TIME FOR ANOTHER CELEBRATION !

Someone had a birthday last weekend so, we bought her a boa..........Isn't that what you buy for the child who has everything?

Of course the theme was Frozen !! I have yet to see it,however, she can sing every song.

It was also my husbands birthday and she insisted on sharing her candles with him.

Here she is coaching him on how to blow out the candles.....................so funny, very serious business.

We arrived late,due to an ice storm.......but, we played hard and at the end of the day..............
                 everyone was ready for bed........said the hobbit.

Getting back to the blog............again.

 I know I keep trying to be faithful to my blog....But the lure of the outside world keeps distracting me. Hopefully this is the real thing. First, I started to Facebook............I'm sure this is a wonderful thing for many but, to me it is like living life with the "Flight of the Bumblebees" playing in the background. I need mellow and time to focus on my thoughts.I will continue to check in on my Facebook people but, my heart belongs here,where I can form a complete sentence and not wait for someone to "like" it.

 The past few months daughter Sarah has been doing a seminar of sorts on the process of creating dance.She has been explaining the different elements ,dynamics,repertoire and interpretation of the process.










Audience involvement is how each event was completed...........as you can see a good time was had by all.

Her dancers are beautiful and devoted to their profession..............maybe someday you too will have a chance to see them..........said the hobbit

Busy week with the family

The girl cousins in my family started getting together a few years back.Such fun. Visits are always too short and we so enjoy seeing each other. Plenty to catch up on but, I think we are still working on the late 50's early 60's I know,I know. What can I say we like to go into detail.

Manage to find time to have lunch with Aaron always a great time.

And now we are getting ready to gather my husbands clan for a Chowder Fest. Daughter Renee is the mastermind for this one.......June 28th is the date and it will be fun to see how many will be getting together. Hubby is a little older that I so I best get brushed up on my 1940's stories.....

Just kidding ...........said the Hobbit

Building a community

I have a circle of friends that get together to knit and I refer to them as my "pond".We are from several different towns yet, we consider ourselves neighbors...........all have similar yet different interest and we support each others efforts.It takes work and patience to develop such a community but, the rewards are so worth it.

One of my daughters has taken this to another level.She lives in a small N.H. town that once was thriving and oh so proud of it's people. Time has taken it's toll and like many small towns all over the country, people have forgotten how to be neighbors.Leave it to the younger people to come up with a plan.

A few years ago one of her friends started a tea shop were people could get together and talk about what they wish for the community. There were many naysayers but, he hung in there and kept taking baby steps with his project. He is committed to the project and now..........local musicians pop in to entertain on a regular basis.

Young people come to  share their hopes and dreams for the town and no one thinks that a plan is too small or too big to give it a try.Daughter Sarah (in red) waits her turn to explain her plan to bring DANCE to the area.

A local photographer put together these photos of her company.What started as a conversation with friends is now becoming a reality.

Of course there is always time for a little whimsy and I had to take a picture of these creations from the HEADHUNTER series of Mugwump Made. Artist Kay Koczarski had her knitted works on display,yes,those teeth are knitted.The tea shop is currently closed...........no they haven't given up. They need a larger location to move forward with "the plan". It amazes me what these young people have accomplished. Can't wait to see what the next year brings...........................said the Hobbit

The Best Part of Christmas and a Happy New Year!

First let me wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR! This is when we think on what we want to accomplish for 2014 however, what greater joy was there in 2013 than to see these little ones gathered to celebrate Christmas at there Uncle Thom's home.Gift's were placed under the tree for sharing.

SANTA was a big hit when he granted Aaron his biggest wish."Please Santa, come to my home and sing me Happy Birthday" how can you say no to that!

HARPER WAS HOPING FOR FINGER FOOD AND SHE GOT IT

COTTRELL AND AARON OPENED THEIR PRESENTS WITH SUCH CAREIt was a pillow for TV watching but she thought it was a pony........doesn't every little girl want one?

