Long Time Coming

I have waited for awhile to show you 

what has been happening around our home.

AN ADDDITION!

This is what our home looked 

like several months ago.

Then it looked like this...

We added 400 sq. ft. to the back of our home.

The covered patio is now our new Family Room and

(my favorite part) a Dining Room!

We added a Barn Door, which used to be an outside door.

Still working on finishing touches to the inside.

This is Don, who is Kimmy's Father-In-Law,

Mark's dad.

He agreed to build us custom bookshelves.

He flew up from Oregon and is staying with 

Mark, Kimmy and 6 grandkids!

It's a win-win-win for everyone.

Tom has been Don's helper!

We still need to add the doors to the lower cabinets,

and painting the whole thing.

Then hanging the TV, 

next to the tall bookshelf.

The shelf that goes all the way

 across to the Barn Door, 

will have art work, 

leaning up against the wall.

When Spring comes, we will be heading outside,

redoing the backyard.

(That will be another blog post.)

***************************

Below are some pictures of our progress.

Our dining room Before...

After...

We have three huge windows, that look out onto our backyard.

I have my desk/ sewing table that looks outside.

My favorite part is having enough room to fit

our family around the table for 

our Tuesday Night Dinners!

Praising God for His hand on all of this!

I'll miss the old patio, 

but not as much as I am enjoying our new space.

This is my view, when I blog!

No matter the weather, it's a joy to look outside!

What a blessing!

~~~~****~~~~

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we many sing for joy and be glad all our days."

Psalm 90:14

Cashing in - #4

This month has been full of  excitement.

Friday's have been busy with One-On-One, 

Full day of fun and

Overnights with our grandchildren.

The four oldest Grandchildren received 

Gift Certificates for Christmas, for an overnight and lots of fun.

They got to pick out what, where, and when, they wanted to do.

Who knew it would be such a HIT? !!!

This is Lulu!

She is 13 but soon to be 14 years old.

She is our first grandchild.

Lulu's request was to go shopping all day (😊).

For lunch she choose Chic-fil-A.

It was a cold and rainy day and the restaurant was closed for dining in.

But that didn't stop US!

Tom surprised Lulu by meetings us there, with our RV!

We set it up with a table clothe and flowers.

We went inside and ordered our meals....

and took it back for some fine

dining, inside the RV.

We were so cozy inside,

 while watching everyone ordering their lunch from the drive thru.

Then it was back to shopping!

(til I dropped)

Lulu loves a good salad, so for dinner we went to

a fancy grocery store that has a magnificent salad bar.

The dining room was open!!

 We all enjoyed another great meal.

Afterwards we picked out dessert from the Bakery.

Took our goodies home to enjoy while watching a movie.

Lulu's pick for a movie was 

Meet Me In St. Louie (Louie), 

with Judy Garland.

And what would the evening be without a game of 

cards or two?

Saturday morning, Lulu cuddled up 

with Banjo on the couch.

Lulu is now learning guitar,

 on top of knowing how to play violin and piano.

Plus, she singing!

Lulu smiles all the time! What a happy girl!

💓💓💓💓

I'm a bit sad that this month is over.

Having laughter, talking, and just more busyness,

 was such a blessing!

I know what our grandkids will get for Christmas next year!!!

~~~~****~~~~

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called, according to his purpose." 

Romans 8:28

   

 

Cashing In- #3

Levi's turn to cash in his

 Christmas present of a gift certificate, 

for an overnight and fun!

So far, each overnight has been very different!

This one was no exception!

Levi is 11 years old.

A game of card with Papa is a must!

Levi KNEW what he wanted to eat and what he wanted to do.

Pizza!

Not just any pizza, Idaho Pizza. 

So that's what we did.

~Idaho Pizza Restaurant~

Ahh, Levi is getting so big and mature!

His heart is so tender and compassionate. 

Next, we went

"Boy Shopping"

Because this was "his day",

he wanted to go to the Combat Sports Store. 

Not your typical store!

He was so excited!

Levi had saved up his money and bought an soft-air gun.

He practices all the time in their huge backyard.

Safety first... eye protection and all the safety procedures.

This store was a first for both Tom and I.

We actually learned quite a bit about soft-air guns and gun safety.

Levi left with a bag full of supplies for his air soft guns.

Back home,

it's always fun to take Banjo for a walk.

For dinner Levi requested his favorite dinner that I make.

Taco Rice Casserole!

(recipe at the end of post)

This recipe was handed down from my mother.

It has so much History in our family.

(For one thing, it was the first meal Kimmy ever cooked!)

After dinner was THE MOVIE!

Levi choose a Star Wars movie!

The only Star Wars movie I've ever seen, 

was way back,  May 25th, 1977.

So this was a big deal for Levi (and me!!!).

He was soooooo excited for us to watch together.

He made sure I understood what was going on.

He kept filling me in on the characters and what they were doing.

(Now I've seen two Star Wars movies.)

Our time with Levi, came way to quickly and 

the next morning he headed back home to

his excited brothers and sisters.

~~~~****~~~~

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,"

Jeremiah 29:11

Update for those who want the Taco Rice Casserole Recipe....

This recipe is so old I have reworked it.

I use frozen corn, not canned.

Sorry, it's so blurry.