Made a lemon pie, people came to take down 2 trees, Went to lunch with Fred on his birthday, Charlie stopped over, taught class

Homemade cookies and a lemon pie for Fred for his birthday.

Fun time and great visit at Kathleen's Restaurant at Apple Mountain for Fred's Birthday Lunch

Fred and Bill back in the day

Had 2 trees taken down.  One was right up by the wires

They did an amazing job

Bill looking it over

Logs to split for firewood

Got up and started making pie crust for a lemon pie right away.  Made the lemon pudding filling and put the pie together.  It is Fred's favorite kind so I made it for his birthday.  The tree people came to take down the two dead ash trees.  We left to go meet Fred for lunch.  I walked in the door and Maddie, Kenzie's cousin, was at the door.  Gave her a hug and we were blessed that she was our waitress.  She did a good job.  Fred and I had potato soup and Bill had chicken noodle.  I had a chicken sandwich, Bill had a BLT, and Fred had quesadillas.  The food was really good.  We had a very nice visit.  Fred is always so kind and encouraging and a joy to be around.  The tree people called and said they were done.  We finished our lunch and then left so we could check it out and pay them.  Fred was happy to get the pie and Christmas cookies.  We got home and they did an amazing job on taking down the trees.  It only took them a couple of hours too.  We paid them and they left.  Charlie stopped over to see how they had done.  He had coffee and Christmas cookies with us.  My class went great and the kids were really good.  Joan got me a bag of chocolate bon bons.  YUM!

Went to breakfast, went to Melissa's, went shopping, had small group

Love our outdoor nativityVikki started for us when Kenzie was little.  She just found the three kings and the shepherd and two sheep at Bethesda and let me know so I could get it.  So happy.  Bill made the stable and did such a great job.  

Kenzie and I at breakfast the other morning.  She was so much fun.

Love sitting and looking at the Christmas tree at night

It was very windy so I went and organized the recycling so the papers were on the bottom and bottles and cans on top to keep everything from blowing all over.  On the way to breakfast we had to dodge garbage cans, lids and trash that was blowing into the road.  We had 15 of us at breakfast this morning.  After breakfast, I went to Melissa's and took an envelope Sue sent to them there and took her a few cookies to eat.  I went and got gift cards for Christmas at Kroger's after that.  Went to Jacks and got meat and an Amish Ham for the Schaard Christmas party.  Dropped off more toys for Youth Haven kids at A&M Christian Store, and then went to Staples to get Flair Pens for class we are collecting things for for Christmas.  Went to Aldi's and returned a silicone rolling pin and got more ingredients for cookies.  Came home and made a turkey sandwich and watched the news.  

Mark Eisenlord stopped in to bring something to Bill and visited for a while while he ate cookies and drank coffee.  He sure liked Grandma Daisy's cookies.  I got some things done to get ready for small group and then went over the lesson again.  Made sirloin steak and baked potatoes for dinner.

We had a great small group with good discussion.  The winds were terrible, our outdoor nativity didn't blow away. I came home yesterday and Bill had the poles behind them and thick silver wire around their necks to hold them in place.  Vikki and I had both thought we could just put the figures over the poles.  I asked him if I could change it, because I didn't want the paint coming off of them and he said to go ahead.  With them over the poles, they stay right in place.  Wish I would have known this years ago.  If they can stay put in this wind, they shouldn't ever blow away.

12/4/17...Met Vikki at Tim Hortons while she had her headlight changed. Went shopping! Baked one batch of Christmas Cookies

Baked and waiting to be decorated

Vikki called me while I was getting ready in the morning and wanted me to meet her at Tim Horton's.  She was having her headlight changed at Belle Tire.  I hurried and went to meet her.  She treated me to a French Vanilla Cap. and a bagel with cream cheese.  Sure tasted good.  Thank you Vikki!  We went to get her car afterwards and then went to Meijer's.  I checked for the small DVD's for my movie camera, but they don't have them any more.  She suggested Target.  I went to Target next, but they didn't have them either.  I did find them at Walmart. They only had five 3 pks. so I bought them all.  I picked some stuff up for kids at Youth Haven for the collection, for our church Army family collection and for our school class collection for Christmas at the stores.  Had fun looking for stuff and getting it.  Got a Christmas gift for Bill and Papa.  My friend, Vikki called me and we had a nice talk.  She is busy helping take care of her mom and dad right now.  I was happy to hear from her.  Got home and made my Grandma Daisy's Christmas cut out cookies.  Love her cookies.  Will be making 2 more batches on Thursday.  Hopefully the kids and I can get together to decorate like we have in the past.  Always fun doing it together.  

