Kathy's Online Scrapbook

Vacation

2010-10-12T18:17:00.004-04:00

We went to Westminster, South Carolina again this year in September to our timeshare. I am posting some pictures. We have been going here for seven or eight years and always look forward to the laid back ways of the south. We stopped at Kevin's on the way down. We were gone ten day and had a wonderful time. We took Keith's "new" truck. Of course we did not miss the Pickens Flea Market. We go to that every year. Also went to a big one in Anderson this year.

Keith Replaced his Truck

2010-09-09T17:16:00.002-04:00

Keith sold his truck last month and has really missed having a truck. Today we bought a Ford F350 one ton deisel duelly. It is like new inside and out. It was a one owner and has less miles on it that the 2007 truck we sold. I drove it home and it drives really nice. It is also easier for me to get into than the old one. I think we are going to really like it.

Libby's 2nd Birthday Party

2010-09-06T14:07:00.005-04:00

I went to Cincinnati Saturday and spent the night with Kevin's. Libby's party was Sunday afternoon. Sarah's family came and after Libby opened her gifts, we had pizza. Then we had cupcakes and ice cream. Kevin and Libby made the cupcakes. Kevin iced them and Libby decorated them. I helped just a little, but it was such fun. Libby is such a good big sister. In one of the pictures of her decorating the cupcakes, you can see Lilah sleeping in her bouncer chair. It was a busy fun day getting ready for the party and then of course having the party. I started home after the party and the GPS said I would arrive home at 10:01. I stopped at McDonald's in Hicksville and got sandwiches for Keith & I and still got home at 10:07. Made pretty good time!

Almost forgot to post a new picture of Lilah. So here is a close up of her sleeping. Which is what she does most of the day. She is up from about 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. Which gives Sarah and Kevin little rest. Hope she gets that turned around soon.

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY LIBBY.

Keith was Busy while I was in Cincinnati

2010-09-06T12:49:00.005-04:00

When I got home last night it was dark and although Keith had all the outside lights on, I was so anxious to see him, that I didn't really look around. I just drove into the garage. This morning we watched Avatar so I didn't really even look outside until after lunch. Keith installed my new mailbox that he got me for my birthday. He put a shelf behind it and put a really neat birdhouse on one side and our sign that has our names on it on the other side. He also installed a new lamp out in the front yard that matches the lamps on the front porch. I love it. He really worked hard while I was gone to get all that done. Thank you Keith. I appreciate all your hard work and I LOVE IT!

I will post pictures of Libby's party later tonight.

Want to spend some time with Keith and I also want to get over to see Kurt's family and get
Christy's birthday card to her. Her birthday is tomorrow.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTY!

Kraig's Football Game

2010-09-01T12:11:00.005-04:00

Kraig is one of the captains of the 8th grade team. They had their first home game of the season last night. Keith & I went. They played West Noble Middle School. They won 12 to 6. It was a good game and both teams played hard. We were so proud of Kraig. Will post some pictures. He is #50. I really like the second picture. Kraig is the Eastside player on the right. In the third picture the sticker on the back of his helmet denotes that he is a captain. The last picture is before the start of the game when the captains meet with the officials.

Introducing Lilah Grace Whitman

2010-09-01T11:53:00.005-04:00

Keith & I went to Cincinnati to stay with Libby while Sarah was in the hospital. Lilah Grace Whitman was born Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 9:27 a.m. She weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and was 21 inches long. Keith & I went to the hospital to meet her. She is a keeper. I am posting pictures I took there. The picture of Lilah alone was taken Saturday just before I went home. She is precious and Libby is a GREAT big sister.

Casey is 13!!

2010-08-04T17:10:00.002-04:00

Casey is now a teenager. Her birthday was the 29th and we celebrated with her family at the campground on Friday night. The food was delicious (Thanks Christy). It is hard to believe how fast the kids are growing up. I am posting a couple pictures. She is getting prettier every day. Happy Birthday Casey!!!

My time with three of my granddaughters! :o)

2010-08-04T16:53:00.004-04:00

Cayla was first this year. She wanted to eat at a McDonald's playland and go bowling at Crazy Pinz in Fort Wayne. So we did and went shopping too. Next was Chloe. We went and played Putt-Putt golf, went to the movie Dispicable Me (the theatre we went to was really different. Notice the seating in the picture. They had no concession stand, but a waitress came around and got your order for popcorn, candy, corn dogs, sandwiches, fries and drinks) and we ate at Subway after the movie...of course shopping too. Then it was Casey's turn. We went to Speedway go-carts..I watched..played Putt-Putt golf, ate at Cheddars and of course shopping. I watched movies with each of them when we got home as we have Netflix now and they could pick the movies to watch instantly. Each of the girls baked or made something too. Cayla made chocolate chip cookies, Chloe - rice krispy treats and Casey made a german chocolate cake with homemade coconut icing. I had a blast. I hope they had fun. Was hoping to have Kraig come this week, but he is spending the rest of the week at Grandma Birdies or Jackie's. Saturday he has a birthday party and Sunday Keith & I are taking Kurt's family on a train ride. The next week he has football practice so I hope we can work around that. As their school starts on the 16th we are running out of time. Where did the summer go???

Visit with Kevin's

2010-07-11T21:05:00.005-04:00

I went to Cincinnati Tuesday and stayed with Libby Wednesday through Friday while her babysitter was on vacation. We played outside two days and she enjoyed swinging, bubble wand and playing in the sand. Friday it rained so we had to play inside. Friday night after Libby went to bed, Sarah asked me if I would help them make a dress for Libby. Sarah did all the sewing and Kevin did all the pressing, made the bias tape and lots of moral support. I just explained some of the terms on the pattern and gave a little instruction. It was a fun project and we worked on it as a team. The dress was finished in about an hour and a half. I took a picture of them with the finished project. Kevin had bought Sarah the pattern for Mother's Day and it is a Mommy and Me pattern so it has a pattern to make a matching top for Mom. I got home about noon Saturday. My garden had missed me. I got two gallons of pickles soaking "Erma's Pickles" to be canned Thursday. Also canned 14 pints of bread and butter pickles, made cucumber and onion salad and picked two five gallon buckets of green beans. Today I canned 20 pints of green beans, had fresh green beans with lunch and got another gallon of pickles soaking. Tomorrow I am planning to can beets and Tuesday spend a day scrapbooking. Oh, when I got home and looked over at the robin's nest, I thought it must be the Mom in there...but it didn't have a orange breast....It was a good sized bird...This morning I checked and the nest was empty. Keith said, "You wouldn't believe how the robins grew while you were gone...he was surprised too that the nest was empty.

Life Goes On. Robins Hatch!

2010-06-28T10:37:00.003-04:00

Today is a new sunny day and the robin's eggs have hatched. Keith took a quick picture of the babies this morning. More to come as they grow.

Pictures of the Opera House..upstairs before...

2010-06-26T12:49:00.007-04:00

These are some pictures taken by the Historical Society of Edgerton. We were hoping to restore the building and use the Opera House upstairs. Hope you enjoy seeing what it was and imagine what it was many years ago when constructed in 1880. They had many plays etc up there. The stage and balcony were still intact. When I worked there, I used to climb those beautiful staircases...one on each side.. to the upstairs to store records. I would look in at the stage and imagine what it was like before years ago. One picture is names written on the wall...by the ticket sales for the opera house...it was behind my office when I was the utility clerk. It was fun to read what people wrote. Some simply signed their name and the date. You can see the ceiling in one of the pictures. (the 4th one) And if you look at one I posted earlier of the hole in the building, you can see that the ceiling is still there. It has an elaborate painting on it. In the last picture, you can see the balcony. Most people in the village have never seen the upstairs. That is sad.

More pictures of the "microburst" in Edgerton

2010-06-26T12:18:00.003-04:00

The national weather service has concluded that it was not a tornado, but a microburst with 100 plus mph winds that destroyed the town hall in Edgerton. I feel so bad about the building, but so thankful for no loss of life. Still no Myrtle. Keep hoping. Found no remains or feathers or anything...so I am hopeful that she is OK somewhere. I am also happy that they are going to reconstruct "Clem" and he will once again stand watch over Edgerton. Our residents have been at odds with each other over saving the town hall or destroying it. God has made that decision for us. I was one who wanted it saved. It could have been restored to a beautiful old building. The Opera House upstairs with the balcony and stage could have been used again....but that is not to be. I hope that they make a nice park or fountain or something there where it stood.

