More pictures

Anna, waiting for the new furniture, still watching TV


Trying out his race car


Grandpa and Patrick looking at his new remote control car instructions

Santa brought the girls gift certificates to Harry Potter World for this winter.



Anna and a new computer game


Megan and her new e book


Megan and Anna, figuring out the dog game.



Emily of the big blue eyes


Charlie


Sweet Julia Dunn


Lane looking snuggly


Mark's grandmother and father with Lane on Christmas Eve

Pictures of the grandkids for Christmas. Some from Julie, some from November, since some don't post pictures on their blog!

Holiday pics

Megan and Anna, the bigs


Emily playing with her new doll stroller.



Grandpa Paul gave Patrick a big car hauler truck for matchbook cars.

This has been a great week with the grand kids. And Julie and I sneaked in a shopping trip and lunch. Very fun. Miss shopping and lunch with my mom and all my girls too. But I am glad you all live in cool places.

Best Wednesday

Javiar, Carlie and Susan at the Carole Sing


JJ, Carlie, Javiar and Paul







Richard, the best bartender ever, has some new toys. He says he has the best job, he gets to go to work and shoot the customers. Javiar and I love the Nerf machine guns. We were looking at them at Academy and didn't think they would go over very well as grandkid gifts but would be fun at the lake.

Then we took the golf cart to the Munoz home and decorated it with a lot of masking tape and do dads. Everyone except me rode in the parade. I had the van and went to Robert's Park to take pictures. Some very nicely decorated carts. Had to have lights to win and we didn't have time to figure out that. Several had little generators on board.

At the park there was free hot coco and cookies and Christmas Carole's sung. Very nice and the first time ever for this event. It raised money for the Food Bank.

Nice weather again, I love it, but it makes me worry about the payback. Had a beach walk and a long phone call with my sister.

Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Here is the annual beach6 picture. Paul and the golf cart. Absolutely perfect day, just a light breeze, sunny and in the 70s.

We started out the day with church, then a beach walk, then happy hour with neighbors, then bar-b-q at Hooks, then dancing at Bernie's.

Going to Corpus for Christmas shopping Monday morning.

High Creepy Factor

I was trying to be nice, because I am sure that Arkansas is a perfectly nice place to live. The landscape was beautiful, even in the bleak winter. Hills and streams and curves, everywhere. The young girls working in the grocery store were very nice, or maybe scamming us with heavy fake accents. Who can tell? I am going with nice and hillbilly.

It was very creepy way back in the state park, all alone. Lots of strange birds making strange sounds, even at night. Very, very dark. Deep woods behind us.

After we were driving the next day, I had a local radio station on. It was interesting, and I could understand the DJ's. Was good to hear the weather, etc. They the started the call in program. The question of the day was "What thing does 40% of people do every day?" It went on for hours. There must be 45 to 50 folks that listen to the station, some called with guesses 3 and 4 times. Good guesses, like: Brush your teeth, take a shower, take your blood pressure, check your sugar, go to the bank, and other really dumb things. The answer was take an asprin every day.

I laughed a lot, it passed the time. And they had real hill billy accents. But really, still a bit creepy.

If anyone from Arkansas ever reads this it's just a joke and you will never find me.

Finally in Texas, Palestine, in the east

Yesterday we were near Forrest City, Arkansas, and had no phone or internet. A state park in the sticks. Narrow, curvy and hilly roads all the way. I could hear banjo music. We were the only ones in the campground, about a mile from the Park Office. We drove a number of similar miles to Wynne for dinner. There was a Pizza Hut, a very small, plain pizza hut in lower case letters. We passed many beautiful homes, there were many businesses, not one decent restaurant. The girls at the grocery store had a great Arkansas accent.

Today was ok, pretty good traffic and dry roads. I am tired and glad we will be in Port Aransas in 6 hours. After we leave on Friday.

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

Grandma and Lane snuggled in the quilt that I made him.


After a wonderful week cuddling new baby Lane, we headed home on Friday morning. The usual bad weather was coming in and we wanted to make it past the lake effect area of Pennsylvania and Ohio. Didn't quite work as planned, wet roads and snow for hundred of miles, before we broke into the sun setting in a blue sky near Lake Erie. Paul drove most excellently and we saw more rigs with wheels side up in the median. We arrived at Cyndi and Wy's about six pm. It was good. We had a great visit.