12/3/17...Went to church, Peyton came with us to Tony's after church and then came to our house and decorated our small Christmas tree. We picked up Louise and went to the Boar's Head Festival. Took Louise home and Vikki, Rody and Isaac came to our house to get Peyton

Me and my sweetie Peyton

Papa and his sweetie

Peyton

Thought this was so cute so I quick took a picture

So thankful Peyton is putting the ornaments on our little Christmas tree.  Kenzie did it when she was little, then Hailey and now it is Peyton's turn.  

She sure did a great job.  The tree looks beautiful.  

Peyton put the nativity in the window for me too

Louise, Melissa, Peyton, Evan and Bruce waiting for the Boar's Head Festival to start.

We went to church in the morning.  Our row was filled with Bill and I, Stacie, Melissa and her family, Vikki and her family and Pat who is a very nice lady Vikki knows from the dog park.  The message was on Grandma Rehab.  We are learning about the grandmothers of Jesus.  Loved Pastor's message again this week.  After church, we took Peyton with us and went to Tony's to eat.  She had a kids cheeseburger, fries, and hot chocolate with whipped cream.  The cheeseburger was huge.  She ate almost the whole thing, plus all of her fries and some of my hash browns.  We went to Menard's after that to get light bulbs for the shepherds in the outside nativity.  Bill needed extension cords with multi plugs also.  We came home and Peyton did a super job decorating the little tree.  I gave her some Girl Scout thin mints when she was done.  Then she put the nativity stick ons on the sliding glass door.  What a great helper she was.  We went to pick up Louise and then went to the Boar's Head Festival.  Melissa and Bruce were already there and had seats saved for us up front.  It was amazing and everyone did so good, especially my sweet grandkids.  Peyton loved it once the play started.  She got cookies and got to put change in the mugs when the wassailers came down the aisle.  She especially loved seeing her cousins in it.    Louise loved it too.  She was happy she got to meet Ginny afterwards too.  Ginny's mom and Louise's daughter have been best friends since high school.  We took Louise home and enjoyed seeing the Christmas lights along the way.  We went the country way home and saw more lights.  Vikki, Rody and Isaac came over to get Peyton when we got home.  Bill had the nativity set up, but couldn't get them working.  Vikki and I went out and changed bulbs and readjusted plugs and all but one worked.  One more needs a light bulb changed.  We watched a really good Hallmark Christmas movie afterward.

12/2/17...Went out to eat with Melissa, Bruce and Kids, Went to Living Nativity

Dinner at Tony's with Melissa, Hailey, Bruce, Max, Bill, Jack and Evan

Eli, Adam, me, Isaac, Peyton, Rody, Jacob, Kimmy Jared, and Bill

Isaac

Adam

In the church with Jacob, Eli, Kimmy and Jared

Rody, Peyton, Isaac and Vikki

Vikki and her momma who loves her

Oh no, the Roman soldiers came into the church

We have been going for over 13 years and this is the first time I have seen the camel lying down

Adam, Louie and Eli knocking on the Innkeeper's door with Papa looking on.  

The Innkeeper said there is not room in the Inn.  He sent us around the corner to a stable

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus....so moving

Cookies, coffee, cocoa, and orange drink afterwards.  Bill, Vikki, Peyton, Isaac, Rody, Eli, Adam, Kimmy, Jared and Jacob

Bill and I

Family picture (missing Bruce, Melissa and kids as the kids are in the Boars Head Festival)

