Friday, 9/30/22, Nice day in the mid 60's and sunny, Went to Bible Study on 1 Peter, cleaned out the she d and moved it, Went on a walk with Melissa and Max

 

Eli and new kitty....Teddy

Adam and new kitty....Basel

Baking cookies to take to Hailey tomorrow

I grilled chicken breasts and potatoes on the grill tonight.  We had beans from the garden too!

Bill putting the new light up, then trying it!

Other light up

Beautiful fall day

Eli drew these and sent them to me today.  Just amazing!  What a great artist! Way to draw Eli

Missy...she picked her and I an ice cap up for our walk

Max and Vader with beautiful trees in the background

Max and Vader on our walk

I went to our Bible Study on 1 Peter Joan is leading in the morning.  Maddy and I sat together.  Deb, Annette, Tamara, Chris and Judy were also at our table for our group.

Went to Sam's Club to pick up some cashews for Hailey to take when we go see her tomorrow.  Bill and I took everything out of the little shed and moved it back on the deck of the big shed.  We washed it out and then moved stuff back in.  Donated some stuff to Goodwill which Bill took there.  I washed out hummingbird feeders and oriole feeders and put them away til next year.  

Melissa called and asked me to meet her and Max to go walking on the trails by the dog park.  It was so beautiful out and there was some gorgeous color on the trees.  We had a great walk.  What nice trails to walk on.  Max was so much fun and had us laughing.  It was sure good exercise.  Max did great walking Vader.  

Talked to Kimmy for a long time. Bill wanted me to call to see if we could take all of them out for dinner, but the homecoming football game was tonight and Jacob had to be there early for marching band, so will have to do it another time.  Eli sent me two of his drawings today.  They are sure amazing.  Another artist in the family!!! 

The boys sure got some cute kittens today.  I can't wait to hold them.  They look like happy boys in their pictures with them.  

Thurs. 9/29/22, Went to Michele's for lunch and a visit, Bill and I cleaned out storage area in camper, Went to Old Town

Baby Lydia doing to play with the box.  Tucker the Goldendoodle puppy, has chewed on the box and has left the pieces on the carpet.  Michele picked up the pieces for baby got the.  She's a busy mom!

Lydia was standing by the couch and Tucker went between her and the couch.  Good thing she kept her balance as she is new at standing

Our driveway by the shed looks amazing.  Our neighbors sure blessed us!

Kimmy's chickens loved the watermelons I sent home with Kimmy.   Wow...they devoured them.

 Got up early and showered and got ready.  Packed up a house warming gift in a gift bag and made a salad for my visit with Michelle today.  Left at 10:30.  Only took 25 minutes to get to her house.  She took me on a tour.  It's such a cute place with so much room and potential.  We ate lunch.  She made corn chowder soup and we ate the salad I made.  Lydia snacked on teething crackers.  She sure is a sweet baby.  She let me hold her a long time.  She is 9 months old now.  I came home and worked on sweeping the camper and scrubbing the floors.

I saw water in the outside storage compartment.  I asked Bill if he knew what it was from.  He forgot to take the wet outside rugs out and dry them out when we got home.  We took everything out to make sure everything was dry under there for the winter.  He washed off the rugs and we laid them in the sun to dry.  I dried the water out of the little plastic section was in.  Later, we put everything back in.

Sad news tonight.  Our president and wife's niece who is 31, passed away tonight after an 11 month battle with a rare blood cancer.  She is a Christian and so is her husband.  They have a 3 year son and a 1 year old son.  They sure will need prayers.  Thankfully, they will see her again in heaven.  A great loss for everyone here though.  She worked for 4 years at Channel 5 as a news reporter and weekend anchor.  I have been following her Cancer journey and it breaks my heart.

They fixed our garage door this afternoon.  They replaced the spring that was broken.  So nice to have it working again.  

I talked to Marie and wished her happy birthday.  She called me to thank me for the card we sent.  She invited me to go to Living Word Church on Stark Rd. in Midland in the evening.  Bill and I went to Old Town Drive Inn and had coney dogs, fries and root beer for dinner, since it took much longer doing the camper than I planned.  I made it home in time to change and head to church.  He moved lots of things around in his shed today and was pretty tired, so stayed home.  When the service was over, I called Kimmy and she talked to me until I got to the Freeland exit, which made the drive a nice one and it seemed quick.  She was playing bed wars with the boys.  She's a fun mom.

Texted with Adam.  I will sure be glad when his headache is better.   