AND THEN WE MET JAYNE,THE BABY MASTIFF, I DON'T THINK HE, YES,IT'S A HE ,

WILL BE SITTING ON PEPERES LAP NEXT YEAR................SAID THE HOBBIT

Moving right along to Christmas

 As you know .....daughter #1 took the first shift in holiday prep.......Part deux as we like to say, belongs to Sarah.

With Thanksgiving behind us, she quickly got her tree up and decorated as was ready for her annual Christmas card writing party.

We gathered our cards and stamps and quickly got to the task of writing those little notes to friends and family that we miss and haven't seen as often as we would like.Her party gives us just the right push we all need to get the job done.



Her wall was marked with the mantra of the day..........We shouldn't take things too seriously.

A table had been set to make it all seem like a fun time. She managed to find this coffee urn that reminded everyone of the good old days when time were less hectic. Isn't it a beauty?

When all was done there was time for chatting and tales of the wonderful events that had come to pass in 2013.......Then off we went to get a little Christmas shopping done and of course, get those cards and notes off to the post office. At least that was the plan,as soon as we had one more serving of that delicious breakfast casserole she had prepared.............said the Hobbit

Just catching up!!The Holiday's

Ok , making the slow comeback, so you will have to bear with me while I post old news.


 See these two young ladies? They are all about the Holidays.They are all about the holidays.

So, I have to start at Thanksgiving.Things were still a little hectic around here and Thanksgiving day was spent in a restaurant.However, Renee,on the left, made sure  we all got together for a Day After Thanksgiving Day . Seems it is known as the DATD party.

New to the family gathering was Harper and she spread joy and giggles all around.Can't beat that.
Of course Renee's boys wanted to share in the love,so, they gave grampy lots of attention.A good time was had by all and we are off and running with the season.Soon to come ........getting ready for Christmas. I know .........only a few days left.............I promise to catch up on my news as quickly as possible. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks........said the Hobbit

What did I learn this week

This year I have been making an effort to learn something new every week and try to stay out that rut that we all seem to slip into every now and again. Well maybe not you, but, there are times when I find myself doing pretty much the same thing on a most regular basis.

So, as I  sat on my front porch watching the world go by ,I picked up my favorite magazine

 MARY JANE FARMS  knowing that I would be sure to find a piece of knowledge that would be most useful to me.Nothing complicated,just some useful bit of information.

Of course there was much to learn but, here is what made me stop in my tracks. Just a small article that asked the question "HOW OLD IS THAT APPLE?" I was introduced to Kristen Michaelis of

FOOD RENAGADE she helps guide people  back to real food by educating them on the handling and processing that our market foods my have endured. When we started eating we had one new food introduced at a time...........I think it's best to re educate ourselves the same way. She has brought it to my attention that most apples at the market are at least 1 year old.They are picked before fully ripe ....sprayed with a chemical preservative, waxed , boxed, and refrigerated till they are called upon to make their appearance at the local grocers.Needless to say the much sought after antioxidants that we are hoping to ingest are long gone by the time we purchase the lovely fruit. What to do? Find a local farm that will let you pick your own. Enjoy the fruit while in season. Make a few quarts of applesauce to tide you over till the next fresh fruit is available. Not sure you have a farm? Check with THIS website They can get  started on your quest for real food. Or , call your local 4H club. They will be so happy to hear from you.

Well, the simple apple has taken me down a road that should make my great grandparents give me an approving nod. That would be them, so proud of their new home when they left Michigan and came to New Hampshire. The smiling daughter on the left is my grandmother..........year is possibly 1900/1904 Note the gun in his hand. I'm guessing no one would sell him a bad apple...........said the hobbit

kiss your babies today

IT'S SUNDAY....WHAT'S HAPPENING

Coming down from the cellar stairs for a breath of air. Still hoping to make some kind of progress up there. Still looks the same to me.My brother is playing with his bagpiper friends today so,he will be stopping by to tell me about the 11 new lambs that were born on his farm.......looks like I won't be able to work on it all day as planned......so sad.