More pictures - June 24, 2010

2010-06-24T16:05:00.003-04:00

Here are a few more pictures.

Storm Damage to the Town Hall in Edgerton

2010-06-24T15:34:00.004-04:00

Today I went to Edgerton to see the damage to the Town Hall. I had heard that the roof had blown off, but I was not prepared to see the heartbreaking damage that was done. It appeared as if the building just imploded from the inside. The opera house upstairs had both the north and south walls blown out. The flea market across the street had its wall blown out on the east side and the windows broken out on the south side. I worked in the Town Hall for nine years and I just wanted to cry. The flag pole was bent at an odd angle, but the flags still flew. Our civil war monument, Clem, was broken into peices. He is in the tree mess looking through the bandstand in the one photo. That was also hard to take. We are hoping it can be repaired and put back up.

I had dominos club here last night and it rained very hard and the wind blew. We did not go to the basement although I told them we could if they wanted. Just one and a half miles north and about a mile south there was damage to some businesses in the industrial park. The most damage was on Indiana and Lynn Streets. When we looked out in the morning, our chicken enclosure (a 6 x 12 dog run) was not visable from the house. It had blown over behind the garage and was bent up but Keith could repair it. The chicken coop was on it's side and five of our chickens were in the back yard. Our favorite chicken, Myrtle, was no where to be found. I go out and check every once in a while...but no Myrtle. I will post a picture of her, she was both of our favorite's chicken. When we decided which ones to have dressed. We both said....not Myrtle. Silly, I know.

Kraig's Birthday-Father's Day-New Camera

2010-06-22T21:48:00.002-04:00

Happy 14th Birthday Kraig. Here is a picture of Kraig with his cake. They went to see Toy Story 3 in 3-D and really enjoyed it. Also a picture of Kurt & family on their "limo" golf cart. I posted some pictures of my garden...green beans with pepper on the left and pickles. The first picture is of me with the pine tree that Kevin planted when it was like a pencil at our home. We moved it every time we moved and the last move was to the lake. It is now taller than the cabin!

Robin's Nest

2010-06-15T18:00:00.002-04:00

Last night when I got home from a meeting, Keith told me there was a robin's nest in a tree we planted last year. He said that there were two eggs in it, so of course I had to go out and take a peek. I went out today and now there are three eggs! We are trying not to use the side door into the garage as it is right beside the tree. I hope I will be able to report that we have three baby birds some day. They are calling for storms tonight. Hope the nest goes untouched.

My garden and growing chickens

2010-05-26T19:02:00.003-04:00

Today I worked in my garden. Keith ran the rototiller for me. I planted lima beans, corn, beets, pickles and more peas (may be too hot for them). Finally done planting. My peas, onions, green beans, tomatoes, pickles, cantelope and watermelon are all up and doing fine. Also posted some pictures of the the chickens. They are really growing. Next week we will decide which ones we will keep. We have both decided on keeping Myrtle and maybe Cary Grant. I'm afraid Maude is really Claude and the runt of them all so we probably won't keep him.

Casey Graduates from Sixth Grade

2010-05-25T21:08:00.003-04:00

Tonight we went to Casey's graduation from Riverdale Elementary School. Next year she will attend Eastside in Butler, Indiana. She looked beautiful. She won the Distinguished Presidential Award. Pictures are of her with her parents, both sets of grandparents and her teacher, Mrs. Chapman. Congratulations Casey. We are very proud of you.

Track Meet and Cary Grant

2010-04-29T15:08:00.005-04:00

I went to Kraig & Casey's track meet Monday. They both did a good job. In one picture Kurt is sharing his valuable advice with Casey as he used to do discus and shot in high school. Casey also ran the 200 yard dash. There are pictures of Kraig's shot, Casey's discus throw and her 200 yard dash. Also posted a picture of Cary Grant. That is what I named this chicken (sure hope he is a rooster!) Anyway, he is the tallest of all the chicks and is gray and sophistcated LOL. He is the only one that is gray. Maude is yellow and all the others are shades of brown. We have picked out names for the hens, Mable, Mildred, Maude, Bertha, Belina, Hazel, Mossie, Myrtle, Gertrude, Agnes and maybe Flossie. (Aren't you glad I am not naming your children!!) Not sure how many we are keeping once they start laying. Will have to wait until they are a little older to name the others. So for now it is just Cary and Maude. Keith thinks I am nuts....he may have a valid point.

Visit at Kevin's and New Chicken Coop

2010-04-26T08:57:00.002-04:00

Just got back Saturday from a visit with Kevin's family. I stayed with Libby Thursday and Friday. I had a fun time with her. She is changing so fast. She loves her swing. Yesterday we went to Defiance and got a chicken coop as the chicks are outgrowing what we had them in. We have 25. We also got carpet for the deck at the campground and went to AT&T and got new phones. Out to eat at Applebees. Busy day. Raining all day.

Happy "39" Kurt

2010-04-18T21:57:00.001-04:00

We had Kurt's family over today to celebrate Kurt's 39th Birthday. How can my baby be 39? We are very proud of him. He is a great son, husband, dad, brother and uncle. Love ya' Kurt.

How the Chicks have Grown!!!

2010-04-17T07:53:00.004-04:00

We've only had the chicks for 8 days and they were only one day old when we got them. I can't believe how much they have grown this week. They are so much taller and are getting their feathers so they aren't as cute and cuddly. I posted a picture of me with one when we got them last Friday and one today..Saturday. We have them in a tub in the garage, but they are almost able to fly out of it so on to plan two.

Garrett Track Meet

2010-04-15T17:42:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I went with Kurt, Christy, Chloe and Cayla to Kraig & Casey's Track Meet held in Garrett. I was so proud of the kids. Kraig got first in the discus with a throw of 88 feet 1 inch

and a third in shot with a throw of 31 feet 81/2 inches. Casey didn't place but she did good too. Her farthest throw on the discus was 41 feet 8 inches and 18 feet 31/2 inches with the shot. Good job kids. You made Grandma proud. After the meet, we went out to KFC for supper. It was a fun night with Kurt's family for me.

New Chicks

2010-04-09T22:07:00.005-04:00

Keith picked up our new 25 little chicks on his way home from his auction today. They are Araucana chickens and will lay blue or green eggs. That is the same kind we had before. I am anxious for Libby to come and see them as she loves birds. We have both been out to the garage to check on them. It will be quite awhile before we have eggs, but they are so cute.

A day with my girls!

2010-03-27T16:50:00.004-04:00

Casey and Christy went on a field trip to Chicago Friday. Chloe and Cayla spent the day with me. They brought them over Thursday night. We stayed up late and watched a movie. In the morning we made cards for their cousin Elizabeth for her birthday party Saturday and cards to Libby. They used my stamps and some of my punches from scrapbooking. Then we went to town and I got my hair cut and then we shopped a little at Dollar General and went home and colored Easter eggs. I had to take my Jeep and get the oil changed. When we got home my mom and sister were waiting for us and they came in for a visit. After they left, we started a new movie. Kurt came to pick them up before it was over but he waited and visited with Keith & I till the movie was over. It was a very busy, but fun day with two of my girls.

Four days in Cincinnati

2010-03-23T10:23:00.005-04:00

I drove down to Cincinnati Tuesday afternoon and stayed with Kevin's till Saturday afternoon. I had a great time. I really enjoy spending time with my family. Libby and I played outside a little bit every day. She goes at full speed unlike me. In the second picture Libby was trying to pick a flower that had come up. We met Lynn one night and went out to the Outback for supper. Saturday Kevin & I took Libby to story hour at the downtown library. Kevin also showed me where he works and we went to the Findlay Market. It was a fun four days, but I was glad to get home to Keith. We will find out soon if the new baby is a boy or girl!!

Thursday night Chloe and Casey are spending the night and then I will take them to school Friday morning.

