11/30/16...Took a wreath and put it on mom and dad's grave. Picked Sue up and she went with me. She gave me some yummy bean soup she made to take home.

Isaac and Peyton

Went to the SportsZone and walked 3 1/4 miles.  I was going to quit after my 3 miles and went I went to get off the walking track Pastor Bob was getting on and said, "I'll walk with you."  I went around around a few more times with him and then left.  I went to pick Sue up and she went to the cemetery with me to put a wreath on my mom and dad's grave.  Went pack to her house and she gave me some bean soup she had made with the ham bone I had given them.  It was really yummy soup.  I came home and put a roast, carrots and potatoes in the oven.  Left to go to Gordon's to buy placemats and meatballs for our Faith Rider's Christmas Party. Went to Jacks after that.  There was a really bad accident right in front of Jacks that had just happened.  Firetrucks, lots of police, ambulance, and tow trucks were there.  Someone had run the stoplight on Bay Road and hit someone.  The lady's car rolled 3 times and they had to take the doors off the car to get her out.  Don't know how she is doing.  Stopped to Vikki's for a few minutes and then went to His Restoration a couple of blocks away and dropped of some pretty and new baby clothes, bottles, etc. that my friend Vikki had given me to donate.  Ann from His Restoration was very happy.  So sweet of Vikki to be such a giver.  Came home and went out to see the snow blower Bill had got and put on his tractor.  I washed the windows in the cover for the tractor.  It even has a windshield wiper.  Sure will make snow blowing easy for Bill.  I am so happy for him.  I went in the evening to teach my class.  Tina left me and the rest of the teachers a bon bon on the cupboard.  She had a note written to be careful and not break our teeth on it because there was a nut in the middle.  She is so cute!

11/28/16....Went to see Kimmy at Vikki's, Took Louise to Zhenders for her free birthday meal.

Norman sure loves this deer antler

Louise at Bronner's

Had to get the whole wreath in the picture

Went to the Sportzone because I was going to walk.  Thought about my week and realized today was the only day I could go to Frankenmuth, so I called Louise to see if she wanted to go get her free Birthday Dinner.  She turned 93 on the 19h.  She wanted to go, so I didn't exercise, but went and ate instead.  I stopped at home first to change. Picked Louise up.  She was waiting in the Lobby for me.  We had such a fun day.  We ate in a small dining room that I didn't even know was there.  There were only 6 booths in there.  It was decorated so nice and looked beautiful.  It was called the cow room.  Ha Ha.  Louise ordered the family style chicken dinner.  I had a half chicken sandwich, dressing, and mashed potatoes.  The girl brought me a plate to share Louise's side dishes.  I didn't take too much though because I knew my food would fill me and I didn't want to be stuffed.  Louise ended up taking two containers with two meals of leftovers home.  She sent the bread home with me and that sure made Bill happy when I gave it to him.  We went to Bronner's afterward and Louise got her free ornament.  I bought a "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" ornament.  We walked around looking at all the ornaments and then went and asked at Customer Service for Debbie.  She came and talked to us for a while.  We left after that.  When I dropped her off, she gave me her ornament she got because she isn't putting up a tree.  It was a pretty red one with white writing on it about Christmas.  Bill had to go to an Elder's meeting, so I watched Christmas with the Kranks.  

11/27/16...Went to church, went to Olive Garden and went to care group

Love this picture Kimmy posted of the boys with their advent calendars from Aunt Debbie

Love this funny picture Kenzie put on of her when she was little.  She was so cute and funny.  This must have been right after she gave herself a haircut.

Got up this morning and after I showered and got ready, I went upstairs to wake Peyton up.  She was pretty sleepy so I did the "Ants are Marching" song (my version) with her and the pop up like toast in the morning too.  She woke up then and when she got out of bed I told her she should go potty upstairs because papa was in the shower downstairs.  She said, I already got up and went.  What a good little girl to have spend the night.  We went downstairs and she had Lucky Charms (she had requested that last night) and I had Honey Nut Cheerios.  She got dressed by herself and I brushed her pigtails.  She packed up her suitcase.  We headed to church.  I was surprised to see Bruce, Melissa and the kids there because I thought they would still be in Muskegon.  Nice surprise though.  The kids stayed in church today.  Good thing I had lots of note pads.  The older ones did great, but it's hard on the little ones to just sit there when they are used to going back to Sunday School.  After church, Bill and I went to Olive Garden.  He had spaghetti and I had soup and salad.  Vikki and Rody drove by us and they all waved.  They had been honking the horn they said and we didn't even hear them.  Came home and took naps, then went over our lesson.  Headed to care group.  Only 8 of of there tonight.  The rest of the groups had about the same number.  Must be because of the holiday.
Really good lesson on forgiveness and reconciliation.  Came home and watched Celtic Christmas and movie "The Preacher's Wife".

11/21/16...Put the tree up

Spent the day putting up the tree!  Always love having it up and sitting by it at night.  So many of the ornaments on it are from Bill's sister, Debbie.  They are so beautiful and meaningful.  I also love my ornaments with the kids pictures in them  There's one for each family and a sweet recording of them saying Merry Christmas Nana and Papa, We love you!  Love hearing their little voices!  Hoping they never accidentally get erased.  

11/26/16...Put the rest of the Christmas Decorations up...Peyton came and decorated my little tree up and also set up the Fisher Price Nativity. She was a big help

Bill made his yummy dumplings for and added noodles to Mrs. Grass Noodle soup and it was delicious.

Peyton came to spend the night so she decorated our little Christmas tree

Peyton decorating the tree

She like picking out the ornaments and putting them on

Here's Peyton with the finished tree.  She did a great job

Peyton wanted to make pictures.  We drew Christmas trees and she put shiny jewel stickers on for decorations.  They looked so cute!