Got home at 3 on Saturday, good weather, hooked up the trailer to the motor home, started packing up for our great escape. OOPS there is a blizzard coming. And the refrigerator in the motor home isn't working. We only have scraps of food left in the house, and it snowed all night. Not too windy yet. The 40 mph gusts will come later and continue into Monday. We were wakened at 5 am by the power going out, the handy "touch" lamps by our bed blinking on and off and the talking alarm clock gently buzzing.

Which is why I am up so very early, almost too early to start on the Chocolate Covered Potato Chips from the Alps Sweet Shop near Katie's in NY.

So listening to Christmas music in between the weather channel hoping to find a break in the weather to skate through to Texas, sunshine and beach.

Girls, no more winter babies. Andrea, you are excluded from this ban, this time. Just kidding, mostly. They are all very nice babies.

Chocolate covered potato chips are great, crunchy, salty and a vegetable.

Lane is a great little guy. We will miss him when we leave. We are enjoying lots of time with the new "puppy", he snuggles in and loves to be patted and petted. And he is warm too.


Mark and Lane, I keep thinking he looks like Katie, but he sure looks like his dad too. He does have Katie's tiny Irish nose.

Big Boy

Grandpa Paul and Lane Lawrence.

.Marjie and cute baby buddy


It took two days of driving through all kinds of weather but he is so cute, worth the drive for sure I got to hold him as he slept for a long time. Grandpa did too.

New Grandson

Lane Lawrence Sens, born 3:33 pm 12/3. 8 lbs. 7 oz.

We are relieved and very happy.

Swimming at the Hyatt Place

Charlie jumping over his dad, Ryan




Charlie the tuna



Julia and Mommy Andrea


This Hyatt is wonderful and we had a great time here. Except it is so darn cold out.

Happy Thanksgiving

Grandma Marjie, Julia and Andrea



Charlie, Grandpa Paul and Julia

Andrea and Ryan fixed a great Thanksgiving dinner, and we ate too much, a family tradition.
It is rainy today. We are staying at the Hyatt Place in Mishawaka, Indiana. Very nice hotel. We are going home on Saturday. Enough time for Andrea and I to get in a little shopping.

Beautiful Sunrise and Sunset

Sunset


Sunrise - reminds me of an oil painting.

November has the best sunrises and sunsets. The sun is pretty low in the sky and there are often clouds on the horizon. It is still dark out this morning and it is cloudy with many very bright stars and planets shining bright.

Deer Hunting

Paul got home from deer camp at noon on Tuesday. He saw many deer, but the largest was only a 4 point. Not big enough to shoot. He can get that size right behind our garage. In fact, Squeak was hunting in his blind there and got a doe, a spike and a 6 point. He has a picture of an 8 point on the trail cam, but he only comes late at night.

However, he had lots of guy fun. Which is the whole point of deer camp. I wouldn't mind some good venison for hamburger and filets, and he will probably get a deer for meat.

I stayed home and ate frozen Marie Callender and Boston Market. In my opinion, Boston Market is the best. Oh, the hot lava cake in the butter section of the supermarket is pretty good too.

It is gray and cold here, not much sun today. Baby Boy Sens has been cooperative and didn't interrupt deer season, next hurdle is Thanksgiving, then we can make a run to NY.

Replacing the grocery getter

The color is a med green with lots of metal flake in the paint, chrome wheels, and every option available. Has 87,000 miles and lots more to go. The van is going to retire to Texas. I am going to have fun driving this in the summers!


This is the engine in my 1996 Taurus SHO 3.4 liter DOHC 32- Valve V-8. It looks like a plain car on the outside but is really fast. Ironic, since I don't ever drive fast. But I could if I wanted to.

Catch up Time

Pretty little Julia, age 4


Ryan, Charlie, 5, Andrea and Julia

Over the colds, and weirdly thrown off by the time change, time for a new blog. Andrea and family were here for the weekend. Fun, lots of walks with the kids. They all went to a wedding on Saturday night.

Baby stuff

Finally, all done with the crib bedding for baby Sens. Now Katie needs to hang in for a few more weeks. I would really like to hand deliver this to her - we shall see. Not too close to deer season, Buddy.