A Day at the Gun Show in Fort Wayne

2010-03-07T12:41:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I spent the day at the Fort Wayne Gun Show with Kurt, Keith and Kraig. Love spending time with my guys (even if it is a gun show). They are there again today, but I decided to stay home. Have been enjoying reading a good book. I am also getting my scrapbook stuff around to spend the day at JoAnn's home scrapping. Time for lunch!!

Casey's Circle the State with Song

2010-02-15T16:28:00.002-05:00

Saturday we went to Fort Wayne with Kurt's family to attend Circle the State with Song. Casey was one of the 435 singers. I could not get good pictures during the concert, but asked the kids to pose afterwards. The concert was really good. We went to Sam's shopping after and Kurt's went with us. Then we went out to a Chinese Buffet for supper. We had a great time. We love spending time with Kurt's family. The tree is from our front yard this morning. I love it when the snow is heavy on the trees.

Let it Snow!

2010-02-10T20:47:00.002-05:00

We had quite a snow storm the last couple of days. Pictures show that my front porch is not so inviting. We (Keith) shoveled out the other door and not that one. Keith used the snow blower on the tractor to open up the drive. I had a doctor appointment in Fort Wayne yesterday but rescheduled it. And lab tests in Montpelier today...but rescheduled for Friday. Hope the roads are all cleaned up by then. I started Weight Watchers online today...hope I can stick to it. Today wasn't too bad. I baked a pumpkin dessert last night, but didn't eat any. May take it into Mom

as Keith can't eat it all and if I leave it here....I can resist anything but temptation!

Our new canary, Katie!

2010-02-05T15:06:00.002-05:00

Well, ever since our canary Clyde died, our canary Casey has been singing so loud (earsplitting). I think he is trying to attract a mate....so today I bought him a mate. We have named her Katie. If she starts laying eggs, it only takes two weeks to hatch them, so who knows, we may have a whole family of canaries soon. We are keeping them seperated for a couple days until Katie gets used to her new surroundings. I also got a much bigger cage. Another new adventure!

Keeping Busy Retired

2010-01-31T15:49:00.005-05:00

Well, I retired 12/31/09. We left for three weeks in Florida on the 4th of January. It was cold but warmed up before we had to come back. We took our Airstream and stayed in a campground two weeks and in our timeshare on Ormand Beach one week. Keith's brother, Tom, and his wife and sister-in-law were in Daytona Beach and we got together several times. We went to Spring Garden Ranch (horse ranch) for breakfast at their restraunt. Keith & Tom went to an antique tractor show one day. That's why we took the gator with us. It is a really big show. Keith did some fishing at the campground. Not too much luck as the water was too cold. We also went to Travares and visited Wayne and Ginny Wilson in the home they purchased there. I will post some pictures. We stopped at Kevin & Sarah's on the way back for a couple hours but were anxious to get home. There's no place like home Auntie Em! So I just completed my first real week retired at home. Kept busy cleaning closets and cupboards. Just love being home. Did a little shopping and out to eat with my cousin on Monday. Had basketball games Monday and Tuesday - one was Kraig and the other Casey. It was good to get back to see Kurt's family too. Missed all the kids. Keith had five auctions last week so he kept busy. Now when I get caught up on things I need to do, I am going to scrapbook to my heart's content.

Late Christmas & Bald Eagle

2010-01-03T20:29:00.004-05:00

Thursday, December 31st, Keith came home from town and said "grab some binoculars and come on!" So I did. We got in the car and went down the road just a little ways. Out in the field on the other side of the road from our house, was a bald eagle eating something it had killed. It was magestic. You don't expect to see one that close to your home in Ohio...but it was great!! Didn't have my camera...can you believe it?

Libby was better and so Kevin & Sarah came up Thursday and we had Christmas with Kurt's family, Kevin's family and our moms on Friday, New Years Day. Kevin's went home Saturday afternoon. Kurt's were over to visit today, Sunday. I love being with my family!! I will post a few pictures.

My Retirement Party

2009-12-22T19:00:00.006-05:00

After the Board Meeting Monday night, the Board hosted an Open House in my honor for my retirement. It was really nice and there were almost 50 people that attended. They had a cake, and refreshments. I was given a gift certificate and a flower centerpeice from the board. My family, friends and co-workers attended. It was a very nice evening. Can't tell you how special I felt. I will post some pictures. While I was in my meeting, all the grandkids tried out my desk and they each have their own "style". Will post more pictures later.

Cayla's Christmas Program & Another Ballgame

2009-12-11T19:54:00.003-05:00

Monday night we went to Cayla's Christmas Program, How the Penguins Saved Christmas. Cayla

was a reindeer. In the picture she is at the microphone - she had a speaking part. The picture isn't great, but it is hard when we were so far away the lighting didn't help me much. She did a great job and was the prettiest reindeer there!

Thursday night I went to Kraig's game against Garrett. He did a good job as always. In the picture, they are listening to the coach during a time out. Kraig is far left in the picture.

I had to work today--on my day off--to start training my replacement, Cathy Kimpel. I will take some time off later to make up for it. I only have 12 days left!!

Kraig's Basketball Game

2009-12-05T14:24:00.003-05:00

I went to Kraig's basketball games Tuesday and Thursday nights. They were both home games. At Thursday night's game, Kraig made a basket and two free throws! He is getting better at every game. It makes me tired to watch him run as fast as he can from one end of the court to the other. He really must be exhausted after the games. He plays really good defense. Always on his man.

Last night I had Red Hat's Christmas Party at our home. My time at work is going fast. My last day will be the 31st and then I am retiring. We are finally getting around to interviewing replacements Monday and Tuesday. I gave them 90 days notice, but they are just now interviewing!! Don't know how much training I can get done! Especially if the new person has to give two weeks notice--that will take us to Christmas!! The Board is having an Open House in my honor the 21st.

Time with Libby.

2009-11-21T17:58:00.003-05:00

I went to Kevin & Sarah's on Tuesday night and stayed with Libby Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as Sarah's sister who babysits for Libby had her tonsils removed. I had a great time with Libby. Luckily, I watched the Baby Signing Time DVD's before I left as Libby signs and we got along fine. When she has her snack in the living room, Gilmore is very attentive as you can see in the photo as anything she drops is fair game. She usually drops some on purpose for Gilmore. She is growing and changing so fast. Keith called while we were there and Libby said "Hi" to Grandpa on the phone. She signed Grandma the first day I was there and they said that was the first time she had signed it. So she knows who I am. Christmas is a long way away, but I am thankful for the time I get to spend with her.

Weekend with the Grandkids

2009-11-14T21:34:00.003-05:00

Kraig, Casey, Chloe and Cayla spent the night with us Friday and the day with us Saturday. We played some games, Clue, Sequence, Scruples, Monopoly and of course Candyland. We went to Subway in Butler for lunch. Keith cut some trails in the woods and we took several rides on the trails on the Gator. It was a beautiful weekend to spend time outside. Keith had an auction today so he didn't get to see the kids for too long, but it was quality time. Chase came too and stayed in the garage in his carrier. He loved running around. Chloe spent alot of time outside with him. Kraig and Casey took him for a walk in the woods. We had to go to Wilson's Holiday party tonight, so we didn't get to talk to Kurt and Christy much when they got back. They had a good time and IU won!!

Mom's 96th Birthday A Day Early

2009-11-08T17:10:00.003-05:00

Today I had Mom over for lunch and invited my brothers and sisters for cake and ice cream. They all came except Byron's wife Judy who wasn't feeling well. She was missed. The afternoon was spent playing cards and watching NASCAR. I took a few pictures which I will post.

Chloe's Ninth Birthday

2009-11-07T21:38:00.004-05:00

Kurt & Christy had Chloe's 9th birthday party tonight. We had delicious nachos and cake and ice cream. Kurt & Christy got Chloe something she has been wanting for a long time. A dog. Chloe named him Chase. He is part Jack Russell and part beagle. He is three years old and a sweet dog. They gave him to her on Wednesday and you can tell how special he is to her. Keith & I got Chloe an American Girl doll, Elizabeth. I think she really liked it too. In one of the pictures, all the girls are sitting on the floor checking her out. She was surprised, as we had told her she would have to wait until she was ten as that is when we gave Casey hers. But she just wanted one so I thought that this is the year.

