2015.01.07 Brrrrr...

It is -17 this morning. That is freaking cold! This is the view from my front door. It's as far outside as I want to get for now. I believe that the temperature will keep going up as the day progresses, but the wind chills are supposed to be from -30 to -50. I think I will just cozy up inside for now.

2015.01.06 Backman's

We dropped Mom off and Aunt Margaret's house on Sunday night after having supper with Nancy and Del. She wanted to spend a few days with Margaret and Wendy before heading back to Yuma later this week.  I had a few errands to run in Bismarck this morning, then I spent the afternoon with Margaret and Mom. We played a few games of Upwords then Mavis stopped over for a little visit also. Mom and I then went to the nursing home to visit Uncle Dewey. I'm glad that we were able to see him before heading back down south.
We picked up supper on the way back to the house and ate with Craig, Becky and Wendy. It's nice to catch up with everyone. I always enjoy spending time with my extended family, it just doesn't happen often enough. 

2015.01.05 Coffee Mug

This is one of my very favorite Christmas presents that I received this year. It's a coffee mug that looks just like a lens. Jeff took it fishing with him one day and Derek asked him why he was bringing a camera lens along. It looks just like the real thing.

2015.01.04 Nancy & Del (Smith)

This is my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Del. Nancy is my dad's sister and is one of eight children. She is the only one of her siblings that is still in North Dakota and I love that she is so close and we can see each other often (though probably not often enough). She and Del have been married for quite a while now. When I first met him, Nancy introduced him as Del Laschkewitsch.  The first thing that I asked him was how to spell his last name and his reply was S-M-I-T-H. We had a good laugh and he has been Del Smith to me ever since.

Nancy invited us down for supper on Sunday, so we spent the evening in Mandan. She made Jeff's favorite potato salad and Del made a delicious rhubarb dessert along with some brownies.  Del is an excellent cook and is always trying new recipes.  If I ever have a sweet tooth, then I know that I can stop in to their house and there will be something sweet available as well as some great company. 

2015.01.03 Cold, Lazy Day

The kids have all gone home and it's just Mom, Jeff and I hanging out at the house.  You can see by the outdoor temperature that we didn't move very far or very fast today. My friend Tracy and I used to walk if the temperature were above zero with no wind, but once it gets below zero it's just way too cold to be outside for any length of time. No walks today, however I was able to entertain myself by texting my sister.  Her beloved Arizona Cardinals were playing against the Carolina Panthers. Jeff was watching the game at a friends house and would call me when the Panthers scored and we sent JoDee several different photos of Panthers eating birds. It was amusing and a good way to pass the time.  It was also ironic, because truth be told I would cheer for the Cardinals all the way.

2015.01.02 Leaving Day

The kids had Nerf guns and spent the week having Nerf wars. There were little Styrofoam bullets flying all over the house. I had to do a lot of "healing" this week.

Jeff and Derek both celebrate birthdays in January, however the kids are never around to help us celebrate, so we had a little impromptu birthday party for them. Cupcakes and cookies were on the menu. 

There are four generations in this photo. Mom in the middle, me on the right. Brandy and Derek are on the left and Payton, Jeffrey, Abby and Macy are behind us.

Derek, Abby and Payton have been here since last Saturday and Brandy, Jeffrey and Macy arrived on Monday. We have had a full house for the week with a lot going on. Tyler was even here for one night. Now everyone is leaving today and it's going to be quiet around here. Macy gave me lots and lots of hugs before she left and even ran back in from the car to give me one last hug. When I went out on the porch to wave good-bye she was crying and so was I. I love having all of the kids come here. They all get along so well and have so much fun together.

2015.01.01 Brand New Year

It's been a long time since I've done any blogging or photography, but I am going to try and commit to a 365 project again this year which should keep me busy. I will be realistic and know that I won't be able to keep up with it on a daily basis, but will do the best that I can to keep things updated,

Our year started off with a bang! We threw a New Year's Eve party for the kids and everyone had a blast. We started off the evening with the kids decorating the living room. They had a lot of fun putting up the streamers and balloons. All that decorating worked up an appetite, so the kids had pizza for supper and the adults had carbonara. It was yummy! After supper and a little clean up, we were joined by Kristy, Larry, Julie and their kids. We had a glow-in-the-dark dance party with a lot of dancing on the tables. We learned that all of the kids have really got some moves.

Minit-to-Winit games followed the dance party. It was a lot of fun watching the adults and kids alike try their hand at the games. One thing about those types of games is that age doesn't mean a thing.

We ended the evening watching the ball drop, spraying silly string,  and toasting each other with some sparkling apple cider (which none of the kids liked). A good time was definitely had by all.  On her way to bed Macy told me that the party was fun and "can we do it again, Grandma?" Mom and I stayed up to clean up a little bit. When I walked back in to the living room I had a little chuckle to myself and thought that it looked a lot like a movie set. As bad as it looked, I wouldn't change a thing though.