Just what the "Dr" order...

... an Evening with family. Last night was a wonderful fun-filled evening with family. We did our Friday family fun run after, everyone was done with work. Then we came back and started cooking/baking spaghetti bubbles and fruit pizza. The homemade bread was already done and cooking when you got back from our run.

Scuba found the spaghetti bubbles on Pinterest and really enjoyed them so she wanted to share with all of us.  Ella really enjoy cooking so she helped make the bubbles, she was cutting up the cheese sticks that were used in the bubbles.  She might have been taste testing the cheese too. 

Everyone and Great Aunt Evie were here except my bil Joe, here at my place to have dinner.  My husband and I didn’t have enough clean plates for everyone so we broken out our new china, Corelle dishes for dinner.   We were excited to use them, we have wanted to get them out but just hadn’t done it yet and this was a perfect time to use them. 

We had a relaxing time laughing at Ella, and talking amongst ourselves.  I do have to apologize to my family for not talking much, I was in hostess mode (too much) and was preoccupied with making sure we had everything out and ready and everyone was full and happy.  The Ella entertain was making a tent with a blanket and all of us girls getting underneath it and Ella wanted more people to join us too (like BobBob). 

Ella was entertained by watching (& selecting videos) on YouTube.  She would tell us what video she wanted next or if the computer was close enough she was use the touch pad mouse and select it herself.  During one of the last videos, she was watching SB and I sneakily changed Ella into her Penguin pj’s, and she didn’t really notice until she was already in her PJ’s and the video stopped.   Here is Ella’s fashion when she was leaving since it was raining outside. 

Overall, the family time was just what I needed and hopefully it was what the rest of my family needed too. 

Grandfathers

I love spending time with either of my two grandfather's and listening to the stories they have to tell.  My grandfather on my Dad's side is an amazing craftsmans with wood.  He can make the most amazing and intricate wooden items from piggy banks, folding stools, picture frames, clocks, deacon type benches, and so much more.    My grandfather on my Mom's said is also an amazing man as well, he worked in a machine shop.  He is also wise regarding money and collector of "junk"/treasures.  My siblings and I all have some of his genes in regards to money, some of us have it more than others. 

This weekend in the snow storm, my mom, dad, brother, husband and I drive up to see my grandfather and spend some time with him.  When we arrived he wasn't home, he was out running a quick errand before we got there.  It was great to spend the time with him and hear stories about things my grandmother (who I never met) would do and he would bring up antiques from his basement.  While we were eating lunch, he told us about a red flying squirrel he had in this basement and how he shot and killed the squirrel in this basement (there isn't much room in this basement to do that kind of shooting).   It was funny that my Pap had a problem with the red flying squirrel in his basement because my brother is also having trouble with them too in his cabin.  My brother has trapped and killed 6 red flying squirrels in the past three days and there are many more to come.

After spending the time with my grandfather this weekend, it helped me realize that I need to carve out and spend more time with my grandfathers, my great aunt, aunts & uncles and cousins.

