and Chris will be here prior to Christmas. I heard on the grapevine that the kids are concerned that I won't be able to handle it without a housefull!!! Well, I think that is why God gave us Eggnog! All jokes aside, we did have Kelly, Nate and Kyler for Thanksgiving and Erin and Chris were coming for Christmas, but at our insistence, they are coming to celebrate it early, so they can be with Chris's family for Christmas. I don't want them stressed at Christmas trying to please two families.

Paul and I were invited to share Christmas Day with some very special friends, but in view of the fact that their home is not handicapp accessible, we have opted to either have dinner at a lovely restaurant in Kalamazoo or depending on the weather, we may spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at a nearby Casino!!! My first choice of course, would be to have all my family together, but spending the time alone with Paul is a very appealing senario as well.

Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful!!! I flew to Atlanta, stayed a couple of days and flew back with Kelly and Kyler on the Sunday. He was an angel and slept through the entire flight. However, one little man sure has a lot of luggage and I don't see how Kelly could have managed without me! We flew into Detroit and Paul picked us up and when we arrived home Erin was waiting for us. We had a wonderful week together and it was so wonderful to have a baby in the house.

Erin's boyfriend Chris arrived on Tuesday night and Nate arrived Wednesday evening. Erin and Chris took the feed around 2am!!! Aren't they wonderful. We almost had to have a stop watch to ensure that everyone got equal time holding Kyler. The house was so quiet and empty when they left. One night we were all in bed by 9 p.m. - unheard of in this house, where we like to often stay up quiet late, but the little man wore us all out!!!

Thanksgiving is such a special time - it is Christmas without the gifts. I love it. We had our good friends Alex and John join us all for dinner. Chris bought the turkey, John picked it up and arrived in time for dinner with a beautifully cooked turkey. I made the side dishes and desserts and we had a magnificent meal with wonderful company!!!

Kelly is now back at work - silly girl went back after 8 weeks!!! She had always planned to go back then, little realising what was in store for her. She does work for a small company and has great loyalty to them, and felt she was needed. Her blood work is back to normal which is wonderful, but as is expected, Kyler is still not sleeping through the night, so she is still quite tired.

When I was writing last month's blog, Paul was out hunting, and he called to say he had shot (bow and arrow) two bucks within ten minutes of each other. For those of you who think he is a hardened killer, you are half right. He is indeed a killer, but he does only kill for the meat and any meat we don't use goes to feed hungry families in the area. The deer here need to culled otherwise many die of starvation during the winter months, and sadly they are often responsible for road deaths and many accidents. I did have a hard time with it once, but when listening to the nightly local news, I am often reminded of how necessary it is to keep the herds in check.

Paul had the opportunity to kill several does during gun season, but got more pleasure out of sitting and watching them. He even got to see a fawn still feeding from its mother - only 10 feet away!!! He constantly asks me to go and join him in his blind, but his pleas fall on deaf ears as there is no way I will give up the comfort of home to sit and watch deer than can be often viewed outside the kitchen window.

Rita and Tom were here for a weekend since I last wrote, and we had a really great time. Whenever they are here, we always enjoy their company and have lots of laughs. Srs. Sandi and Lucille were coming as well, but unfortunately, Sandi was unwell, so they had to take a raincheck.

We have had our first snow fall and everything outside is so beautiful - bloody cold, but beautiful. I am like a child when snow falls, if it is forcast for when we are sleeping, I can't sleep, I keep getting up to see if it is happening yet. To me, it is like waves breaking on the shore and I could watch it endlessly! As usual, we are planning on having another New Year's Eve party - John, Vickie, Lyn and the gang are coming as is Rochelle, perhaps Bobby and some of our local friends. That is the reason we even bothered to put up Christmas decorations. I decided to just put up a small tree this year as Christmas was going to be so quiet, but my maniac husband had other ideas! I have to admit, that he easily swept me up with his enthusiasm, but we still did not decorate to the extent we have in other years. Hey everybody, you are all invited - come on up, across, over, down or whatever. Remember, we have have six bedrooms, a big loft and a big basement - stacks of room - the more the merrier!

This morning we had breakfast with some neighbors and friends. Usually, it is just the men, but this morning, wives were invited into the boys' club breakfast! Not permanently, but it was a lot of fun. It was particularly good, as my friend whom I have mentioned in previous emails, has now completed her chemo. Unfortunately, it took a dreadful toll on her and she was very ill, and hospitalised and hence she does not have to have her final session. She is recovering just the same, slowly but surely, and although her appetite still isnt good (I made up for her), she was well enough to join us and we all had a lot of laughs.

I have put the pictures at the end of the blog this time. It is quicker than putting them in where appropriate and affords you the opportunity of not bothering if they hold no interest for you.

Well folks, thats all for now - not much news and it is even boring me! I have several emails to write so rather than do PS as usual, I will make the effort and write soon.

Love to all, Kathy

Kyler in the pjs from Carmel and James

Our Thanksgiving table (flowers from Nate)

Our little man in his camo - from Gramps

Sweet dreams baby!