BSBW Tasting Bee

2009-11-07T21:36:00.002-05:00

Today was the Bryan Area Business Women's Fourth Annual Tasting Bee. The theme this year was Be Entertained. Members were to decorate a table with their favorite movie. I did Field of Dreams and this is what I came up with. Just wanted to share.

Kurt's deer that he got with a bow and arrow

2009-11-02T19:58:00.002-05:00

This is the button buck that Kurt got tonight in our woods with a bow and arrow. He made a great shot from his tree stand. He called us and Keith & I went back on the gator to get it.

Casey's Honor Roll Breakfast at Riverdale

2009-10-31T09:21:00.002-04:00

Casey invited me to her Honor Roll Breakfast at Riverdale. These are held every nine weeks for students on the honor roll. I didn't get my camera turned on in time to catch the picture of her receiving her award, but I did get her to pose with it so I could have a picture to remember the morning.
I was very proud of her and got a chance to have breakfast with Christy, Casey, Chloe and Cayla.

After the awards, I went to Auburn hospital to visit a friend, Lisa Warner. Tom & Mary came over last night for supper and we enjoyed visiting with them. Keith has an auction today and I am doing paper work.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Congratulations Presidents Whitman

2009-10-21T08:30:00.003-04:00

Kurt's stopped over to the house last night. Kraig had told me last week when they were here that he was running for class president. Four kids were running. He told me last night that he was elected president of the seventh grade at Eastside. We are very proud of his accomplishment. Way to go Kraig!

Christy let us know that Casey came home and told them that she is president of her class at Riverdale. We are very proud of her accomplishment. Way to go Casey!

Sounds like we may have some polititions in our future.

Grandparent's Day at Riverdale

2009-10-17T07:16:00.004-04:00

Keith & I went to Grandparent's Day at Riverdale School yesterday. Chloe & I made a butterfly out of leaves. She wanted a picture with her friend and our butterfly. Casey & Cayla both were in plays. I went to Casey's and Keith went to Cayla's. We ate lunch with Casey & Cayla. Chloe went to lunch while we were at the other girl's plays. Then we all went out to recess together. After recess, the girls all came home with us. Kurt & Christy both took the day off to go out and celebrate their anniversary. Keith & Casey went to Butler to catalog a sale for Wilson's while Cayla, Chloe and I watched a movie.. Then they picked up Kraig at school. We had supper and then visited and watched tv till Kurt and Christy came home. Another fun day with the grandkids!

Happy 15th Anniversary Kurt & Christy

2009-10-15T15:53:00.002-04:00

Wishing you many more years of happiness Kurt & Christy!

Kraig's Last Football Game of the Season 31-0

2009-10-13T19:30:00.004-04:00

Keith & I went to Kraig's last football game tonight. It was a home game and they played Fremont, Indiana. They won 31 to 0. We were so proud of him. He played almost the entire game. He is #50. You can see him in the second photo on the far right. In the third photo he is the second from the right. I don't have that good of a zoom on my camera to take good pictures from the bleachers. After the game we went to the parking lot and they always run from the field to the locker rooms in the school. I thought I could get a good picture of him then. As you can see in the first photo, he saw me and he put his helmet in front of his face. You know it is him because it is #50. I don't know why he doesn't like his picture taken, he is a very sharp looking kid!!

Casey's Vollyball Team

2009-10-03T21:17:00.002-04:00

I went to Casey's volleyball games Monday and Tuesday night. Tuesday was the last one of the season and her team won every game (or is it match ?) Here is a picture of her team. Casey is in the back row far right. They did a great job. Casey is really a GOOD volleyball player!

Vacation

2009-09-27T21:58:00.003-04:00

We just got back from a 10 day vacation to South Carolina. They were repairing the deck on our unit so they put us in another unit. It was nice too. There are pictures of the outside of the unit and the two bedrooms. There were also two baths and a great room (living room, dining room and kitchen). The pictures of Keith & I are taken at a log cabin restaurant (built in 1776) in Wytheville, Virginia. It was a neat place. It rained the first four days, but we didn't really mind, we were there to relax and the condo was large enough that we didn't really feel shut in. We had two really nice days and of course we went to the Pikens Flea Market on Wednesday. We stopped on the way home and stayed all night at Kevin and Sarah's so that they could go out and celebrate their fifth anniversary and we stayed with Libby. Had a great vacation....but there is no place like home!

Not a Good Year for Whitman Pets

2009-09-16T13:31:00.003-04:00

I know that I have mentioned my canaries before. Clyde is the one with the brown on his head and the first one that I got in June 2008. He sings beautifully and then Keith got the other one, Casey, for my birthday the same year. He is also a singer. When I got home from work today. Clyde was dead on the floor of the bird cage. He was fine when I covered the cage last night. I was in a hurry this morning and forgot to uncover the cage, so I don't know when he passed away. Casey is not singing now. He is just chirping once in a while and hopping all over the cage. Guess he is looking for Clyde. Clyde will be missed. I hope Casey starts singing again. It is so quiet in here! Every morning when I uncover them, I would say "Good morning men." Now I will have to just say, "Good Morning Casey!"

Happy Labor Day

2009-09-07T17:03:00.003-04:00

I spent a part of my Labor Day on the phone trying to get Dell Support. I started before 11 a.m. and it was just a little after one before I got results. My new 19 inch flat screen monitor that I purchased from Dell in June was going haywire. Getting bright then dim and striped horizontally. Sometimes you could barely read it and the pictures were awful. I unhooked it and hooked in my old 15 inch flat screen and it is crystal clear. So....I knew it wasn't the video card but was the monitor. Today I had to talk to SEVEN different people before anyone could help me. I asked several of them where they were (because they were hard to understand) and they were in New Dehli, India. Anyway #7 (my lucky number) got results and they are mailing me a new monitor tomorrow and I should receive it by Wednesday! What a day. We went to Angola and did a little shopping at Menards. Just got home. I canned sweet potatoes Saturday and soup Sunday. I am on a roll. We spent some time with Kurt's family Saturday to celebrate Christy's birthday (which is today).

A Bushel of Tomatos Equals............

2009-09-01T20:03:00.005-04:00

Five quarts and one pint of tomato juice, ten pints of salsa, five pints of pizza sauce and eighteen pints of tomatoes. Here are pictures of what I have accomplished in the last two days. I have another bushel of tomatos ordered for Thursday, so Thursday night and Friday I will be canning more salsa, tomato juice and tomatoes. So far I have also canned pickle relish, pickles, green beans and peaches. If I can, I would like to can more green beans, lima beans, pears and applesauce. I really enjoy doing it and Keith put a refrigerator, stove and sink in the garage so I can can out there. It really gives you a great feeling of accomplishment when you look at all those pretty jars on the shelf in the basement.

More Birthday Pictures

2009-08-30T20:58:00.004-04:00

We also got a family picture taken there which is the first one of all of us together. It was a great day and I am sure that Kurt's and Kevin's family had a good time together today. Happy Birthday Libby. Next birthday is Christy on Labor Day.

Libby's Birthday Party

2009-08-30T20:45:00.003-04:00

We went to Libby's 1st Birthday Party at Kevin & Sarah's in Cincinnati Saturday. Keith's Mom and my Mom went down with us. Kurt, Christy, Kraig, Casey, Chloe and Cayla also went down. They got a motel room and stayed all night last night, but we came home after the party. I took so many pictures and it was hard to pick just a few to post. She had the cutest pink and green polka dot dress and the cake and decorations matched her dress. It was so cute to watch her dive into her cake. She started out pretty dainty, but then had a great time. Sarah made her a birthday hat. She wore it when we sang happy birthday to her. For some reason, I can't get this to take more pictures, so I will publish this and then post more pictures.

Suzy Homemaker & HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIBBY!!

2009-08-27T08:21:00.003-04:00

I have been busy lately. I have canned 11 pints of pickle relish, 19 pints of "Erma's" pickles, 25 pints of peaches and 29 pints of green beans. I really enjoy doing it and it gives you such a sense of accomplishment when you are done. I also baked a fresh peach pie. I am hoping to can some salsa and tomatoes but it will have to wait till next week. We are going to Cincinnati for Libby's first birthday which is today. Hardly seems possible. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS LIBBY!