Wed., 9/28/22, Packed up everything that has to come in from the 5th wheel, Adam went to school for a half day,

Jack and Evan's soccer team and coach...Jack third from the left in back row, Evan, left front on end

Our turkey family visited again this morning

Kit Kat is loving her house lots

Me and Brielle

Bill's turn to hold the baby

Had oatmeal for breakfast and had yummy Starbucks coffee.  Woke Bill up to show him the turkey family in our yard. This time they were on the other side of our deck.  They stayed out there a long time.  Kit Kat got out of her bed, came and looked at them and arched her back, then went back to her house.  I wrote in cards and got them ready to mail for Tom-birthday, Celeste-graduation, Lizzy-baby shower.  Put them in the mailbox, then came in to read my Bible.  Bill had to meet with Charlie and Devin.  They resurfaced the neighbor's driveway.  They also did ours and said Chase said they were throwing it in.  They wouldn't let us pay again.  It sure looks nice.  

Bill was working in the shed, and I went out to load up everything that needs to come in for the winter in the camper.  We got to meet and talk to Brittany's mom.  She had to park out on the road so walked by our driveway in back.  She was very nice.  Brittany sure looks like her mom.  I went to go to Melissa's and saw Chase trying to park on the road.  There were already 3 cars out there, so I called Bill and told him he should go out and let him know he could park in our driveway.   Bill did and Chase parked at the end of our driveway.  Got to see all the boys at Melissa's.  I should have taken a picture.  They were leaving to go with Bruce.  I visited with Melissa for a little while.

Made cubed steak, potatoes and peas for dinner.  Maddy and Alec stopped over with Brielle after their class at church.  We all anointed and prayed over Brielle for healing.  I got to hold her for a long time.  She was so cute and sure does move lots now, tries to talk, smiles lots and is just the sweetest.  She drank 3 oz. when I fed her.  Last time I saw her she was only eating 2 oz.  She weighs 8 lb. 7 oz. now, so is gaining nicely for being a preemie.  Bill took his turn at holding her too.  We visited til 10 p.m.

Tues. 9/27/22, Took sleeveless clothes up to store for winter, brought warmer clothes downstairs, Met Vikki at Hobby Lobby, went to Subway, froze beans from garden,

Me and Vikki at Subway

I walked to the sliding glass door and saw 9 visitors in our yard

Turkeys leaving

Turkey and baby that stayed by the edge of the woods leaving after the other ones

Kit Kat...she is as tired of the cold and rain as I am

She spent lots of time in her house again today.  Came out when she heard me come out the door

I love it when grandkids leave such sweet notes on the boogie board on the fridge.  Sweetie Peyton left me this precious note and left one for Kenzie too

We really slept in this morning.  Didn't get up til 8:30 and it sure felt good.  It was cold and rainy out again today.  I moved summer clothes upstairs and winter clothes downstairs.  Bill and I rearranged the garage to make room for wood pellets which we will be needing soon.  It didn't take us long.  After we were done, I met Vikki at Hobby Lobby and she helped me pick out a house warming gift for Michelle and Jerdon.  We found a couple of things really quick.  I knew Vikki would have younger taste and be a big help and she was.  We stopped to get Turkey/Cali/Bacon/Avocado subs from Subway.  She goes back to work on Thursday, so thought today would be good to meet.  It sure was fun spending time with her.  Bill picked up Max and took him to Culvers to spend time with him.  They had a good time.  

Maddy messaged me and asked me to pray for Brielle.  She has a growth on her eyelid that has grown quite a bit.  It was tiny when I saw her last week.  They have an appointment tomorrow to check it out.  The doctors weren't certain if it was a cyst or tumor.  We are praying for God to heal our little sweetie quickly and that it is something easy to take care of.  Prayers are appreciated.  I got Melissa, Kimmy and Vikki praying right away.  

I talked to Melissa for a long time.  The boys were at their soccer game.  Evan face timed me when he got home to tease me and tell me they lost.  Actually they won their first game and they were pretty excited.  

I cut up beans from the garden and froze some.  Also ate some and they were so good.

Monday, 9/26/22, Kimmy, Adam and Vikki came over,

Lucy staying warm in her blanket

Kenzie at Lost Lands for an event

Kenzie at Lost Land by a Jurassic Park Dinosaur 

Nice having Adam spend the day.  I sure will be glad when he doesn't have symptoms from his concussion any longer.  He found out after he got here that he didn't have school today anyway.  He watched some old Home Improvement shows.

I got my New Life decal on my car today.  Thanks Vikki for picking them up for us Sunday. 