Ella

It has been a relaxing weekend for Mister and I.  We started out our saturday by going to the gym and getting a good workout in, errands at the mall and out to my parents house to see my sister and niece.  She is growing up soo fast.  She knew who we were as soon as we came in the house and took us in to see all that she was playing with.   She enjoyed watching the marathon trials with us and then wanted everyone to go for a runnie run too. So we bundled up and hit the road for a nice 3.7 mile run from my parents house. The run felt really good to work out the kinks left in the leg muscles from the gym workout.   Ella even out of the stroller and ran some too as we got closer to the house.  
Sunday morning was another pretty relaxing morning, then it was off to church to run the sound board and the video for the church service.  I don't know who thought it was a good idea to have me run the sound board but I was on the schedule to do it.   Mister was on the schedule to do the video stuff and he did a great job after learning from someone last week.  We came home and lounged around for a while after church which felt strange since we typically go out to my parents house for lunch and a run.  My sister and mom wanted to run errands this afternoon so we didn't rush out to the house.  We ran a couple of errands then I got a phone call from my niece saying "come visit Mandwe."  So Mister and I go around and went out to my parents house,  as soon as we walked in she came running to the door to greet us.  She told us unzip and helped us unzip our coats and take them off immediately.  She did not want us leaving.  We played with crayons, bike, and caddies (my sister got a the dollar store).   After dinner, I got her tubby ready and got her all cleaned up and ready for bed but before she could go to bed we played in her castle for a while.  Now, I had to make some room for me to get in the castle with her because it had a doll stroller, barn box, a kitty, my niece and I all fit in there.  As we were playing in there, she would reach out the window to pull in more toys every couple of minutes.   Once we were all done playing, we got her milk and was getting hugs and kisses.  Then her mommy was taking her up to bed, not long after that I hear my sister (her mommy) saying, Mandwe please come say goodnight again.  So I rushed up the steps and there is my sister holding my niece and my niece says "Missed you" (AWWWWWW, now it was only like 3 minutes since I said goodnight but she missed me that just melted my heart).  My sister passed her over to me and I rocked her for a few minutes then laid her in the crib and got her all tucked in to bed and said goodnight again and love you and sweet dreaming.     

I am always amazed at how smart she is.   She makes so many connections with words and actions that I never thought a two year old would.  She also loves her family (GrandBob, GMom, HeyHey & Richie, B and SB, Mister and Mandwe) very much and enjoys the time she gets to spend with us and we enjoy every minute with her (happy, sleepy, sad or grumpy---we love every minute of that time). 

I thank God for my family and the time I get with them. I am truly blessed!!

I hope everyone has a speedy zoom zoom kind of week.    I can't believe tomorrow is monday already, I sure wish weekends were longer. 

Sucker...

....for family time. I must say that I am big on spending time with my family anyway I can get it. I have been blessed the past two weekends to get lots of sister time in. Two weekends ago now, I got to run a 5k Race with my SIL, Sarah, it was her first race since her seizure. After the race, we had brunch together and did some retail therapy. When I say retail therapy for most people it would mean going out and purchasing whatever they want not depending on cost however, for me retail therapy is about finding some good deals and we were able to do that. We got nice compression capri's for cheap and free running sleeves.

This past week and weekend I got some extra older sister(HeyHey) time in. I was having a new washer and dryer delivered last Tuesday so I worked from home (one nice perk about my job) and I was able to meet her and my dad for an early run (earlier than normal run time with my travels to work). And then again on Friday, we (my dad, my sister and sil) meet to do a stretch our run before our race. Saturday, was our Monster Dash so my sister, sil and I arrived at the same time and all had a very nice race. Then we went back to my sister's place and got cleaned up and went to have lunch and watch Footloose and did some more window and sale shopping. Our husbands/boyfriend are all hunters so we were "hunter's widow" for the next month or so. I don't have any problems with that since I love get my sisters time.

Also this past weekend, my husband and I traveled with my parents to see my little sister(Scuba); bil and beautiful, silly niece (love that little girl). We traveled to a middle location to have a late lunch and celebrate my mom's birthday again. We got to sit and chat and enjoy the time with my sister, bil and niece. We even is a walk around town and my husband and I walked with my niece between us and would swing her every so often, she even got into counting for us and let us know when she wanted to swing.

Since it was my mom's birthday on Friday, my brother thought it would be a good idea to take some dinner and dessert out to my parent’s house to celebrate my mom. So my brother and sil ordered and picked up the Chinese for dinner and mister and I picked up the ice cream cake.

Looking forward to the upcoming weekend, when my little sister, niece will be down for the weekend so even more family time....YAY!!!! Hopefully we can get a campfire in and we will have another 5k race this weekend tooo.

A sister is a gift from God, sent from above to make life worthwhile here below.

I <3 my sister more than all the swedish fish in the world and to the moon and back. They have been with me through the good, the bad and the ugly.  I hope they know that I am there for them just the same they have been for me. 


QOTD: Do you take family time anyway you get it?