Thur Dec 31

12/31/09 I can't believe I actually got one whole year blogged. I should look back and see what all went on. It's been a pretty good year. Lots to be thankful for. Kim L. called this am. Two nights ago she was in her kitchen after the family was finishing eating supper. She fainted/ fell to the floor/ was having a seizure/ turning blue. Tom gave her CPR and they called an ambulance. After checking her out in the Storm Lake hospital the past 2 days, everything looks fine. She may just be one of 60% of people who have a random seizure once in their lifetime. She isn't suppose to drive for 6 months and they are not having their usual New Years Day get together at their home. My, oh, my, we never know what a day may bring. May you all know who much we appreciate and love each of you. Denny's folks came over for roast pork supper tonight. Earlier we had discussed what we could be doing these next few days. We each made a list...Denny said we should include the amount of time we felt each project could /would /should take. Amazing after 36 years we had about the same list of possible jobs...and the total came to 18 hours in each of our lists. Guess we have our work cut out for us...should we choose to take the assignments. :) We were going to start on taking out the brick and board storage shelves from the basement to the machine shed before the folks came over. This was to make room for the baby crib in the furnace room and leave more room in the yellow room. I had removed/ sorted/ trashed/ restashed all the stuff that was on the shelves. Well, when Denny pushed the garage door opener...(without first prying the heavy iced door up from the cement garage floor) ...it broke. Add another 1 1/2 hour job to the list. It did get fixed before we went to bed. Instead of watching the ball fall in New York City. I watched Denny on a ladder in the garage and the tools fall. Happy New Year!! We did go to bed before 12. Fuddy Duddies.

Wed Dec 30 14150

12/30/09 I started to IG around noon...got to M31 and headed north to Arthur. NOPE I'M NOT GOING. Didn't feel comfortable turning around until I got to where Thies' used to live. All the roads were 100% snow and ice covered. Oh, my, I'm not going when I don't have to be out. Most of the day I worked in the furnace room moving furniture and priming the west wall. I hope to paint it with some blue that was left from Evan's room. I'm wtiting down some stats for our vehicles. 2004 Prius purchased 11 '09 miles 126,026...now 127,527 1995 Honda Civic purchased 8 '02 134,940...now 228,856 2001 Ford pickup purchased 7 '06 83,529... now 109,668 2002 Chevy Malibu purchased 10 '04 67,511...now 137,642 2005 Harley purchased 8 '04 0 ...now 39,149 We get around. Just thought I'd put all the information in one spot. Hopefully next year there will be lots more miles on the Harley.

Tues Dec 29

12/29/09 Anabel and Howard went to SC to get her monthly cancer shot. After I took trash up to the unit I went over there for a visit. I started on the storage shelves in the furnace room. Quite a bit of that could go to the trash tomorrow. Denny came home from work, ate a bite, paid some bills and went to move snow at the unit. When I put our new passports (that came yesterday) in our safe I found my Southwest $200 coupon. It has to be used by Feb. 24. Where should I fly to? I'd hate to let it go unused.

Mon Dec 28 14100

12/28/09 Beautiful Day...if you like white ground cover and if you don't have any place to go. Denny made it to work, almost getting stuck at our south corner. Larsons came and scooped the folks and the unit out again. Mark had semen delivered to Arthur instead of the unit. I finished sending out Christmas letters...if the mail man can make it. I'm getting caught up on this blog. Hadn't really made any entries since last Monday. Luke took lunch over to the Arthur banker. My next project is cleaning out the cold closet to make room for 3 tubs with Christmas decorations. I got high hopes.

Sun. Dec. 27

12/27/09 We did get to "SEE" Mandy on the computer on Christmas day. Anabel is telling Mandy "Thanks" for the doctor kit (that also had eye glasses.) In the am we went to SS. Roads were passable, not wonderful. I wouldn't be going by myself. Luke and Karen joined us for church and then we went to Subway for lunch. Thanks! Home for a quick nap. Then L&K came to the farm and we went to G&G to visit. I sent cavatini home for Karen's family for supper. The rest of the night Denny and I just lazied around.

Sat Dec 26 14075

12/26/09 Like most mornings when the kids (usually, Haley and Evan) got up they joined me in our bedroom and watched videos. Walt Disney, Little House on the Prairie, or the end of Wonderful Life. Nice snuggling, quiet time. The snow plow went by and Grandpa got the tractor with the chains on ready to move snow from the driveway. 4 little ones watched from the front door and the living room window. 4 big ones spent time warming vehicles, packing, picking up, and consolidating things from around the house. Soon the house of 12 was just down to 2, Denny and I. What a wonderful Christmas family time it was. Thanks for coming home. We love you all so much. We went to the folks about noon when Linda and Dean were coming with pizza and a new shelf for the folk's new TV. Then we worked at the unit. When we got home we cleaned. Denny also glued 6 wooden chairs back together. He found out where the leak was near the washing machine, cleaned out 4? drains, and washed several loads of clothes. The electricity blinked off and on for a couple hours.

