We had another busy weekend with the kids here to help make syrup.  A lot of coffee was consumed during the sugaring process...lol!  

We had a huge success with not only the amount of syrup we bottled, but the quality of the syrup we bottled.

Not sure how much more boiling we’ll do as we have quite a bit of syrup bottled this season, we just never know how a season will go.  

It’s definitely been a long time since I’ve posted.  Winter is still here but instead of a snowstorm we are having freezing rain which is not nice to drive in so we are hunkering down and staying in since we really have no place we need to be.

Here’s what I’ve been doing, the guys came out hunting in early November, some of the kids came for thanksgiving and we went to Texas for Christmas this year and stayed down there for a month. We had a wonderful time. The weather was pretty chilly but we sure didn’t mind, being with our family down there was why we go.

We spent a lot of time with our kids and grandkids and had quite a few sleepovers with the grands.

I did manage to get some UFO’s finished.  I finished my Chicago Cubs socks...yay!

Hopefully this will be the start of my blogging again. 

We've had a busy month starting with our trip to Nashville.  Our daughter-in-law and granddaughters from Texas came up with us for a few days.  Then two granddaughters came for a week and made a quilt from start to finish, never having sewed before and they did an awesome job.

I almost missed the Tree-Ripe truck and the girls and I headed to Tomah Wisconsin to get blueberries.  They wanted to see the Amish so it was a great way to get them both in.

I'm trying to get some knitting done and hopefully this week I will.

I woke up this morning to the smell of coffee being brewed, and it wasn't Maxwell House coffee.  I love my little corner I've created, it's nice and cozy and inviting when I wake up in the mornings.

We've had two sets of company this month which was so nice.  After sauna with the last company I made orange floats and they were a big hit with the grand-kids.

I went for a walk this afternoon and passed one of the neighbors who is selling their place.  It's a seasonal place and we only see them occasionally, but they are very nice.  They said the new owners are very nice and will be a great fit for the area. 

Winter is not going away easy this year, we have a winter storm predicted starting tomorrow :(  So I'll probably have some snow shots to show you :(

When we walk the beach we also look for shells and this year we found some good ones.  The shells in Galveston are not as pretty as the ones in Sanibel Florida, but I still like them.

Playing pie tag in the sand.

Enjoying the sand and sea.

A few finds found on our morning walks.

Tho there were cooler days on the beach, that really didn't damper our time spent there.

Again my photos were taken with my cell phone.

Being down in Texas we get to celebrate one of the granddaughters birthdays with her.  Here she is 5 years old.

My daughter-in-law makes the yummiest cakes and this one was soooo good.  Each cake she makes for them is themed and beautiful.

Isn't is beautiful?  It looks too pretty to cut into.  It was a winter themed cake, kind of a spin-off from the movie Frozen.

The 5 year old asked for a disco ball.  I thought it was awesome!!  Here she is dancing around it with one of the aunties.

I am going to miss these guys.  These photos were all taken with my cell phone.

Wow, where did the month of November go?  I blinked and it was gone.  How was everyone's Thanksgiving for those of you who celebrate it?  We had a wonderful one.  For the very first time since I started cooking for Thanksgiving, I didn't cook, we went out for dinner :) and it was awesome!  Don't think that we didn't eat since I didn't cook, we still had a fridge full of food and 2 or 3 coolers that held the overflow from the fridge.

The grands (and adults) made a gingerbread house and train.  I'm thinking that the amount of frosting and candies that was used for decorating, the same amount went into their bellies.

The grands also went on a few wagon rides while they were here.

Plus had fun playing up in the loft of the barn.  (photo compliments of Mr with his cell phone)

I missed Travel Tuesday this week so it will be Travel Thursday.

Bedside vigil for hours.  She left us in the wee hours of the morning on this 29th day of September. Her heart was broken after my father died and just couldn't live without him.  Then my aunt her only sister passed away leaving her being the only one left living from her family (parents and siblings) and that really took the sails out of her. 

My mother left this earth peacefully with her 4 children at her side.  Kind and loving nurses and patient care workers helping to keep her comfortable all the way until the end.

She has now gone home to her eternal resting place.  We will all miss you Mom.

We crossed the Mississippi river to head south to Texas after my dad's funeral.  We went for what was left of January and we are back now.  I didn't take too many photos with my camera but I did take quite a few with my cell phone and you can see them on Instagram.

We drove through some quaint Texas towns on our way to spend some time with friends down there.

We finally got down to the shore on Galveston Island, the weather was cool and rainy but we didn't care we walked the beach anyway.

Met up with a blogging friend Bev.  Mr and I had a wonderful visit with Bev and her husband Brian.

We spent time with the kids.

Mr and I had the best time away.  We did nothing, other than Mr having to do some work everyday, for him it was a working vacation, for me it was a time to do a lot of knitting and reflecting, and it was good. 

I had contemplated closing my blog over the past few months but I have reconsidered that thought.  I love to blog and I know I've slowed down quite a bit over the past few months.  I know I haven't visited blogs like I want to, and I miss visiting them a lot. 

So for now I will keep it going. 

I'm going to resolve to blog in 2015.

It was time for another trip to the American Girl Place in Chicago with a couple of granddaughters and their moms.  We arrived a bit early before they opened up and the girls were checking out the displays in the windows.

We really had a lot of fun, and on the way down the girls asked me why I didn't bring my doll.  I thought of it halfway to Illinois but by then it was too late to even turn around to get it.  Jim had given Julie to me a few years ago for Christmas.

Daughter E had to head back home so the girls, my daughter-in-law A and I walked around Chicago for a bit before taking the train back home.

The girls had a lot of fun, it was their day.  But I also had a lot of fun as well.