Montello

Had a great picnic Fall festival in Montello, WI. It is my cousin John and Becky's cottage on the lake where they have an aquaponic greenhouse. It was a great drive up there, the leaves on the trees are changing and it only took us a little over an hour and a half to get there.

John had 3 coin operated rides there, which was a hit for the kids. I think they were running pretty much all day and they even had to retrieve the quarters out of the rides a couple of times since the kids went through the container of quarters after the 1st couple of hours.

Then, there was the tour of the aquaponic greenhouse and the Tilapia fish that provide the nutrients for the plants- it was very interesting to learn all about this - All organic, self contained, and environmentally responsible! Interesting to learn they are teaching this to kids in school and also internationally.

There was "Bouila" cooking in a large pot- found out this is a Beligium tradition- cooking in a very large pot- basically it is chicken noodle soup- but I guess you shouldn't call it that. Fresh fish frying up, and of course all the food everyone brought.

Then they had the apple mashing with a contraption, that I guess has been in the family for over 100 years that was used to make fresh cider- Great Aunt Ethel- got to enjoy the first cup- as the tradition goes!

All in all, it was good to see family we haven't seen in awhile and the kids had a great time too!

The end of September?? Where did this month go?

I have been away from my blog too long!! I can't believe it is the end of September and already Fall, and we are almost at a new month!!!

Time has just slipped away, and things have been very hectic around here- to say the least!!

Well, we had a birthday boy at the beginning of the month- Owen turned 2 !!!!! I can not believe how fast the time has gone- our baby is 2!!!! Grandma and Grandpa Gus, along with Uncle John, came to visit over the weekend and help celebrated Owen's big day. He got to go shopping and pick out a toy and Owen's party was good fun! The theme was Cars- since Owen is now getting into Lightening McQueen and that great movie!!

We took the boys to Edwards Apple Orchard - a tradition we keep every year- and most likely, we will be back a couple more times this Fall season. The boys love it- and it was the first time Jake and Owen could play together in the house, maze, firetruck and train. We plan on going back and taking a hayride through the orchard in the next week.

Finally, Owen had his hernia surgery today and it went very well. It was outpatient- and he was great through the whole ordeal- He was even given a little fish from one of the Nurses, since he was so sweet with them, while they were checking his blood pressure, taking his temp, weighing, pulse ox and generally looking him over. He didn't cry, frown, and only looked at them quizically.... We did not understand this, since the very sight of the scale at his Pediatrician's office, he FREAKS!!! Maybe since he has no idea what was going to happen- he didn't know what to expect, he was his normal easy going self......

Here are some pics to enjoy- and check out-

Rock Cut

Our summer days are limited- with Fall around the corner we are not going to have many more warm days. Fall is my favorite time of the year, but following that, is a season, that I am not as fond of- Winter( unless you live in AZ).

Fall, typically doesn't seem like it lasts that long- it seems like one day it is warm out, there are a couple of cooler days- then, here we are COLD!!!
I love the leaves changing colors, the apple orchard, picking out pumpkins, and then of course Halloween- one of my favorite holidays!!!

The boys had a picnic lunch at Rock Cut and did a little hiking- love that park!!

Fair time....

This pretty much sums up the fair experience 2009- They loved it - and they enjoyed all the toys and food they could eat. The fair itself is pretty much a money sucker, but the boys really had a good time - they rode the car ride twice, Jake hopped in the bouncy house, and also rode the Dragon roller coaster. Jake got to play the "duck game" a few times and he was able to pick out some really high quality toys for himself and Owen... Not to mention, they ate corn dogs, ice cream, lemonade, elephant ears, and shish kabobs.
Jake was allowed to pick out a toy and he picked out a plastic Ak47- I guess we are starting him young... Meanwhile, Owen picked out a bag of horses- all different colors- There was no way, I wanted Owen to have a gun at the age of 1, 4 years is acceptable though- ; ) ( Not really)

I also never experienced something, this year too. In the women's bathroom they actually had a female "traffic controller". She directed everyone as you walked in on which stall to use and her job was, I guess to keep the lines moving. The stalls were even numbered, so she could you tell you which one to go to. She also had burning incense and a tip jar. What a racket, this lady had. It reminded me many years ago, of the bathroom at Crobar, in Chicago, although, this woman, I don't think was a transvestite.

All in all, the fair lived up to it's usual grandeur- great food, variety of things to do, and always interesting people watching.

You know what day it is???

Friday


It's Friday, and that means coffee today after work. We always start our weekend this way- it doesn't keep us awake or all "jacked up" as Eileen would say- so it is our little treat on Fridays after work ( and sometimes Saturdays, and sometimes Sundays- haha)

So on my way home, I will pick our fave Starbucks at the drive thru

Have a great weekend!!!

Monday, Monday

We had a wicked looking storm roll in yesterday afternoon- here are some shots from that.....

I get by with a little help from my friends.....

Hi


I have been quiet here on the blog lately- Thank you all for the sympathy and kind words about Jo. We are still missing her, but I know, as time goes on, our sadness will turn to the great memories we have of her and the years she was with us. Thanks Kris for the card and the supplies for a memory album of Jo.

We are looking into the future and Rob and I have accepted the fate we have and are going with the flow regarding the sale of our house and our eventual move. In the meantime, we are spending our days and our "free time"- that is, time away from work -and enjoying family time and trying to live in the moment!

Here are some recent pics- I bought some sunflowers the other day- just to brighten up the house- it has been a little gloomy . I found these really big, sunflowers with purple stems and leaves- never have seen those before. Anyhow, I put them in a vase Rob bought me a few years ago- that I love- it is purple with melted colored glass within the vase. I put it on our dining table. Andrew Weil always said you should have fresh flowers in your home- and I couldn't agree more- there is something happy about that!

Jake was helping his bud, Owen, share his ice cream- too cute - thought you all might enjoy that- Jake being a nice BIG brother.

Owen's room is very colorful, and has all his toys and books in there, yet, he seems to always wander into Jake's room- I think it is due to his race car bedspread from his Grandma Gus, or the CARS bedspread we use as back up. I guess "the grass is always greener" in the other bedroom.

For my birthday, from my parents, I got a Haiku bag ( thanks Paula for the inspiration) I love it- it has all these pockets and is a crossover bag so it is HANDS FREE- great with the kids!!!!!