Dear Reader,
A very belated Happy New Year, 2017!
Before we get into 2017, I want to share with you the delightful Christmas I spent in Colorado with Angela, Jeff, Katie, Chloe and Jack. The kids are getting so grown-up!
I arrived in time to attend the kids' Christmas parties - all three of them, as the triplets are each in different classrooms. So Jeff, Angela and myself each took a room, and then we traded. It was most fun!
After school was out for Christmas vacation, the kids decorated Christmas cookies. They also played together so well. Jack is into making a "home". On the staircase landing he put some small tables together, covered them with blankets and added his animals. So cute. Meanwhile, the girls are playing with their dolls in their room. Jack also made a home in the kitchen. (I have pictures of it below.)
On Christmas eve, the kids opened a few presents. But the big day was Christmas - and oh! Santa was so very good to the kids! What a fun day! The end of opening all the presents is symbolized by Angela (so often stuck with the unglamorous jobs) breaking down the boxes for recycling pick-up. I think the picture says it all....!
The next day we all drove up to Winter Park looking for a home for Grammie that will be closer to all the Heim's. (Didn't find one.) But the kids (and parents) had a blast at Hideaway Park in Winter Park when they sledded down the hill. The kids were so good about carrying their sleds all the way back up the hill. What fun they had! (Sorry, I didn't get any pictures.)
Then, too soon, it was time to head on back to Iowa and Illinois. At the end of December, a rather large buck came to visit the big oak tree across from the farmhouse in Iowa. My trail cam captured it beautifully. Hope you like the big guy!
At the Land, (in Illinois) 2017 came in very quietly for me. The Land was lovely to view out of my window.
Before the big warm up we had (how wonderful that was!), Chris and Smitty came out to ice fish. They always seem to have a ball!
Then, warmth melted the ice on the pond, and the chapel needed more painting. Which I did, with help from Dave. It's coming along. We also picked up the pews (that will be cut down to 4 1/2 feet each). There will be six short pews in the chapel, 3 on each side. Frank and Bob put on the steeple - very exciting moment ! It's getting closer and closer to being done on the outside. The front door will be installed after the inside ceiling is done. I hope its done by late spring. Frank just mentioned the other day, "I really like how it's turning out." Well, so do I!
Maggie, my neighbor's dog, has adopted the chapel. Kyle Marie (her owner) said, "I have visions of Maggie being in every wedding picture!" For some reason everyone who looks at the chapel feels there will be weddings there. That is fine with me, but they are going to be quite tiny weddings as the chapel pews will only hold 12 -15 people! I, too, envision Maggie posing next to the bride and groom, and the bride's gown covered with Maggie's burrs!
And last, but not least, I left the house the other day for a short while, and when I came back, there was the most beautiful butterfly up by my favorite chair in my bedroom. It is a lovely (I think its a female) Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Absolutely beautiful and eats (or should I say, slurps) sugar water from my fingers. Unfortunately it will not last long, but my other choice (according to the experts) was to throw her outside where she would perish immediately. I just couldn't do that. So she's my pal right now. I have named her Bonnie Barnetta Butterfly. Not too many people come home to find a perfect lovely swallowtail butterfly! I am so fortunate!
And that, dear Reader, is how I feel about life. I celebrated a very significant birthday, I have a lovely family and extended family, the most wonderful friends here and in Iowa, two beautiful places (at least so far), a gorgeous little chapel that will be shared with whomever needs it, a delightful new butterfly friend, and all is right with the world. I am truly blessed.
Happy 2017, dear Reader! May the New Year be happy, healthy and full of family, friends and grace!
A very belated Happy New Year, 2017!
Before we get into 2017, I want to share with you the delightful Christmas I spent in Colorado with Angela, Jeff, Katie, Chloe and Jack. The kids are getting so grown-up!
I arrived in time to attend the kids' Christmas parties - all three of them, as the triplets are each in different classrooms. So Jeff, Angela and myself each took a room, and then we traded. It was most fun!
After school was out for Christmas vacation, the kids decorated Christmas cookies. They also played together so well. Jack is into making a "home". On the staircase landing he put some small tables together, covered them with blankets and added his animals. So cute. Meanwhile, the girls are playing with their dolls in their room. Jack also made a home in the kitchen. (I have pictures of it below.)
On Christmas eve, the kids opened a few presents. But the big day was Christmas - and oh! Santa was so very good to the kids! What a fun day! The end of opening all the presents is symbolized by Angela (so often stuck with the unglamorous jobs) breaking down the boxes for recycling pick-up. I think the picture says it all....!
The next day we all drove up to Winter Park looking for a home for Grammie that will be closer to all the Heim's. (Didn't find one.) But the kids (and parents) had a blast at Hideaway Park in Winter Park when they sledded down the hill. The kids were so good about carrying their sleds all the way back up the hill. What fun they had! (Sorry, I didn't get any pictures.)
Then, too soon, it was time to head on back to Iowa and Illinois. At the end of December, a rather large buck came to visit the big oak tree across from the farmhouse in Iowa. My trail cam captured it beautifully. Hope you like the big guy!
At the Land, (in Illinois) 2017 came in very quietly for me. The Land was lovely to view out of my window.
Before the big warm up we had (how wonderful that was!), Chris and Smitty came out to ice fish. They always seem to have a ball!
Then, warmth melted the ice on the pond, and the chapel needed more painting. Which I did, with help from Dave. It's coming along. We also picked up the pews (that will be cut down to 4 1/2 feet each). There will be six short pews in the chapel, 3 on each side. Frank and Bob put on the steeple - very exciting moment ! It's getting closer and closer to being done on the outside. The front door will be installed after the inside ceiling is done. I hope its done by late spring. Frank just mentioned the other day, "I really like how it's turning out." Well, so do I!
Maggie, my neighbor's dog, has adopted the chapel. Kyle Marie (her owner) said, "I have visions of Maggie being in every wedding picture!" For some reason everyone who looks at the chapel feels there will be weddings there. That is fine with me, but they are going to be quite tiny weddings as the chapel pews will only hold 12 -15 people! I, too, envision Maggie posing next to the bride and groom, and the bride's gown covered with Maggie's burrs!
And last, but not least, I left the house the other day for a short while, and when I came back, there was the most beautiful butterfly up by my favorite chair in my bedroom. It is a lovely (I think its a female) Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Absolutely beautiful and eats (or should I say, slurps) sugar water from my fingers. Unfortunately it will not last long, but my other choice (according to the experts) was to throw her outside where she would perish immediately. I just couldn't do that. So she's my pal right now. I have named her Bonnie Barnetta Butterfly. Not too many people come home to find a perfect lovely swallowtail butterfly! I am so fortunate!
And that, dear Reader, is how I feel about life. I celebrated a very significant birthday, I have a lovely family and extended family, the most wonderful friends here and in Iowa, two beautiful places (at least so far), a gorgeous little chapel that will be shared with whomever needs it, a delightful new butterfly friend, and all is right with the world. I am truly blessed.
Happy 2017, dear Reader! May the New Year be happy, healthy and full of family, friends and grace!
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