11/23/16....left for the Shack, stopped for breakfast, went to thrift shop and

Nice sun rise in the morning 

Bill relaxing 

This is our 6th year staying here for Thanksgiving and this time we stayed in a different building called the Livery

Panorama of our whole room

This is our door with our room number on the horse!

Our view of the building we usually stay in!

Nice fireplace with a remote.  It was nice and cost!

They served us at our table. They are so nice there

Our rockers, table, closet and on the wall is a cabinet with an ironing board that pulls down and an iron.  

Bill's yummy banana split.  Pretty plain...vanilla ice cream and chocolate

My yummier banana split....three different flavors of ice cream, strawberries, pineapple and chocolate

We left home at 9 a.m. It was 31 degrees and misting out but the roads were good and no ice on them which we were thankful for.  We were going to have breakfast at Jenny's in Shepherd like we do every year but they were closed, even though their sign showed the hours and they should have been open.  We ate in Remus instead.  I had a yummy omelet.  Bill had eggs, potatoes and bacon.  We ran into a little harder rain, but not bad.  Stopped in Whitecloud and went through a thrift store.  Saw a nice king size headboard we would have gotten if we had the truck.  Left empty handed, but with smiles.  Got to The Shack at 12:30 and got right into our room even though check in wasn't till 3.  No one stayed in it last night.  Loved our room.  We usually stay in the main building, but stayed in another building called the Livery.  We stayed in the west wing.   We had a nice full kitchen, a fireplace, colony bed and lots of room.  We took a drive to Fremont and went to a very nice Amish store.  Bought Carmel apple suckers for the grandkids and a birthday present for Charlie!  Got some tea tree oil there too.  Came back to the Shack and ate dinner.  We had delicious garden salad,  delicious roast beef that was super tender, fish, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans and rolls.  Walked around for a while and then went back to our room.  We went back for banana splits at 8:30.  The owners who are a sweet Christian couple in their 80's served everyone.  He scooped ice cream (three flavors per person of their choosing) and his wife cut all the bananas for everyone in line.  This was the longest line I have seen in the six years we have been coming, about 100 people.  Bill and I helped by serving water and coffee at the counter by them.  It was so nice getting to serve people and talk to them.  About 90% here are Amish and most come from Indiana.  They are always very nice to us and fun to talk to.  It started at 8:30 and we got our banana splits at 9:45.   They were delicious! We went back to our room and watched a Hallmark movie and played 3-13.  Bill won the first and I won the second.

11/22/16...Went to Special Friends Day at the kids school, 2 fireman came and installed 3 free smoke detectors, took Mocha to Vikki's,

Evan and his class at Special Friends Day at school

Papa was Jack's special friend

Evan in his turkey hat he and his Aunt Vikki made

Evan and me

Bill, Jack and me

Evan making his turkey hat

Evan in his classroom

Evan and his beautiful Special Friend Aunt Vikki

Evan's classroom

Max and his Special Friend his mommy (Melissa)

Melissa and Max

Max and me

Hailey and the ornament she made

Ally, Hailey and Ally's grandma

Me, Ally, Ally's Grandma, Hailey and Ginny

Hailey, me, Ally, Melissa, Amber and Logan (photo bomber)

Isaac and Peyton with the package they got today 

Isaac looking at his Advent Calendar that was in the box.  It is a  Nativity scene one and was so nice.  Peyton got one too and Lenny got a cute doggie sticking with his name on it.

Got to the kid's school at 8:15 and I found Hailey and Bill found Jack to sit by for chapel.  It was a very nice chapel.  Hailey's little chapel buddy reminded me so much of Eli except she was a girl with beautiful hair.  She was so cute.  Vikki was Evan's special friend and Melissa was Max's special friend.  We all went to their classrooms afterward and made something with them.  I went to Hailey's classroom and we made ornaments.  Here's mine hanging on my tree!

It was fun making them together at Hailey's Desk.  Ben's mom, Lynn, showed us how.  It was nice because Sharon Dill from church was in our classroom and so was Ally's grandma.  The kids sang Silent Night in German and Go Tell it On the Mountain for us while Mrs. Weiss played the piano and sang.  After that, we went to the church narthex for donut holes and coffee with the kids.  It was lots of fun and the kids were so happy.  We were happy to see them.  When I got home, two firemen came and put free smoke detectors up for us.  They put one over our bedroom door, one in the basement and one on the ceiling upstairs in the hall.  The one fireman was so tall, his head almost touched the ceiling.  It was pretty easy for him just to reach up and hang the smoke detector on the ceiling.  They were very nice.  After they left, I looked at the box the smoke detectors came in and they have a battery in them that doesn't need changing.  Love that!  Very happy I saw the little notice for the free smoke detectors in the paper.  Bill and I went and filled the car and truck up with gas.  Then I took Mocha to Vikki's.  The kids and Lenny opened their package that came today.

So nice for them to get from someone who said they were Santa.  Went and got a free sub and am 8' sub from Quiznos and brought them home for Bill and I to eat.  Packed for the Shack tomorrow.

11/20/16...Vikki helped move living room around to get ready for the tree to go up

Melissa and Bruce took Peyton, Evan and Isaac to the Temple Theatre to see Polar Express today.  They got free popcorn and juice at the movie too!  How very special for them.

Melissa and Bruce got them hot chocolate afterwards

They loved their ticket they got punched and their bell they gave them.  Evan wanted his by his bed when he went to sleep

Vikki came over and worked hard changing our living room around to make room for the tree.  She also brought the tree upstairs for us as Bill's foot is broke.  Thank you so much Vikki!