 We slept in.  I went to the bank and got some money out.  Charlie picked Bill up and they went out for coffee.  When Bill got home we took off the all the screens of the house, and I washed windows and he blew the leaves off the deck and into the woods.  There were lots of them too.  The windows look great.  I washed with outside window sills too.  We got all the pieces of the outside nativity out, but we need to get a thing to plug them into.  We met Bruce and Melissa at Tony's and had a fulfilled dinner.  We gave them an envelope afterward.  Max and I, and Melissa and I played the dot game and had fun. We went to Vikki and Rody's after that and gave them an envelope.  Went to the Living Nativity.  We got there 20 minutes before it started but it was so full, we had to park by the road instead of in the parking lot.  There was a line out the door.  We got almost to the door when Vikki and family came.  We let them ahead of us.  We saw Amy, Dennis and the kids go by.  We let lots of people go by us while we waited for Kimmy and family to get there.  We just asked a person to go ahead when she told us there were 20 of them.  We saw a bus come in so figured that was a bus load.  Kimmy and family got there right then so we just went in and sat down.  They had Christmas movies playing while we waited.  Wes called and they were outside.  They had to wait outside 45 minutes.  We didn't have to wait too long and we went into the church.  It was fun singing Christmas songs with Adam and his bear Louie.  We didn't get to see the angel on the ceiling this year.  They added move on the walk to Bethlehem.  They all did an excellent job.  Eli was handed the money so it wouldn't get stolen.  He gave it to Adam a little while later.  Adam and Louie kept it safe.  We had to pay it to the Roman soldiers.  This is so moving and I love when we end up at the Stable with Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus.  Nice that they have live donkeys and cows there too.  Our shepherd prayed with us afterwards and then we went in for refreshments.  Adam and Eli rode to our house with us and Kimmy, Jared and Jacob stopped at Kohl's to pick up pants for Jacob.  They came to our house afterwards and we gave them an envelope.  We sure love our family and thank God for them.  What blessings they are!

12/1/17 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET GRANDSON, MAX, Faith Rider's Christmas Party

Jack(holding the guinea pig), me, Max(holding Abby) and Evan

Me and my sweet birthday boy who turned 12 today!

Joel

Bill did a wonderful job reading the Christmas Story and drawing tickets and passing out gifts.  Poor Bill Smith got his ticket drawn last and he won an empty plastic bag.  Bill always makes us laugh. 

Luis giving the message

Read my Bible, got ready, baked two cakes and then waited to call Max.  He didn't have school today so I wanted to give him time to sleep in.  I called him and I sang Happy Birthday to him.   He was so cute on the phone.  He was excited that papa was going to pick him up and take him to Tim Hortons.  I went to Michaels and JoAnn's to use two 60% off coupons I had for Hailey's birthday gift.  Bill and Max were at Toy'sRus. Bill called me.  I tried to call him back when I was done shopping, but he had already took Max home.  He asked me to meet him at Charlies Philly's for lunch so I did. We had a nice visit over lunch.   I went to Jack's after that to get burger for meatballs.  Bill went to get pop and pick up some groceries I  needed.  I came home and put the pudding on the cake and made lots of meatballs for our potluck tonight.  Vikki stopped over and brought me some scrubbies she got for me from a lady she works with.  She actually came for the table for her bazaar tomorrow, which she almost forgot.  I baked the meatballs and got them in the crockpot.  Right before we were supposed to go decorate the church for the Christmas party, Bill updated something on his phone.  His phone locked and he couldn't remember his password.  It was in his phone that was locked.  He called Verizon and was on the phone with someone who helped him, but he needed his google password and couldn't remember that either.  She had me change it and then it kept messing up.  My phone was ringing, but Bill had to continue being on it so I couldn't answer it.  I told him, I had to leave to decorate for the party.  I was there for about 45 minutes and he came.  His phone was unlocked, but he lost everything.  We had great food, and a great party.  Gayla plugged her Crockpot with squash in it on the island  Lupe didn't know it was plugged in and went to move it to the other counter.  The squash went everywhere.  Everybody pitched in to help clean it up.The floor was covered.  Everyone pitched in to help.  Bill read the Christmas Story from the Bible.  Elaine and Renee led us in singing Christmas Carols.  Luis gave a message for us.  Sue a nice party.  We cleaned everything up and then came home.

Happy 12th Birthday Max!  I love you and I am so thankful for you.  I love how you read your Bible and learn about God.  You have brought papa and I so much joy.  Have a really fun day!