Saturday, Day 2 of the new year!

Wishing all of you the very best new year! Praying that 2015 ended in a good way for you all, and that 2016 will be a wonderful year!

We've been on the road quite a bit the last few weeks, and though we've been home the last few days, I just didn't feel up to writing on here. I came back with an awful cold that finally seems to be moving on. I still have a tickle and a cough, but not as bad as it was. We even passed on meeting up with Al, Lisa and boys yesterday, postponing it until next weekend.

We spend several days in Wisconsin, going to Micah's program and spending time with the family there, which was great. We left for home again on Monday, were home Tuesday and left early Wednesday morning for Rapid City. We spent Christmas Eve with them, also enjoying Eli and Matthew's program. Christmas day we joined them with their tradition of going to the Elks theater to see "It's A Wonderful Life". No one warned me that it would be in the top level theater. It was 52 steps to that one! To be fair, it had never been up there before, so the family didn't know it would be. I made it up those stairs, but it was a struggle. My knees still hurt! It was fun to see it in the theater though, we never had.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we all went to see the new Star Wars movie in 3D when we were in WI.  It was great! They did a good job with it.

New Year's Eve day we went to church, and on the way we stopped in Clear Lake so I could visit with some of my friends from EMPI. I was so glad to be able to do that, and hope it can happen again. It was the last day for many of them.

And now, Orrin is waiting by the door, asking if I'm ready then? We're meeting the Hunt's for supper.

I'll try to get some pictures on here in the future, and one of my resolutions is posting more often.

Hugs, Orrin, Linda and Teddy

Sunday, December 13, 2015 Justin's 16th birthday!!

Good evening! I mean to sit down and write every day, but somehow that hasn't been happening! We have been busy here.
I've made 9 different types of Christmas cookies, now I'm ready to pack them into containers for the family. I made pfefferneuse too, for Wendy! I took an assortment to bible study this morning, they went over well.
I have my Christmas letter written, it's rather short this year. But we haven't sent one in a long time. My cards are cut and the sentiments are stamped, I just have to finish the fronts. I printed out the return labels. I should be getting most of them in the mail this week. Wow, I'm impressed with myself. haha
We just finished running distilled water through the distiller to get it cleaned out prior to starting it. Now it has to run for 24 hours and then we will have distilled water! We've only had the thing for about 3 months, without getting it running. Orrin still has to hook it up to the faucet up here so I can turn it on for distilled water from the tap! Love it.
We went to early service this morning and then bible study. My Rohloff led the class today. Not sure if I spelled that right. We visited a little afterward and discovered that his wife Sarah, is an aunt of Steve Kruschel! It is a small WELS world after all. They are going to WI this week to see her parents, they are both very ill and close to going to meet their Saviour. 
It's too hard to even think of what we've been up to the last few weeks, this is why I should keep current with this blog. I've been working on stamping, coloring and cards. We had our Treadlers Christmas party last Tuesday, and our craft club Christmas party last Sunday. Those are really the only parties we have to go to this year. 
We're going to Dan's on Thursday, hoping that the weather co-operates for us. We'll probably come home again on Monday. Jeremy and Laura have graciously agreed to let us spend the night there on Wednesday, so we can get an early start on Thursday morning.
We're hoping to stop at Al and Lisa's on the way home. We're not sure yet where we'll be spending Christmas. Either in Rapid City or in Gibbon.
Wendy and family, Al and family and Jeremy and family were here for Thanksgiving. We had such a good time with them all! Eugene drove down for the day, we were happy to have him join us. The men played some euchre, shades of old times! We played games and Friday the guys were outside shooting guns. Jeremy had smoked a turkey and I made a ham, and Wendy brought potatoes, we all ate well. :)
I'm hoping that I'm better about this from now on. Have a great week in the Lord!
Hugs, Orrin, Linda and Teddy.

 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” - Galatians 6:9-10

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Good evening! Just a short post today.  We went to early service and bible study. It was a very slim crowd in bible study, only 10 people and that includes the Draegers.  I'm not sure why.

Then a quick lunch at the DQ and over to HyVee to buy groceries for the weekend.  That blew a large wad of money!! There were a lot of people, but not terrible. We got right through checkout.  We also stopped at Papa Murphy's for some pizzas for the freezer, everyone likes pizza!  I had an e-mail with a 25% discount for those. So I think we'll have everyone fed for the weekend.  :)

Orrin was up in the attic this afternoon for quite a while.  I haven't been up there yet to see what he all accomplished, but I'm sure it will be impressive.  We haven't had anyone sleeping up there for a long time.