Our Day with Cayla

2009-08-22T18:04:00.002-04:00

Kurt's dropped off Cayla Friday night. I had went to a garage sale earlier in the day and got her a cheerleading DVD complete with pom poms and a mat. We had supper of spaghetti and fresh peach pie and watched the movie Bolt. In the morning Grandpa made eggs for breakfast, we stopped at a couple garage sales on the way to Fort Wayne and then we went to Chuckie Cheese for lunch. We also shopped at Wal-Mart in Auburn for socks and undies for school and then we took Cayla back to the campground. We had a fun time with her.

Kurt's New Chevy Traverse

2009-08-22T17:58:00.003-04:00

Kurt and his family stopped by Friday night on their way to the campground to drop off Cayla and to show us their new 2009 Chevy Traverse. It seats eight (so they can take us old fogies along). It is really sharp and I am looking forward to getting a ride in it. This is Kurt's very first brand spanking new car and he is very proud of it.

My New Winter Car

2009-08-12T19:17:00.002-04:00

We sold four vehicles at our auction and were down to just Keith's truck and my Mustang convertible. I have never driven my Mustang in the winter, but put it in storage...so we have been looking for a vehicle for me for winter. After much searching and not always agreeing on what we wanted..we found this Jeep Grande Cherokee Gold Infinity. I wasn't sure at first, but after I drove it for awhile I kinda fell in love with it. It has black leather interior, heated seats, memory seats, cassete player, a 10 disc CD player, AWD, power windows, etc. I can't think of anything it doesn't have! Now I am ready for winter. Oh bite my tounge!

My Day with Chloe

2009-08-08T11:54:00.004-04:00

I took Casey home and picked up Chloe right after lunch on Friday. I asked Chloe what she wanted to do. She wanted to go see G-Force, the movie. Christy had looked up the show times in Auburn, Bryan and Defiance for us. If we left right away, we could get to Auburn in time for the first showing. So that's what we did. It was a really cute movie in 3-D. I don't think I've been to a 3-D movie since I was Chloe's age!! It was fun. We of course had some yummy popcorn. Then we went shopping at Wal-mart for socks & undies for school. We also found a toy of Blaster from the movie with a parachute. I got it for her to remember the day by. Grandpa came over to Auburn to meet us and we did a little car shopping. Then Chloe wanted to go to Sub-Way. So that's where we went. After supper we went to Kroger. Then we went home and watched a movie we bought at Wal-Mart. The Firehouse Dog. It was also a cute movie. It was 10 pm. and past bedtime, but Grandpa was hungry for cereal with blueberries. So Grandpa and Chloe had frosted flakes with blueberries. Chloe slept until nine and we had breakfast and she wanted to be home by ten as they were babysitting for Elizabeth, her cousin. I got her home a two minutes until 10. Another fun day!

My Day with Casey

2009-08-06T16:41:00.003-04:00

First Casey and I went to Crazy Pinz. We bowled two games. The first ball I threw was a strike, but it was the only one! Casey won both games!!

Then we went to the mall, Target and Cheddars. We had a delicious and filling cookie monster dessert. (Don't tell Mom--we couldn't eat all our lunch--so we brought it home with us!) Then we went car shopping and drove two cars. An Infinity and a Magnum. We both liked the Infinity best. Then we got a drink in Auburn and came home. Driving with the top down can get hot! We are cooling off now and then we are going to Bryan to Keith's auction. I posted a picture of Casey and Keith at the auction. After the auction we went to the Mexican

restaurant in Bryan.

100th Annual Blosser Reunion

2009-08-05T20:15:00.003-04:00

Sunday we attended the 100th Annual Blosser Reunion. This is my Mom's side of the family. She was hoping for 100 to attend. Mom is in the middle of the photo in the purple top. She is the only surviving original family member. There are two in-laws surviving. 93 people were there. I didn't even know everyone. There was plenty of food and I think everyone enjoyed getting together. See if you can find Keith & I and Kurt, Christy and family!

Our Auction

2009-07-25T19:47:00.004-04:00

Today we had an auction at our home. We sold four vehicles, a fishing boat, paddle boat, tools, furniture and lots of miscellaneous. We were blessed with a very large crowd. It went on for a little over four hours of selling in two rings. I took some pictures, but I am having a little trouble downloading them so if I can't figure it out (I am completely exhausted) I will try to post them latter.

Time with Kraig

2009-07-14T08:35:00.002-04:00

Friday I picked up Kraig to stay overnight with us. We went to Fort Wayne and played Putt Putt Golf. Kraig beat me by 4 strokes. Then he played guitar hero and got a high score and got to put his name on the machine. We went out for lunch at Applebees in Auburn. We stopped at the grocery store and also picked up a movie. When Keith got home we had supper and watched the movie. In the morning Saturday we had thunderstorms so we waited till they were over and then went to the animal and bird sale at Wolf Lake in Albion, Indiana. We went out for lunch in Kendalville and then had to take him home. We had a really fun time with him. Kraig is a great kid!! I only took one picture--can hardly believe it. Will post it when I get my new computer.

Lightning hit my computer in the middle of June and I ordered a new one. It is supposed to be delivered today. I finally got Direct Link out to the house yesterday to replace their equipment that was hit so we finally got internet connection at home again yesterday. We are busy getting ready for an auction at our place on the 25th. Also really looking forward to company this weekend.

Kraig's Birthday and Camping in Cincinnati

2009-06-29T11:21:00.002-04:00

I know it has been awhile since I posted. Busy, Busy. Saturday the 20th we went out to the campgrounds where Kurt has their camper and celebrated Kraig's 13th birthday. Hardly seems possible that Kraig is a teenager. Just seems like yesterday he was born!!

We left on Thursday the 25th and took our camper down to Cincinnati and parked it at Lynn's, Keith's sister. Friday Keith & I went to Kevin's and babysitted for Libby. We stayed for a cook out and then went back to Lynn's. Greg barbqued for lunch Saturday. Delicious steak, salmon and halibut. We started home Saturday afternoon. Sunday we went to church, napped and then I worked on my flower beds for a couple hours and Keith worked on the trailer tires. It was a fun relaxing weekend.

On the way home, I said let's stop for an A & W and a hot dog in Antwerp. While Keith was getting the food, a lady stopped and said that our tires on the camper passenger side looked soft. They did so we went to a gas station and got air. Unfortunately, both valve stems (duel axel) started leaking. With only one spare we didn't know what to do. So he said lets start for home and hope we can get there. We both prayed for our guardian angels to hold up the camper on that side and for the tires to hold out. God answers prayers, we got home safely.

Campground Visit

2009-06-07T19:41:00.004-04:00

Saturday, I went to Cayla's t-ball game in Butler. Casey & Chloe had a softball game in Waterloo, but I went to their game last. Kurt & I were at Cayla's game. Keith had an auction. Keith called at the game and said he would meet me at the campground. He had bought some bikes at the auction for the kids to use at the campground. We met there and had a nice visit with Kurt's family. Christy and the rest of the kids got there just about the same time Keith did and he followed Kurt, Cayla and I in. It is so relaxing there that Keith went to sleep in his chair, so Kurt took Christy, Cayla and I for a golf cart ride in the woods. They have trails through the woods. It was very nice.

Maiden Voyage in Airstream

2009-05-25T14:38:00.003-04:00

The first picture is of the Airstream camper we purchased last month. Keith is relaxing in front of it. The second picture is of the dozen pink roses Keith brought home for me when he got home Thursday. He had been gone for two weeks getting auctions ready in Columbus, Ohio and Sumpter, South Carolina. Next are pictures of the horseshoe court and playground at the campground. Also the covered bridge which connects it to the Williams County Fairgrounds. We purchased four camping weekends at the campground through the "Blizzard Auction" held in January and proceeds of the auction went to the United Way. It was listed as a "Camping Extravaganza". We loaded up our golf cart as we assumed there were things going on at the fairground. When we got there Friday night (they have 126 campsites with water & sewer and unlimited primitive sites) There was one camper there! He was on the fairboard and was in charge! Saturday, one more camper came (also a fairboard member). We got just what we both needed. A relaxing quiet weekend.