 This project could be a long one. April 20th is "shredding day" at my credit union. That means you bring all sorts of paper "stuff" in boxes and you can watch them shred the contents to smithereens.....very  satisfying!!

Of course not as much fun as walking along one of our beaches. Another week should make this a real possibility..............said the hobbit

It's Sunday........what's happening

WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY  EASTER !!

What are you doing today?

It's Sunday....What's Happening

First a big breakfast of local and homemade. Sun is shining so, who wants to stay in today.

 Can't work in the garden...............It snowed again.

Daughter Sarah is doing a final performance of CHORUS LINE and we will be in attendance.

Should be a great day!!

IT'S SUNDAY...........WHAT'S HAPPENING

Well after all that hard work of making bread last week, we decided today would be a day of rest, so we are sitting back and enjoying our hard work..........peach marmalade from the pantry and homemade multigrain bread from the freezer.

A few weeks ago we had a family brunch .............such fun! So we are in the process of planning another for Easter Sunday.Obviously the little ones had a great time.

Let's see if we can tucker them out again. Thinking of having an egg hunt.
That should keep them busy..................said the hobbit

We had snow!!!

 It's been a rough few days......We had been told on a daily basis that "a storm of epic proportions" was coming.Being a good little New Englander I knew what I had to do. FILL ALL TANKS WITH FUEL!!!!! I called my local oil service man and had him fill the tank and made an appointment to have the burner cleaned at their convenience. Fill the containers for the snow blower....check. Make sure the cars had fuel in their tank and then sat back and waited for the storm to start.

This is the window over my sink . You can't really see anything because snow and wind  were forced between the windows all night long. Our town only had 15 inches. Some had as much as 30+ but, here is the bad news. My Oh So ready Furnace had a malfunction with the ignitor!!!!!! Let me give you the translation NO HEAT FOR 22 HOURS IN O DEGREE WEATHER WITH 40 + MILE AN HOUR WINDS.

A call was made to have the furnace repaired but, it would have been dangerous for him to drive to our home .........a state of emergency was in place in N.H. and no vehicles were permitted on the road. Life has gotten complicated .........you now need permission to be on the road!!!! Ah , the good old days.

All is well now and we are in the middle of cleanup wind is still blowing, snow is now gently drifting by. Cars were blow clean by all the wind That's nice. Porches had about 5 feet drifts. Not so nice.All the men were out shoveling so...........

I spent my time making goodies in the kitchen.I had prepared all the steps to make these Apple turnovers. Company is coming on Sunday for a brunch and ........

looks like everything will be good to go......said the hobbit

low

What's the family been up to?

Summer has come to an end and everyone is getting ready to hunker down for the winter. So here's the family summertime news. Yes hubby is still working in the lab. That's how you stay young,eh. A fair amount of golf has been played but, the plan  is to get one more day (a week) in for next year.

Number one daughter, as she likes to say, has a new puppy STEEVE, you can read all about him HERE Even with a puppy you tend to forget how much work it was.

Son #2 is living the good life in Michigan,and is officially a cheesehead. We love him and miss him regardless of his new look. Should you take the train from Milwaukee to Chicago give a "hey"to the engineer........that would be him!

Our baby  turned "Dirty Thirty" as she likes to call it but, she still managed to set a beautiful outdoor table for the celebration.

Somehow I don't think she looks all that upset about the whole thing. A peek into her life can be found HERE

Oldest son Thom has 2 little ones to keep him busy.........need I say more?

MEET AARON also known as Mr Indelpendent

AND COTTRELL Miss I want it all and I want it now.......and she looks so sweet ,right? I know a little more hair might be needed,she's working on it honest !

Grand daughter Cayla got married Sept 24th 2011....... almost lost her sweetie to a virus that settled in his heart.......has had to adapt to a whole new way of doing groceries and has now adopted JACK ....just look at that face. She tells me he's a handful...............Really?  Happy anniversary Cayla and Scott. After last year I hope you have a low key boring 2nd year.









Of course I'm still knitting and b.........,you know what I mean.............all in all I have to say that life is good................said the hobbit