Friday Christmas Day 2009

12/25/09 MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Denny fixed bacon and eggs. Then he read the Christmas story from the book of Luke as we sat around the table. We had planned that after opening presents GG&GG and Youslings would come over for turkey. NO GO the roads were bad. Mo. Johnsons had planned to head to Kingsley in the afternoon. Matt, Luke, and Phillip tried the road going north. They got stuck once on the way to 175... those 3 men were able to scoop and push out Matt's truck out. Then on the way back to our farm, they went in the ditch... that took Dean M.'s tractor to get out. Denny put chains on our tractor. Denny and I walked to the unit to take care of the pigs. Then we started a fire in the coop and had a nice visit before heading into the house.

Thurs Dec 24 14050

12/24/09 Karen and I watched the cousins while the rest went in to the rec center. After they got back Phillip, Matt, Haley and I went on a ditch run. We hadn't gotten a tree yet. Most of the trees in the stores have been cut for a month and I'm quite sure I would just have a pile of needles in my living room. Phillip manned the chain saw and Matt went along for laughs. When Haley colored a picture of getting a ditch tree she appropriately colored the scrub cedar brown. It took a LONG time for the ice to melt off before we could put ithe "tree" in the living room. Matt's facebook caption was... "You know you are a red neck when your Christmas tree comes from a ditch." Ham, cabbage salad and corn for lunch. In the afternoon we went to the coop for some chips and spinach artichoke dip. Then before putting the little ones to bed, we watched a little bit of " It's a Wonderful Life", sat in front of the tree for a while and sang a few songs.

Wed. Dec 23

12/23/09 7 of us went in the rec center. Big people worked out and little ones swam and played in the toy room. Denny had contacted Schau's to take the truck to Odebolt in the early am. The pickup was fixed so we drove there and brought it home. Roads were getting nasty. Luke and Karen came from Burlington and made it home about 9. Roads weren't too bad until they headed north on 59. Karen's folks were in DM and so she stayed with us through Friday night.

Tues Dec. 22 14025

12/22/09 Matt, Miisy and I went into Jim G.'s funeral. Becky and Phillip took the kids to great G&G. We stopped in there for pizza. About 2 Matt took me into my eye doctor appointment. It seems like sometimes nothing goes smoothly. Dad's pick up ignition got locked up. He came from Arthur...and couldn't fix it. We were there 1 1/2 hours. Phillip came in to get us. Luckily, the fixed washer fit in the back of Jensen's van. About 4 pm the 2 sets of parents headed into the rec center with Matt's pickup. Denny went to IG after work and they tried to pull Denny's pickup to unlock the steering column. No luck. Denny headed home and the couples went to Denison for a show and Mexican. We fed the kids, played with them in the basement, and put them to bed. So nice to have them around.
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Mon Dec 20

12/20/09 I went to the folks for coffee, then to the unit. Malcolms said there would be a better chance to look at and fix the washer the earlier it came in. I took it in by 10. Then back to the unit to disinfect 5 farrowing rooms. It took a while. I haven't done it for a long time and didn't have a system. Plus the hoses were pretty kinked. I was making my last fill of disinfectant and it dropped and a splash of full strength disinfecant went in my right eye. I was scared, went to the office and washed it under lukewarm water faucet water, hurried to finish spraying the room and put the equipment away, rinsed my eye out some more, hurried home, called the eye doctor. He had a 2:30 opening. Called the folks, Howard was willing to take me in. The Dr. gave me a prescription for antibiotic and a second bottle eye medicine. This was not what I had planned for today. I was going to watch grandkids so parents could spend some time together. Instead of going out Matt & Becky and Missy & Phillip came home and we visited. (NOT in front of the Christmas tree because we didn't have one yet.)

Sun Dec 20 14000

12/20/09 Church and SS I forgot that I told Elizabeth that I would take nursery for her...but luckily she was there. I made soup for caroling, but decided to work on our Christmas letter instead of going to church tonight. It's pretty much ready I just have to make copies.

Sat Dec. 19

12/19/09 We went to Carroll this am to weighed in for WW and finish Christmas shopping. I realized when I got home I wrecked the washing machine yesterday when I tried to wash a couple rugs that I got at a thrift store. OUCH. It seems like quite often I just can't win because I fail to use my brain. Hopefully, I can take it in to Malcolms Monday and get it fixed. I really should start on the Christmas letter...I don't seem to be in the mood. We did get most of presents wrapped.