Kraig is Co-Salutatorian at 6th Grade Graduation

2009-05-19T22:22:00.003-04:00

I went to Kraig's sixth grade graduation tonight. He looked so good!! And grown up! They announced that Kraig was the co-salutatorian of his class. It was so close they had to go back a couple years figuring their grades. We were so proud of him. Kraig also received a Presidental Award for Outstanding Academic Excellance. They read a letter from President OBama to the class. I am posting some pictures. First Kurt, Christy and Kraig with his certificate. He also received some cash from the PTO. Next is a picture of Christy with her kids, Kraig with his teacher, Mrs. Chapman, Kraig and Me and Kraig and his Grandpa and Grandma Stark. They had a nice program. They showed a CD of candid pictures of their class from kindergarten to sixth grade. Keith and I even made it on the CD one year when we were there for Grandparents Day. Each student was given a CD. Congratulations Kraig on a job WELL DONE!

Spending time with my girls

2009-05-17T11:31:00.004-04:00

I had a wonderful day yesterday. I got to spend it with my girls (and Kevin). First, I was in Cincinnati with Kevin, Sarah and Libby. I had went down Thursday afternoon and came home Saturday afternoon. The pictures include one with Sarah and Libby and a couple with Libby. One I had just put her to sleep. Then a picture of the table at the Mother/Daughter Banquet. My Mom had 13 come with her. Kay, LaDonna, Deb, Deb's stepdaughter, Lacy, Riley, Karen, Kathie, Me, Christy, Casey, Chloe and Cayla. I took a picture of Christy and my girls when we got home and Christy took one of me with the girls. The only thing that would have made the day perfect is if I had seen Kurt (who was at a gun show) and Keith (who was in South Carolina for an auction).

Girls At Bat

2009-05-02T20:21:00.004-04:00

Today I went to the girl's softball games. The first picture is Casey then Chloe and then Cayla.

Cayla's coach told her she was the MVP today! Cayla had one at 9 a.m. and Chloe and Casey's game was at 10. I love watching them play. The coachs on the Hamilton team were pretty "vocal". The girls did a good job. Then I went home and Keith & I mowed the yard. I put supper in the oven and then we took a hot tub while it cooked. We came in and ate and then Keith had to go to an auction in Auburn.

Kraig's Track Meet

2009-04-30T12:55:00.004-04:00

Last night Keith & I went to Kraig's track meet in Fremont, Indiana. It was really windy and felt colder than the 54 degrees that it showed on the thermometers. Poor Kraig and his teammates were in shorts and shortsleeved uniforms. Kraig competes in the shot put and the discus (Just like his Dad did in school) He really did well. I think his farthest discus was over 69 feet and shot put was over 23 feet. I could be wrong as I did not write it down. It has been quite a few years since I went to a track meet (when Kurt was in high school) Kevin was in cross country not track & field. I will post some pictures I took of Kraig at the meet. Keith & I are always very proud of Kraig.

Great Family Weekend

2009-04-28T21:01:00.004-04:00

We had a great weekend. Kevin, Sarah and Libby came to visit Friday afternoon. We had lunch when they got here and then Libby took a nap while we just visited. Later we went to visit Great Grandma Engler. Then we came home and Sarah fed Libby and then we went out to visit Kurt's family at the campgrounds. Keith had an auction and he was pretty tired Friday night. Saturday Kevin & Sarah went to Butler in the morning to watch Casey and Chloe's softball game. We stayed home with Libby as she was taking her nap. They played at 10:30. Got done at noon but had to play again at 1 p.m. We had planned to celebrate Kurt's birthday at noon. John, JoAnn and both our mothers came. Kurt's got here a little after noon and ate. We waited to have cake and ice cream till after the next game. When they got back, the kids had an Easter Egg Hunt. We had beautiful weather and a great family day even if it was a liitle hectic. Sunday Kevin , Sarah and Libby met Jenna Seavers and Jacob for lunch. Then they came back and fed Libby and loaded up to go back to Cincinnati. It was a fun weekend, but went way to fast! It is so neat to watch Kurt's and Kevin's kids together. I took so many pictures, these are just a few. Libby's chair picture is one they took Friday before they came. Libby helped Grandpa read the Sunday paper. And a family picture of Kevin's before they left. We also put Libby's footprint in plaster before they left. I guess it sounds like I am just rambling on, so I will got to bed. Goodnight all!

Kurt & Christy's New Camper

2009-04-18T19:52:00.002-04:00

Monday I took a personal day and Keith & I went with Kurt's family to Shipshewana to look at a camper for them. Christy and the kids were still on Spring Break so we could all go. It is a really nice camper with a slide out so it has so much more room in it than their old one. It is neat and just like it was made for them has a wall paper border of whitetail deer. They decided to get it. Friday Kurt helped Keith put the fifth wheel hitch in his truck and they moved his old trailer to his house and one of the little red buildings we had to his campsite. Then Kurt, Keith and Christy went to Shipshewana to get their new camper and the kids stayed with me. We had pizza for supper and had a good time. They got back after dark so they just left the camper here and Kurt used Keith's truck today to take it to their campsite. Keith had an auction in Toledo.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KURT!

2009-04-15T07:51:00.002-04:00

Today is our son, Kurt's, birthday. He is a great guy and we are very proud of him. If you know Kurt, wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. How can he be 38 if I am only 40 something???

Kraig's Hardware

2009-04-10T20:54:00.004-04:00

Kurt's family came over for the evening. We had fun just talking. Kraig told us all about his field trip to Chicago. Christy went with him. Sounds like they had a great time. Kraig brought his basketball award so that I could take a picture of him. It says Eastside Athletic Award. Most Improved 6th Grade Basketball Kraig Whitman. The kids all had some experience to share with us. We talked about old times, new times and just had a great time.

Casey's Vollyball Tournament

2009-04-05T15:54:00.002-04:00

Saturday Keith had an auction. I went to Woodburn to drop off a gift for Chappy & Jenny's granddaughter and then went to Butler to Casey's volleyball tournament. She and her team have improved since the last one. It was fun to watch her. Kurt, Christy, Kraig, Chloe and Cayla were there and I sat with them.

Christy told me that Kraig had gotten a plaque for the Most Improved Basketball player at the awards banquet. He never told them or us about the banquet because he didn't think it was a big deal. I will have to take a picture of his award next time I am over to their home.

bugz

2009-03-31T20:42:00.005-04:00

Tonight we went to the 1st and 2nd grade Spring Program by the Riverdale students. It was called bugz. It was a very cute and fun program. You could tell that the kids were having fun putting it on. Our Chloe did a great job and had a speaking part. We love going to all the things that our grandkids are a part of. We were very proud of Chloe!!

Guess Who is Crawling Now??

2009-03-29T14:05:00.005-04:00

I went to Kevin & Sarah's after work Thursday so that I could stay with Libby Friday. I had a great time. She is teething and wasn't feeling really well Friday, so I got to hold her all day. She took three naps in my arms and it was a wonderful day for me. I went home Saturday at around noon. Just before I left, Libby crawled across her blanket to get to her Mommy's slippers. So I got to see a first. She went a little ways Friday night. But much farther Saturday. It was so nice to be there for one of her firsts. I went to Keith's auction in Defiance on my way home and we went out for supper. I have had a great weekend.

Ribbon Cutting for Local History Department

2009-03-25T14:55:00.004-04:00

Monday night we had the grand opening ot the New Local History Department at the library. Here are a couple of pictures of the evening. The one of the ribbon cutting was in the paper yesterday. The other picture is of Me and Keith with Bill Pepple the newest Board of Trustees member and one of my bosses. It was a very nice evening and you will need to come and see the department at the library. It is awesome.

Water Everywhere

2009-03-11T19:52:00.002-04:00

Well, we have got four and one half inches of rain since Saturday. If you remember pictures of our pond, we had two ponds that were connected and a bridge over where they connected. We now have one very large pond and the bridge is out in the middle of the pond. The trees that were at the end of the pond are now in the pond too. Our picnic table that was 10 or 15 feet from the pond is now almost in the pond. When I left for work, the water was right up to the edge of the road down by the bridge just before Webers. When I came home our road was closed as the water was across it. So I thought I would go out 49 to 249 and then get on Conkle. But....the water was across the road just before you get to Bill Suffel's. So I went back out Clarksville and went to Weber Road. I had called Keith and he came home that way and the water across the road was only 6 or 7 inches deep. So that is the way I came home too. I am not going to start out to work until it is light out and hope that the water has went down and not up. Wish me luck.