Went to church.  It was a great service.  The kid from Bay City ahead of me was such a great worshipper.  He was young and this was his second time coming. He was raising his hands and singing!  Love seeing young people loving the Lord.  Jack was worshipping today too.
After church, Bill and I went to Logan's for steak, a salad, and a baked potato.  Of course for peanuts too.  Everything was delicious.  We came home and watched the Lion's game and then took a nap.  Vikki and Rody came and visited.  Vikki stayed to help rearrange the living room and make room for the tree.  Love the room this way.  Thanks for your hard work Vik!  So nice that she brought the tree up too.  All set to decorate this Friday.  We watched a movie called Christmas Angel.

11/19/16... The girls and I went to Ellen's shower

Ellen's Shower...Ellen, Kyle land her best friend

Peyton

Love this special picture of Peyton and her Aunt Missy

Cathy, Ellen and Kyle

Melissa, Me and Grandma Beagle

Jack, Hailey, Peyton, Max and Evan

Silly faces

Evan

Evan and Vikki

Peyton and Uncle Bruce in their matching shirts

Nana and Hailey

Kimmy, Vikki, and Peyton came over and we all went to Melissa's to pick her up to go to Ellen's shower.  We got there a half hour early so we drove through Lake Cecil to look at the houses and lake.  It was so pretty there.  We went to the shower and it was so nice to see Cathy's mom.  She looks great.  Haven't seen her in a while.  It was so nice to see Ellen, Cathy, Brittany and then Kyle when he came.  Their aunts sat at our table and were really nice.  They played some really hard games but the rest of the shower was really nice.  Yummy food and dessert.  They got a lot of nice things.  They loved Kimmy's mugs and ring holder the she made.  It was nice getting to talk to Kyle and Ellen afterward and catch up.  Nice to take to Brittany and Cathy too.  Peyton was sweet writing notes and giving them out.  She made lots of people smile including me.  We went to Melissa's afterward for a while.  Nice seeing the kids and getting lots of hugs.  Got home and Bill and I watched some movies and relaxed.  Cold, windy snowy day.

11/18/16...So happy to get to go to Grandparent's day at Adam and Eli's school. Got to see Kimmy afterwards

Coupon Book Eli made for us

Some of the pages in the coupon book.  Love Eli's artwork

Eli and Papa Bill

Eli and Nana Penny

Eli drawing his picture of me.  He had to roll the dice and if he got a 1, he drew the  head,  if he got a 2, he drew the eyes and nose, etc.  He did a great job and then turned the paper over and did a picture of Papa

Eli's teacher took this picture of our table

Eli's teacher took this picture on her iPad.  She was so sweet and her kids really listened to her and did what she told them right away. I was amazed with such a big class.

Papa Bill and Adam

Nana and Adam

Adam and Papa

Adam on the playground.  He was playing with four of his friends

Adam playing Zingo....what a great way to help kids learn about the first Thanksgiving!  It was like bingo.  Adam was happy he Zingoed and got to pick out a treat.

I had fun watching Adam and his friends play and win!

Eli and his teacher!  She was so nice and did a great job with the kids.

Fun at McDonalds afterwards with Adam, Jacob and Eli

Jacob's drone flying

Jacob sure was good at flying it.  It was too windy outside so he flew it inside

Adam made this for me and was so excited to give it to me.  What a sweetie!  I love it!  It's Beautiful!  I am using it already.  Thank you Adam!!!

Love this picture Kimmy took after they put up their tree last night! 

Eli liked his earbuds he bought at the school store

Charlie picked Bill up to go to Tim Horton's.  He brought us a huge cinnamon roll to share and also some whitefish.  It was so nice of him.  They got the cinnamon roll in Oscoda.  It was delicious!  Not quite as good or big as the Hilltop, but almost.  Had to meet Vikki and take her home as her car was not running right so she took it in to Draper Toyota.  Bill got home and we left to go to the boys school.  We were a little early, so we went to the McDonald's down the road.  I had a cheeseburger, fries and ice tea and Bill at a hamburger fries and coke.  After that we went to the school and checked in to find out what rooms we needed to go to.  We went to Eli's room first.  The teacher was reading a story and he sure was focused and interested.  She stopped and told them to see if their grandparents were there.  He came running, very excited.  He had big hugs for papa and I.  He went and got me a chair which was sweet of him.  We sat by his desk and he gave us a coupon book with lots of really good coupons in it for one yummy treat,a big kiss, one fun day together, one dinner date, one day of helping out, a sleepover, and one story time.   While sitting at his desk, he read us about 3 books.  He's a wonderful reader.  Then the teacher helpers passed out papers and dice and the kids had to roll to see what they had to draw on their picture of Grandpa and then again on the other side for Grandma.  It was so much fun watching Eli and his cute expressions and comments.  The teacher told the kids they could take us to the school store if we wanted to go.  It was fun watching Eli pick out earbuds, pencils, etc.  Next we went to Adam's room.  We sat at Adam's desk and he showed us his Minecraft program.  He also showed us the typing program and math program he uses to learn from.  Loved watching him type.  He is pretty good.  After that, we played Zingo and Adam was very happy when he won and got to pick out a treat.  The little girl next to him was real sweet and I helped her find spaces when she asked me.  She was quite a talker.  The Zingo was a great idea, every square was a fact about the first Thanksgiving.  The teacher would ask a question, the kids would answer and then they would cover it if it was on their sheet.  Great way to learn and have fun.  We went out for recess after that.  Adam played with 3 of his friends on the playground equipment.  Afterward, we took Adam and Eli and went to pick ups Jacob.  Then we went to McDonald's and the boys ate.  We weren't hungry yet so Bill and I just talked with the boys.  Adam offered to take the garbage away without us even asking him.  Very nice boys!