Fri Dec. 18 13950

12/18/09 I went for coffee at Anabel's then a quick trip into town. About 11 am 7 good friends came for lunch. What a treat to spend 3-4 hours with Christian sisters that have been friends for a long time. We did an art project. See the lovely silk scarves we dyed. Some day we'll laugh about them... right now we're quite styling. I served fruit, poppyseed chicken and spinach salad. Sue brought good coffee and Kathy brought her great cheesecake. Susan G. just called ...Jim G. died. He had been in the hospital since earlier this week. He will be missed so much. I went with Susan tonight to a homeschool Christmas get together.

Thurs Dec. 17

12/17/09 My plans were to go to Ginny A's for lunch today. Instead I got a 6:30 call to sub at the HS in IG. Hurray!!! It was for the art teacher who has a 5th hour planning period. I got to spend almost an hour with the gals from Thurs Bible study before heading back to the HS for 6th hour. It worked perfectly. Denny had perhaps his best day yet. 3.25 out of 5. He stayed at the bank until almost 7 getting ready for Friday. I was getting ready for tomorrow's luncheon at my home. Denny has had a cold that has been bothering him. I told him about an Email from Betty S. that tells of a treatment for persistant cough. You put Vicks vapor rub on the bottom of your feet. Then put on your socks. His cold seems to be getting better. Who would have thought.

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Wed. Dec 16 13900

12/16/09 I got a call last night to sub for OA English again. It was a good day. I gave them a test over the vocabulary words that we played bingo with yesterday. Then they read AR books for the rest of the period. I had put a roast in the crock pot so I took it and party potatoes for our meal out before Awana. With no Awana last week we rearranged the schedual so that all three age groups could watch a 45 minute Vegetale Christmas DVD together at the end of the night. It worked okay. It was also store night. How do you like them bananas?

Tues Dec. 15

12/15/09 I got a call to sub today for English at OA middle school today at 6:30. So off I went. It was a good day. We played vocabulary bingo. I told the 8th graders I was pretty good at it because I played a lot of Bingo in Brownsville Texas. When Denny got off work we just talked in the basement apartment and had left overs for supper. . Went to bed early. Denny had a cold and didn't sleep very well last night.

Mon Dec 14 13850

12/14/09 Only one month until my flight to Brownsville. About 7 I got a call to sub PE in Odebolt in the morning. At noon I met Denny and we set up the Awana store. The roads were so slippery that we cancelled Bible study for tonight. Denny stopped over at his folks after work and I brought eggs and bacon and we ate there. Lazy night. My friend Teresa P. was diagonsed with cancer today. Keep her in your prayers. Such deep water.

Sun Dec. 13

12/13/09 I taught Kim S.'s SS class. There is a possible 14 3 & 4 year olds. NOW THAT WOULD BE A ROOM FULL. There were only 5 cute little ones. After church I was on the committee that served the catered meal before the annual meeting.

Sat Dec. 12 13800

12/12/09 Kinda slept in. We're not used to staying up so late. It was close to midnight when the gals left the coop last night, so it was a treat not to be up at 5 am. We worked at the unit and then went to Carroll to do a little shopping. Lots of looking...not alot of purchases...but it is a start.

Fri Dec 11

12/11/09 I had coffee at the folks before fixing heat lamps at the unit for a couple hours. Then I headed to IG, by way of the Arthur bank. They were serving holiday treats...meatballs, veggies, deli meat and cheese. YUM Then to get groceries etc. The year Denny and I were married, I sold Avon. Denny always said I went up to the doors of houses and asked, "You wouldn't want to buy any Avon, would you?...I didn't think so." I wouldn't recommend the technique. Anyway, at that time I bought a kit to embroider a winter farm scene. I did complete it and gave it to my mom for Christmas. Last year when we went thru things in Brownsville I brought the stitchery home. I took it to Selections in IG and they put on a double mat and framed it for me. I picked it up today. It looked okay. They did a fine job, but maybe I shouldn't have had it done. The material is kind of old and stained. But oh, well, it was a labor of love for mom. She had it in Brownsville to remember cold Iowa winters. Plus, it will help me remember I never want to sell Avon again. This afternoon/evening from 4-9 pm 7 of us from Bible study offered free child care. We had 21 3-12 year olds at the church. It went pretty well. Hot dog supper with chips and carrots...Crafts...baking cookies...and watching Polar Express. Afterward they came to the chicken coop and had hot cocoa and cider chips and left over meatballs from the bank. Renae, Nikki, Elizabeth, Danielle, Denny, me Lynn, Emily, Sarah, Brandon,David. Fun to visit. The picture goes with absolutely nothing from this days blog...but I thought it was kinda cute. What a bunch of winners :) And we got an Atlantic fest t- shirt to boot.