Kraig's Math Bowl

2009-03-11T08:24:00.003-04:00

Last night Keith and I went to Kraig's Math Bowl that was held at the Hamilton, Indiana High School. There were seven schools represented there and Riverdale (Kraig's school) had two teams, team A and team B. Kraig was on Riverdale's Team A. There are three classes of schools. His team won first place in their class. Their score was 22. The only other school with a higher score got 23 and they were in a different class. We were so proud of him. I must admit, I didn't even understand some of the questions!! I did not take algebra in school or new math wasn't even heard of when I was in school. Casey sat beside me and she got a lot of the answers right too. Kraig loves math and is really good at it. Kurt always liked math too. I will post pictures tonight. Kraig's math coach is Jenny Chapman who is his teacher and the wife of a very good friend of Keith's from before we were even married, Bill "Chappy" Chapman.

Gun Show & Cayla in "Libby's Sweater"

2009-03-08T21:13:00.003-04:00

I got Cayla and Libby matching sweaters for Christmas. They have not been together to wear them at the same time, but I took pictures of both of them in the sweaters and had one taken with me (wearing the same outfit). Cayla calls it Libby's sweater and it is one of her favorites. Aren't my two little girls cute? I went to the gun show in Fort Wayne with Keith today where Kurt and he both had tables together. They both had a pretty fun weekend together. The kids and Christy came this afternoon. The first picture is at the gun show. It is Keith, Kurt and Kurt's friend Bob who usually also has a table with Kurt at the gun shows. I am so glad that he has something that he really enjoys doing and that Keith enjoys doing it with him.

Casey's Vollyball Tournament

2009-03-07T13:55:00.002-05:00

Today I went to Casey's volleyball tournament. She did really well. It is always fun to watch the kids. I got a couple good pictures of her. She was always on the ready. One where she was just ready to hit the ball, but the ball didn't make it into the picture and one of her serving the ball. Christy, Chloe and Cayla were there too. Keith & Kurt & Kraig were at the gun show in Fort Wayne. Keith & Kurt both have tables there this year.

My week with Libby.

2009-03-02T20:26:00.003-05:00

Last week I went to Kevin's on Monday to stay with Libby while they were at work. I had a great week getting to know my youngest granddaughter. She is so sweet and such a happy little girl. I hope never to let it be two months between visits again. She has changed so much. They will be coming up to visit in April for a weekend. Since I don't work on Friday, I may just leave after work sometime on a Thursday and spend Friday with Libby. I posted just a few of the 122 pictures I took last week. Two with me and Libby, one of just Libby and one of Daddy giving Libby a bath. I got Libby and Cayla matching sweaters for Christmas. I will post one of me and Cayla together too so you can see them. I really missed Kurt's kids while I was gone. Will get together with them soon.

Circle the State with Song

2009-02-15T13:30:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentines Day! I had a great one. Before we left in the morning, Keith and I made homemade laundry soap. Someone had given him some for Christmas and I liked it so I got the recipe. We made 5 gallons. Only takes 1/2 cup per load, all natural ingredients and the cost is just a little over one cent per load. I will be taking some for the kids to try and our mothers too.

Keith got me a new scrapbook, pages and stickers for Valentines Day. I love him. First he brought in a new sewer clean out for the camper and said that was my gift. I must admit I was speechless for a minute. Keith took me out to lunch at the new restaurant in Spencerville, Indiana. We were on our way over to watch Kraig and Casey sing in the Circle the State with Song at the IPFW Campus. We actually got there early, just before Kurt, Chloe and Cayla. Christy was a chaperone and she went on the bus in the morning with the kids. They had been there practicing since 7 AM. The program began at 3 PM, but the doors opened at 2:30. Christy had saved us good seats. There were kids from all over Indiana. Riverdale only sent 13 students and 2 of them were my grandchildren!! They really did a great job, as all the schools had never

practiced together until that morning. We were very proud of them. After the program we went to Pizza Hut and had some pizza, wings and pop. It was such a fun day for me, spending time with Keith & Kurt's family. Forgot to mention earlier. This was the week for new glasses. Casey, Chloe and I all got new glasses this week. These are Chloe's first pair. She looks cute in them, I posted a picture of her in them.

Chloe's Flip Flop Party

2009-02-05T19:37:00.002-05:00

I was honored to be invited to Chloe's Flip Flop (reading) program at her school today. First the teacher gave out awards. Chloe read over 100 books! Then her class did a skit "By George" about George Washington. The first picture is of her doing her reading in the skit. The next picture is of the diarama she made about one of the books she read and the last picture is of her with her award. It was an interesting and fun program. We had cake, ice cream and punch. Her teacher gave every student a pair of flip flops. Chloe got pink ones!

Snowy Day

2009-02-05T19:25:00.003-05:00

While Keith was out of town, we had alot of drifting snow. When he got home he had to use the snowblower to clear out the driveway. It was pretty deep in places. Of course he had to snowblow a path to his chicken coop. He thought about selling the snowblower this summer, sure glad he thought again!

2009-01-29T09:39:00.002-05:00

Casey had basketball practice Saturday and Keith & I went to watch. Actually it was a scrimage. Her team won both games they played. She is a really good player, always on the move. She is getting so she doesn't want her picture taken, but I got a good one. Chrisy and Cayla were there and Cayla is always ready to have her picture taken! She got a little bored when the second game started and she and Grandpa went and did a little grocery shopping. Casey will play at the half time of the varsity high school game Wednesday (last night) but the roads were so bad and Keith wasn't home, so I didn't go, but I called and told her I would go to the next one.

Flat Tire

2009-01-25T11:22:00.002-05:00

Well, Thursday was a really busy day at work. I usually get off work at 4 on Thursday, but I was there until 5:15 and had to get home, feed the chickens, and back to Etta's for dominos club at 6. As I pulled out of my parking space at work, I had the radio on but the car seemed to be making a noise, so I shut off the radio and the thump, thump made me realize I had a flat tire. Of course Keith was in Toledo. First I called Etta to let her know I would be late and then planned to call AAA. She told me to call Mike that he was in Bryan and would help me. I called and he said he could be there in half an hour and I said I would call AAA and see if they could get there sooner. But, it would take them an hour so I called Mike and asked if he minded. He said he would come, I tried to call AAA to cancel the call, but my cell phone wouldn't work so I went into the pizza shop (I was in their parking lot) and asked to use their phone. I must have dialed wrong, because I got a sex call!!! I hung up right away and told them if there was a charge for that to let me know. Their phone rang and it was the sex call!!! The young girl working there listened awhile and laughed before she hung up! Anyway, I got ahold of AAA and canceled the call and Mike got there. It was getting dark, so we decided he would just give me a ride home, and I left the car there with the pizza shop's permission and would come back and take care of it in the morning. Keith said to just call AAA that's what we pay for. So Mike & Etta, Keith & I met for breakfast and then Etta took me down to Zandra's for my haircut and then to Bryan. I called AAA. They came and changed the tire. I talked to Keith on the phone and the guy recommended that I at least by two new tires, the other one in front was dry rot too. So Keith had me take it to Wal-Mart to get four new tires. He talked to them on the phone, because I don't know anything about tires. Anyway, Etta had work to do at the shop and I did not want to stay at Wal-Mart for three hours, so I asked her to take me to JoAnn's. They were to call me when they were done. Over four hours later, I called and they said oh they had been done for probably an hour!! Anyway, JoAnn wanted me to stay for supper, so I called Keith and he and Mike came when they got home from Toledo and we went out for supper. Etta had went to some play in Fort Wayne. Anyway, I left home at 7:30 am and didn't get home till around ten pm. Wasn't really how I planned to spend my day off and it was pretty expensive, but it was good to spend some time with JoAnn.

I am back in my office!!!