OMG Great Mexican Food at La Aztecta

We went out to eat with John and Jean Villa tonight. Planned on going to Buck's Run but they are only open on W T F S and S now that the golf course is closed. So Paul asked around at the Moose Club if anyone knew a good place to eat. And Jim suggested a new restaurant in town, La Aztec Bar and Grill in Mt. Pleasant. It is in a strip mall right across from Wallmart on Bluegrass Road.

When we walked in, Jean gasped at the colorful decorating, the murals, the beautiful carved chairs and benches and bright painted colors. John really enjoyed talking with our young waiter in Spanish, it was great. They have a huge menu. John was concerned it was just another fast food Mexican place, but they had a whole page of dinners. The food was excellent, John and I both had Carne Verde, with great corn and wheat tortillas, refried beans and rice. Jean had another pork dish, and Paul had a burrito with pork and fresh onions and green pepper and a wonderful tasty light white cheese sauce. It was exceptional. They make the same thing with crab and shrimp. I am getting that next time.

Update

For some reason I cannot post comments on my own blog. So I turned over the little statue and it says Julie K, 83 on the bottom. And I remember that Julie make it. I can take a picture if I have to.

Who Made this?

While working in my bedroom I came across this cutie.

I added some better pics to the Sweet Dreams blog

The silver lining exposed

Cloudy sunrise with smoke over the lake from a wood stove.

Lake Views

I got some sunrise pictures




Paul took a great swan pic this morning.

Sweet Dreams

this looks more like the taupe color


A slightly better photo, and I put stuff on the shelves. The taupe is still much lighter than shows.





This is a pic of our new bedding. The blue blanket is a shaggy fleece blanket. The paisley print is a duvet with down comforter inside. Last night was pretty chilly, window open, heat off, great sleeping and very comfortable.

I have hung a few pictures in the bedroom, freshly painted by Shane, a tropical blue on two walls and a taupe on the other two. Still have to find a wall lamp for the bed and put things back on the shelves. It doesn't photograph well, and certainly not the true colors.

Catch Up

Not nearly so much to write about now that we are home. I am busy sewing on crib things for Katie, bumper pad today. On Saturday, Marty and I did the usual Amish tour of Clare. Ate at the White House. She and Woody ate there the other day and said it was really good. And she was correct, it was good. We sat next to the grill and could watch the cook at work. There are only 6 booths in there, just as small as it looks. I had a steak sandwich, and it was an actual steak. Onion rings were exceptional. The omelets she made looks great. There was a long lists of omelets, had to be 25.

Then we went to the Amish Bakery, they had pumpkin whoopee pies, had to try one And pumpkin bread, of course. Then Jay's Sports. Very cute clothes there. Then the Amish Hardware on Colonville Road. They had the Melissa and Doug wooden toys for about a third less than anywhere else. I hope that fact stays in my memory bank. Don't anyone else get Charlie the state puzzle. Marty found the glass chimney for a LP gas lamp that broke at Camp in Canada. Then we stopped at the Dollar Daze but were too tired and left unshopped.

In retrospect, a pretty boring day. But it was sunny and beautiful, makes up for the lack of excitement. Always fun with Marty, no matter what we do.

Anyway, I saved the best for last. When we moved in 1982, just before Steff was born, I lost touch with my oldest friend, Donna. I finally got her phone number recently and called her. It was great to visit and we can't wait to get together before we leave for Texas. Thanks to Mary for sleuthing the number out for me.

I talked to Val and Dave this week, Val is still a bit tired (??? she is the energizer bunny!!) but doing better, going to wear a heart monitor soon and see how the meds are really working. She had me worried!!

Oh the Ugly Bar

The outside is pretty ugly, painted that way.


Lenny, a restaurant cook. Has cooked at the Ugly Bar. He had great stories about when he was in the Army in Germany.


Paul, note the creative post

Lee told us about the Ugly Bar, in Vanderbelt. We ordered spaghetti take out for dinner. Was tasty. Lenny gave us directions to Johanasburg, a nice drive, color is almost gone though. Nice bar there, Paul's Pub. Had a good visit with two local ladies, mother and daughter-in-law.