I got a call from Vikki at 8 in the morning.  I was still in bed, but I was awake.  Last night she was in bed, but awake when I called her.  I guess it was pay back time lol.  She asked if she and Kimmy could come over at 8:30.  Of course my answer was yes right away.  I took a shower and got ready quickly.  I was very happy to have them come and also Adam as a bonus.  We all drank our coffee, visited, looked at wrist corsages online to get an idea for one for Adam to give Claire for Homecoming.  Adam was enjoying watching Home Improvement episodes.  We came in and watched some with him and we all laughed.  Vikki wanted a blanket for Lucy to get comfy on.  I told her I could get Kit Kat's bed from outside and Lucy could use it.  She said no because it could have flees on it.  I told her, I couldn't even get Kit Kat to go in her house with her bed.  I have tried, but she never will.  Today, she spent the whole day in there.  Go figure!  Kimmy called a florist in our area who had a 5 star rating and got a price on wrist corsages.  We decided to go there to look at what kind they had.  We stopped at the post office first so Kimmy could mail a box, and I mailed the Yeti mug I got for Bill back so we could get a smaller size.  30 oz. was just too big!!! Their website said they were open until 5, but their open sign wasn't lit.  There was a cat in the window.  They decided to go to the big building that must have been the house, and were met by a pit bull barking.  They came back to the car, and we all decided that place was not a 5 star but maybe a -5 star.  We went down the road to another florist that a friend of ours works at.  She wasn't there, but the girl who helped us was amazing.  We looked at lots of pictures and she worked with Kimmy to get exactly what Kimmy wanted for just $25.  Jared had gone to a florist in Midland and found out they charge $45 for all of their wrist corsages.  Kimmy didn't want to pay that much and wanted to find a cheeper place.  She sure did too!  They one she ordered for Claire will be beautiful.  She sent Jared a picture and he liked it.  She showed Adam a picture when we got back and he didn't have much of a reaction, but finally said he liked it.  That's a guy for you.  

Adam, Kimmy and I ate pizza for lunch, Vikki had a bowl of chili, and we all ate fried rice that Kimmy made.  It was delicious.  We went out so the girls could see Bill's new Grasshopper.  He demonstrated how it worked with a smile on his face.  I sent all the watermelon in the garden home with Kimmy.  It is way too seedy, even though the one we had tasted good.  It takes all day to get those seeds out.  Her chickens with love them.  I sent a couple of cucumbers that got to big too. They will be some happy chickens.

Vikki had to leave to go get the kids.  Kimmy and Adam had to leave about 10 minutes later.  It sure was nice having them come over and spend the day.  I had a nice talk with Melissa and caught up with her.  Hailey came home for the weekend, so she was very happy about having her here.  Melissa and I are planning to go to see her on Saturday if everything works out.  I can't wait!  Bill went to an Elder's meeting in the evening, and I went to pick up some cards I needed at the Dollar Store.  

Sunday, 9/25/22, Congrats Kimmy and Jared on 1000 sales on Etsy! So wonderful! Packed up, told friends goodbye, and left the campground. Watched Gabe Nelson preach at our church on video from last week, went to Vikki’s, then Aldi’s with Vikki

 

I was so happy to see Isaac and Peyton today!  Loved getting big hugs from them!

I got up early to get ready and started making  eggs, bacon, and potatoes for our breakfast.  I commented to Ziggy that I remembered to put the microwave vent on, turned the ceiling fan and vent on so he wouldn't have to stand on a stool and turn off the fire alarm like he has the last two years we've been up there, and he's stayed with us.  I asked Ziggy what kind of eggs he liked.  He said scrambled, so I asked Bill to get the gallon of milk out of the refrigerator.  I had already started the bacon, and potatoes, and had started one egg, so I wanted to hurry and mix up the scrambled eggs so I could add it to the other egg which I had stirred up.  Bill set the milk on the edge of the sink and I took the top off of it and as I did, it tipped and fell in the sink (I grabbed it out right away) and splattered all over everything.  I had to get the eggs cooking, so I had Bill and Ziggy wipe up the mess and told them I would wash things down good afterward.  I should have taken a picture, but was way too busy.  I got everything cooked, then we all dished up what we wanted on our plates.  I had made the coffee, and Bill poured us each a glass of juice.  We prayed and then enjoyed our breakfast.  Ziggy went back for more and between all of us we ate everything but one hash brown.  I guess next year I will remember to only buy a half gallon of milk and will remember to make scrambled eggs in the beginning.  Always learning.    

We all started packing up to leave.  Ziggy left after breakfast because he has to drive his motorcycle down by the border of Michigan and Indiana where he lives.  Then he has to drive two more hours to go stay with his mom who he and his sister take turns caring for.