She was working on both of our pictures.  She's putting Nana on my paper

Look at all those shiny ornaments on her tree

Love the picture she made

When I came downstairs, this was on the table.  She drew it and I though she sure did a good job for a 5 year old.

Peyton drinking from a really long straw

Popcorn and movie time

I spent the day cleaning and then putting the rest of the Christmas decorations up.  Vikki brought Peyton to spend the night.  Isaac came with Vikki too.  They were excited to see the tree up and the decorations.  They love the snow globe that plays music and snow flies.  Vikki took me for a ride in her car.  It sure rides nice and is so nice looking.  After she and Isaac left, Peyton decorated my little tree.  She loved doing it and did such a good job.  It's kind of cute how they are so excited and use the garland and every ornament at that age and then by the age of around 12, they don't want to use the garland and they don't want to put as many ornaments on.  That happened with both Kenzie and Hailey.  Peyton set up the Fisher Price Nativity too.  Then we drew and colored our pictures.
She wanted to put jewel stickers on for ornaments so we did.  She painted in a paint with water book too.  We ate chicken, potatoes and beets, but she wanted the pancakes I had made earlier.
She ate 5 little pancakes.  After we ate and cleaned up, she picked out Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to watch.  We made popcorn and snuggled with our blankets on the couch.  She was really interested in the movie.  It was the first time I have watched it.  Hailey's school did a play of it that I went to last year so I was glad to actually watch the movie.  We had popcorn and, of course, a chocolate bar while we watched it.  She was so much fun.  I asked her if she wanted to sleep in the living room like Isaac did, in our room on the floor, or upstairs.  She picked upstairs and she went right to bed, prayed and fell asleep in 2 minutes.  What a good little girl she is!

11/25/16...Ate breakfast and then checked out. Went to Evart and Hicks Lake where my dad live when he was a boy.

Watched these swans while we ate breakfast.

Went outside to get a better picture of them.  Yesterday there were about 15 but they were too far away to get a good picture of

I was so happy.  Dad and I drove back to Hicks Lake in Evart where dad lived when he was a boy.  There was a little snow on the ground in the woods and on the road in places.  Kind of muddy in some places.
.  

Hicks lake

 Grandpa Golombisky lived here until he died so we would go visit almost every weekend in the summer when we were kids.  Dad and Uncle Donald got it when he passed away so we got to go as adults too.  Took Melissa there when she was a baby and got movies.  They sold it shortly after that

Out by the water here is where we took the movie of Melissa when she was a baby

Lakeside view of the cottage

This is where we always parked.   When my sister, Gus was 17 and I was 18 we  drove up there and stayed for the whole week.  Had lots of fun!

Another wonderful stop on the way home was Cops and Donuts!  Notice the huge tree is in a swimming pool to keep it watered.  Bill had a cinnamon donut and I had a custard filled donut with chocolate on the top. Time to go home and lose a couple pounds now.

Ate breakfast and checked out.  Went home through Whitecloud, Baldwin, Reed City (where Bill and I golfed one time and the ball rolled off the tee.  We both bent over at the same time to pick it up and knocked heads right in front of the huge A frame lodge window.  We laughed so hard.),
Then the best of all was we went to Evart and drove 10 miles back to Hicks lake.  Mom and Dad used to pack all 6 of us kids in the car plus the neighbor, Dennis, lots of time and we would go there and have so much fun.  Swam, played by the channel and made wonderful memories.  In the winter we would snowmobile all over the lake.  The cottage looks the same as it always did.  The last time I was up there was about a year before my mom passed away.  I took her and my dad up to the lake and we had a picnic and then drove all over.  Dad showed us the stone school house he went to and shared lots of stories.  We had so much fun.  Sure do miss them.  We stopped at cops and donuts afterwards.  Went through a couple of shops there too.  Stopped at Charlie and Sue's house on the way home.  We dropped off Cinnamon Rolls for them and also cashews and Molasses cookies for Charlies birthday.  Bob Miller was there digging with his equipment and moving their clothes poles.  It was nice to see him.

11/24/16...had breakfast, played cards, had a huge turkey dinner, took a nap, went for a nice walk and had banana splitswent for a nice walk

My sweetie Bill

Me

View out the window when we ate our breakfast.  Kind of hazy on the water

Yummy Thanksgiving dinner they served us!  Had salad too and our choice of pumpkin, peach or apple pie

This big Buffalo watched over us while we ate.  So glad he was hung securely!!!

The Livery 

Entrance to the Livery East Wing

Hallway to our room

We went on a wonderful long walk

The museum....many old cars, snow mobiles, farm equipment, household antiques

Bill serving water

Me helping keep toppings full and ice in pitcher for water.

Bill's 5 scoop banana split!  They served 117 banana splits and thought they would run out of bananas but didn't.

The Amish guy in the background turned and asked dad if they treated the workers special and laughed.  They let anyone have seconds if they want.  No one usually does, but Bill did one time.

Got up and gave thanks to the Lord for all of the many blessings He has given us.  We went to the main lodge for breakfast!  The had scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, toast and bagels.

It was very cloudy and misting.  At 12:30, we went to the dining hall and had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.  We were so stuffed afterwards.   We took a nap when we got back to our room.  Got up and went for a nice long walk on the trails.  Bill did good walking
with his boot and broken foot.  We played a couple games of 3-13 after that.  We skipped the evening meal because we were too full.  At 8:30, we went to help with toppings and serving water and coffee with the banana splits.  There were 117 people who had banana splits.  All but six of us were Amish from Indiana.  One sweet lady talked to us for a long time and invited us to come to the restaurant she works at in  Shipshewana.  Love helping and getting to talk and joke around with everyone.  Watched a Hallmark movie before going to bed