Thurs Dec 10 13750

12/10/09 I just about got stuck at the end of my driveway. Denny had gone out and moved snow at 6 am. The road at the end of the driveway was just slippery enough that I couldn't get traction with the Malibu. Finially I inched my way up the hill and on to another day starting with coffee at the folks. I worked at the unit til about noon. When I got home I found out that there was no Bible study today at Susan's. So I stayed inside and warm. I accomplished alot...rearranged my spice cupboard. That doesn't sound too exciting but it was a great job for me to get done. I also got a ticket to fly to Brownsville Jan. 14. Now that's exciting. About 4 I started a fire in the coop and Denny and I ate supper out there. We've decided that 8:30 is a good time for us to head to bed. NOW you really have a clue how exciting our lives are. The pictures are a "Hello" to a couple of you who may look at this blog.

Wed. Dec 9

12/9/09 WAY TO GO SNOW STORM!!!! This is my "way to go" picture for the gift exchange. This am it was very snowy. The bank didn't open til noon. We walked to the unit and fed the sows and put plastic over some of the fans. No school or Awana today.

Tues Dec. 8 13675

12/8/09 The kids had dessert of Dirt and Worms at lunch on Saturday. (chocolate pudding with oreos and gummy worms. ). This am I went to Howard and Anabel's for coffee. Then to the unit where I finished spraying the rooms. I worked from 9:15-3:15 straight. A storm is coming in. The home school Christmas get together at Remers is cancelled. When Denny left work at 5:30 he was surprized at how much snow that he had to walk through to get to his pickup. Yes, we don't think the Prius will be able to manuver very well in Iowa drifts. Hurrah for the pickup.

Mon. Dec 7

12/7/09 How about those masked heros??? I sprayed at the unit-- 1 1/2 rooms. There are no sows farrowing for the next 2 months. The bank had told the owner not to breed...and to liquidate sows. It's odd to see the rooms empty. The gals came for Bible study. Emily, Danielle, Steph, Elizabeth, Jodie, Lynn, Sarah and me. We are making plans for Friday free child care night.

Sun Dec. 5 13650

12/5/09 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TORREN!!! Three is pretty old. Great grandma and grandpa got this birthday cake for you at the Storm Lake bakery. They love you very much, too. You bring a lot of joy to all of our lives!! I watched the kiddos while Matt ran with Keith...to Wisconsin. He got a later spart back home than he had planned...but made it just in time for Haley's Awana. Luke bought Denny and I breakfast (and good coffee for Denny) with his last night's winnings. We got home aobut 3:30.

Sat Dec. 5

12/5/09 Fun! Fun! Fun! to spend the day with your family. Missy and Matt went to work out in the am. I had the kids help wake up the other 2 slumbers. Jumping on the bed and pillow fights. Before and after lunch we played at the water park. When we got home Sunday Denny said he was about slid out. Gail and Bruce had brought a pinata from Mexico for the little one to beat on. It took a while. Finally Keith put it on the ground so the light fixture it was hanging from wouldn't break. Gail helped the kids dig into it too. Missy and I had made capes for all the 11 grand counsins. Plus I found some masks for the super heros. They were all pretty powerful. After another round at the waterpark we ordered pizza and had Torren'sbirthday cake. About 8 the Jensens headed back to Parkersburg. Phillip had to work on Sunday, imagine that.

Fri Dec 4 13625

12/4/09 I was up early and helped load out 434 pigs that weighed 14.56#. Then I headed to sub at the high school. Home to pack (and a short nap) then to Arthur to meet Denny and head for Dubuque about 6:15. We reached the Grant Harbor Resort and waterpark about 10:45. Jensens, Mo. Johnsons and Luke were there all in bed. The grand kids had spent about 2-3 hours in the waterpark and were ready to sleep. Great to have so many there. Just missing Mandy and Becky. It was a 7 hour drive from St. Joe with 2 kids. Thanks for coming, Matt!! We visited in Craig's room for a couple hours. Denny had had a interview with Owen and Dave this am.

Thur Dec. 3

12/03/09 Happy birthday Bruce. Looking forward to seeing you this weekend. Dubuque, here we come!! How many of these cousins wil be there?

Wed Dec. 2 13600

11/02/09 Happy Birthday Whitney!!! Hope you are having a great time in Oregon. Sorry the picture isn't the greatest, but Isaiah looks pretty cute. Happy 18!

Tues Dec. 1

12/01/09 Mark, Jon and I gave shots to the 1050 pigs that are going to be weaned tomorow. I spent the rest of the day getting ready for weaning tomorrow. I got home about 5:30 and Denny and I left for the motorcycle Christmas party at 5:45. We met in the basement of Family Table. I was really tired and had thought we would go home right after eating, but it was so good to be with the ones we ride weekly in the summer and the game that Peggy W. planned was so fun that we stayed to the late hour of 10:00. There were 18 of us who rode together this summer and we all were there. Nearly every week we went to a different place to eat with in a 60 mile radius of IG. One of the gals that is a teller in Arthur has been gone because her dad is sick. With only 4 in the office one absent is missed.