We wanted him to get an early start so he didn't run into rain.  About 45 minutes later we said goodbyes to friends and then we dumped and left.  We got stuck in heavy traffic backed up because of construction.  Cars were going through the drive in the median to go back the other direction on the expressway.  Bill asked if he should and I told him no, but he decided to anyway.  I was nervous because of pulling the camper, but it was an extra wide drive so wasn't bad at all.  We sure did save lots of time.  I wanted to listen to Gabe, who went to our church while he was growing up and now has become a pastor.  He gave a great message and did so good.  Very proud of him!  We had good weather all the way home and finished listening to the message as we pulled in the driveway..

We unloaded the camper, (Bill blessed me and put my hanging clothes in his truck and taking them in the house for me) and we were soon done with us working together.  I warmed up some pizza and ate, then went to visit Vikki for a while.  I was so happy to see Peyton and Isaac and get big hugs from them.  They took me on a tour of the basement and showed me how nice it looks.  They rearranged it and have gotten rid of lots of stuff they didn't want.  Vikki, Kimmy and all the kids worked hard to get it looking so nice.  Vikki and I had a nice time sitting on her porch talking (talking to Kimmy on the phone too) and drinking my coffee and her drinking her tea.  Peyton came and sat on the porch for a while with us with her legos too.  We decided we wanted some of Vikki's favorite bread from Aldi's, so left to go get some.  Vikki stopped for gas on the way to get it for $3.85, which was the cheapest we saw in town.  

We watched today's message online in the evening.  Our church mortgage was paid off on Friday, so they celebrated today.  They burned the mortgage and then pastor shared the vision for 2023 with everyone.  So good!  They had cake and took pictures of everyone who wanted one after church.  Missed being there to celebrate.  Vikki, Rody and the kids had fun though.  

I looked at Kimmy and Jared's Etsy page and they have had 1000 sales.  Great achievement. They make wonderful and beautiful pottery!  Great talent!  I love all my pottery gifts!

Saturday,9/24/22, Grandma Rosella's birthday in heaven! Sure do love her and miss her! West Branch chapter made Breakfast for everyone, guys went on motorcycle ride, We all met at Buccini’s for pizza at noon, rainy so hung out in our camper, went to pavilion for chili cook off at 6, my chili won, sat at campfire at Greg and Lori’s

 

The Muskegon Chapter making our breakfast and cutting up fruit

Ginger the dog at the end.  Geanie, Julie, Lori, Greg, Dave,  Phil and Bill at the first table.

Mel, Betty, Sandy, Jerry and Bill at the front table.

Jerry blowing the Shofar after breakfast.  He got it from Israel

Jeff, Ziggy, Dave and Bill getting ready to take off from our campsite

Praying before they took off

Houghton Lake looked really cold and was very grey.  I rode to the restaurant with Phil and Julie.  We stopped at Camping World on the way home and I picked up a Christmas gift for each of the girls

Guys who braved the cold and went on the motorcycle ride, met us at Buccini's for pizza.  Bill, Dave, Ziggy and fearless leader, Jeff

The rest of our group came in these

No one wanted any of Bill's no cheese pizza.   The rest of us had the pizza buffet.

Jeff with Bill and Ziggy in the background

We all sat around a big campfire that night.  Dave,  Julie, Phil, Bill, Ziggy,  Geanie, Lori and Greg.  Geanie's husband, Bill, is standing in the background

Bill, Ziggy and I read our Bibles in the camper.  At 8 we went to The West Branch chapter’s  pancake, sausage, strawberries, and melon breakfast. Everything was delicious!  Jerry played the shofar at the end!  We all had great fellowship and the food was delicious!  It started sprinkling, so we helped clean everything up and went back to our camper.  Jeff Wheeler came to lead the motorcycle ride, so he visited with us in the camper until the rain stopped.  Dave, who was in a tent, came in to visit too.  At 10:30 the guys left on the ride.  Julie and Phil came and picked me up to ride with them to Buccilli’s in Houghton Lake where everyone met for a pizza buffet.  Julie, Phil and I stopped at Camping World to look around on our way back to the campground.  Bill and the guys were already at the camper when we got back.  Jerry and Sandy, Dave, Jeff, Ziggy, Bill and I hung out in our camper until it was time to go to the chili cook off at 6.  We all took four Dixie cups to try the four different chili’s.  My chili won.  I won a cute apron with chili peppers all over it.  It’s cute.  After we left, Ziggy and Bill went to the camp fire while I put stuff away and washed the crockpot and a couple of other dishes.  I got to talk to Vikki and the kids on the phone.  Headed to the campfire after that.  Ziggy took a chair over there for me so I wouldn’t have to carry one.  Greg made a huge fire which kept us all warm.   We had a devotion that Geannie gave and then just shared some life stories.  We had fun.  We came back to the camper, relaxed, then went to bed. Fun day!