2009-01-21T19:58:00.003-05:00

It is so great to be back in my office! I have been in a cramped little space in the main library while the water damage was repaired, new carpet laid, walls painted and new ceiling tile installed. It just feels so good to be back. Today was my first full day in my office. I went a little crazy taking pictures, and some are not so good. My camera flash seems to reflect on everything. I really like the "coffee bean" wall. The loon picture above the chair pulls the blue from my chairs and the brown from the wall together. Just wanted to share the pictures.

Cold-but Beautiful

2009-01-16T20:22:00.002-05:00

I took this picture yesterday from my bedroom window. It is really beautiful outside. But I will enjoy it from the inside. It was 15 degrees below zero this morning with a windchill of 28 below!!

Water Damage at Work

2009-01-10T14:53:00.003-05:00

After Kevin and Sarah left Sunday, I asked Keith to take me over to the library where I work. The director had called to let me know that the ice melting on the roof had no where to go and the drain froze up so it came through the roof into our offices. The first picture is of the hallway where all the ceiling tile got soaked and fell in. The next two are of my office. Only one or two ceiling tiles fell in, but water ran down my one wall and the carpet was soaked and a lot of the papers on my desk were ruined by water. The last picture is of what you saw when you stepped off the elevator. The ceiling tile in the lobby fell in and they had put buckets everywere to catch the leaks. All the ceiling tile needed to be removed and all the carpet torn up. The smell was awful. We had to move all the offices to the main library (very crowded). We had to pack up all of our things and empty all the desks so that they could tear up the carpet. Just what I needed with end of year, W2s, 1099's etc. All things considered things are going pretty well. They came in Thursday and sprayed for mold. Friday they did some painting. While it was torn up, I had them paint one of my walls as an accent. (Coffee Bean). They will be starting to lay the new carpet Monday and hopefully they will get the new ceiling tile in so that we can move back in sometime next week. This happened in the middle of an over $400,000 project on the first floor. Some of the water went through and stained the new ceiling tile and freshly painted walls downstairs, but this has all been repaired. I will take my camera to work again and take some pictures of my office when I get moved back in.

Sunday December 28, 2009

2009-01-10T14:44:00.004-05:00

As Kevin mentioned in my last post, they started home the day after the Whitman Christmas. Here are some pictures of Libby with Grandpa and Libby with me we took that morning. Also one of Libby at the table while we had lunch before they left. We really hated to see them go home. It was a fun visit getting to know Libby some more. She grows so much and changes so much between visits. But we are lucky compared to Sarah's Dad and Candy.

Whitman Christmas & Four Generation

2009-01-05T20:54:00.003-05:00

These are pictures taken at the Whitman Family Christmas December 27th. First is the four generation picture of Keith's mother, Keith, Kevin and Libby. Next is a picture of cousin Kraig holding Libby, then a cute picture of Chloe (love her haircut) and Aunt Christy holding Libby.

We had a good time there and lots of good food. Kevin and Sarah went home that afternoon. We had a fun visit with them. Kurt's left a little earlier than we did as Cayla had to go to her best friend's birthday party.

Our Christmas with our family

2009-01-04T20:47:00.004-05:00

I am posting quite a few pictures from our Christmas. The first is of Kevin helping Libby open one of her gifts as Chloe and Cayla wait patiently to open one of theirs. There is one of Kraig and Casey clowning around. One of me with Libby and Kraig, one of Sarah with Libby, one of Libby as our centerpiece with Kurt, Kevin, Keith and Christy, and one of Aunt Christy with Libby. We had a wonderful Christmas with our family. It was a fun time of togetherness and we went through some of my scrapbooks and reviewed our Christmas together since 1995. (That's all I have done so far) It was amazing to see how our family changed every year. We are truly blessed to have each other. Happy New Year to you all. I will try to post the Whitman Christmas tomorrow.

Christmas Day 2008-Gingerbread House!

2009-01-02T13:16:00.003-05:00

Keith & I stayed home Christmas Day and had a relaxing holiday together. In the afternoon, Kurt called and they stopped in on their way home from her Grandma Mavis's. They had been without electricity for awhile the day before and the kids made us a gingerbread house! It is really cute and yummy. I am posting pictures of it and one with the kids. I will try to post something everyday to get caught up, but this is really the busiest time of the year for me at work and doing the cemetery bookwork. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

Great Job Kraig

2008-12-18T09:21:00.002-05:00

I went to Kraig's basketball game last night in Butler. Kraig made two baskets during the game. His team is improving with every game. I will post pictures later. He has his last game tonight in Auburn and I will be going. The first picture is of Kraig shooting one of the baskets that he made. I was a little late and you can't see the ball, but take my word for it, he made that basket. The next picture is of him dribbling the ball down the court and the last is of the coach and his team. His is seated on the far right.

Chicken Update

2008-12-10T12:15:00.003-05:00

Keith got home from Zanesville just before I got home from dominos last night. The chicken was in the coop before I got home. He said he just called "Mildred" and she went in, but I'm not buying it!!

Not a very good chicken catcher

2008-12-08T15:30:00.002-05:00

Well, I thought you might all need a laugh today. Picture this......I was all ready to leave for work this morning and thought I better go out and check the chickens and give them fresh water. I had my dress coat on and went to put my snow boots on. One was wet inside, so I put one on and one of Keith's (size 14) boots on. I didn't want to get my feet wet as we have pretty deep snow in the back yard. Well, I went out and opened the door on the coop thinking they were all out in the fenced in area. I should have counted because when I opened the door, out ran a hen. Here I am in two size boots!! Anyway I went and got the net Keith uses to catch them (kinda like a fish landing net) Here I am running around the backyard trying to catch the hen. Without much luck I am afraid to say. I tried for over half an hour. Then I went in and called work to explain why I was late. They said it was a very original excuse!! I went back out and tried again. Then gave up, called Keith and went to work. Maybe she will be hungry and more cooperative when I get home. Wish someone would have been there with a video camera. We could have made $10,000 on Funniest Home Videos!!!

Kraig's basketball game December 3rd

2008-12-07T20:49:00.003-05:00

These are pictures from Kraig's basketball game at Garrett, Indiana. I rode over with Kurt's family. In the first picture, Kraig is stealing the ball, in the second, he has the ball (he is #52) and in the last he is guarding his man. The teamwork continues to improve. They won their first three games, but unfortunatley lost this one 33 to 21.

Thursday I had a really sore throat and did not go to work or even get out of bed. Friday I don't work, but only went to town to get Mom some groceries and came back home and really took it easy. Saturday I went with Etta to the Craft Show at the Fairview school and it was the library Christmas Party at the country club. Had a nice time. Keith auctioned off baskets for the United Way at the party and we made almost $600 to donate. Today (Sunday) Keith left at 1:30 to go to the auction site in Zanesville. A five hour drive. I called Kevin and talked to him after I got done wrapping Christmas gifts. Then Kurt and his family came over and I talked them into staying for supper so I didn't have to eat alone. They went home around 7:30 and I called Keith at 9. I think I am ready for bed so I will talk to you all later.

Hen's first egg??

2008-12-07T20:43:00.003-05:00

Keith brought this little egg in the other day. We have been getting three eggs almost every day and we have five hens. They have a pale green shell as they are Americana chickens. So one of the other two must have just started laying and this was it's first effort. It is so small only a little bigger than a robin's egg. We had a good laugh about it. Haven't decided how to cook it yet!!

Visit Kevin's & Kraig's Basketball Game

2008-12-01T20:29:00.002-05:00

I went to Kevin & Sarah's Friday. We had a busy fun day. When I got there it was around noon, so we went out to eat and then shopping for a Christmas tree. We took the tree home and it was time for Libby to eat, so Sarah fed Libby and Kevin and I went to Target shopping. He had some shopping to do for his family. Then we went home and Sarah got to go shopping by herself. Kevin made carmel corn for a surprise for her while she was gone. Then we ate supper, watched movies and ate carmel corn. In the morning, they decorated their tree. I had a great time. I went home after lunch so that they could have some time together this weekend. Keith and Kurt had tables at the gun show in Fort Wayne this weekend, so we were both spending time with our sons.

Kraig had a basketball game at Butler tonight. They won 26 to 22. It was a good game and I was impressed at how well the team handled the ball. Kraig played most of the game. I am looking forward to the next game. He really hussles out there on the floor.