I finally got those file cabinets cleaned out, so now to move them out.  Nothing like company coming to get things done.  

Alan Olivera stopped by last night and dropped off a pheasant, all cleaned, packaged and frozen!  He had stopped at the shop last weekend and visited with Orrin and told him he would bring us a bird.  He was hunting in the area.  He's married to Orrin's cousin Pam (Just) and we hadn't seen him (or them) for years.

Very unsatisfactory football game today, :(.  I know there are some Packer fans among us, so I guess it was satisfactory for them.  The Vikings should have won, though, I think it's just a matter of attitude.  And that's as much as I know about football.

And that's all for tonight.  Have a good night,

Hugs, Orrin, Linda and Teddy
 

Paul wrote, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Galatians 6:10

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Good Morning! Thought I would get this written now, since I seem to run out of gas in the evening.  My computer was out for a day (horrors!) so didn't get a chance the other night.
What happened is. . . Orrin was changing the light bulb (flourescent) in here, and decided to check the light switch. In doing that, he shorted out something, and one line went dead. He went down and hit the breaker switch and all was well. We thought. When I went to the computer to go online, I couldn't connect. I did the whole reboot thing 3 different times and still nothing, so I called MVTV. They were going to send someone out the next day (yesterday).  When I do the reboot, I turn off the computer, unplug the router and then just turn off the APC power to turn off the modem, which is plugged into that. Yesterday morning I thought I would try this one more time, only instead of turning off the APC I unplugged the modem. And then it worked!! Strange, I've never had to do that before.  Oh, well, it's working and that's all that counts. Also, until I unplugged the modem I couldn't connect with my phone either. Can any of my tech experts explain that to me?  As soon as I unplugged the modem, my phone connected.  Well, that long story didn't get shorter, haha.
That whole paragraph is underlined in red, so apparently my grammar wasn't very good!  
I've just about emptied the two smaller file cabinets into the one larger one. Does anyone want either of the two smaller cabinets? One is a regular metal one and the other one is wooden. I'll take a picture.  I've heard from a few people that now that I've found where the larger pictures are, they are not seeing them.  And the smaller ones are just too small to see.    

 Hopefully, one of those will show up.  
Sioux Falls had 18" of snow yesterday!! We didn't get anything, which is fine with me. It is cold out though. I guess it is November, we can't expect 60-70 degree weather forever.  
Nothing else exciting here.  Next week is Thanksgiving and people coming! Yeaaa!
Hugs, Orrin, Linda and Teddy
 
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7
 

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Hi, again! It's very dreary here today, in the low 40's and it's been raining all day. I don't know how much we've had, as we took our gauges down a few weeks ago. My birdbath is full though, and the driveway has lots of puddles.  We did need the moisture, and I guess it was inevitable that we would get colder.  It would be nice to have some sunshine again, though.

I've heard that there have been more layoffs at EMPI and probably less than 50 people left there.  Sure hope they can find something else to come in, it's a shame to lose a business like that in a small town.

I had Treadlers yesterday, we got a few things done, started on the next year!
We made plans for one meeting in December when we will have our Christmas party. I dropped Teddy off for grooming and picked him up on the way home. He always smells so good after that!

I made bread and some buns on Monday. I have good luck with buns, except they don't look that great! I don't know what I do wrong. Anyone have any tips?  I'm trying to get things ready for Thanksgiving.  I hope the weather holds until after that. I remember that in years past, we always had a storm for Thanksgiving!

I've started doing my coloring for Christmas cards, I may actually get some out this year!  We had cards made when they did the church pictures.  I really didn't like our picture that well this time, but what can they do with what they had to work with!  LOL

Well, Orrin's in so I suppose I should think of something for supper. Maybe some Tilapia, that's always easy.  :)

Have a great evening and stay warm and dry!

Hugs, Orrin, Linda and handsome Teddy 

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Psalm 19:21

Sunday, November 15, 2015

It is the half way point in November already! How did that happen?  It was another beautiful day today, although someone mentioned this morning that we are supposed to be getting a change, a downward trend in temps.

Yesterday I read a book and puttered around.  That was about the extent of it.  :(  

This morning we were up for early service and went to bible study.  We finished John 3 and got a healthy start on Amos.  So far that seems pretty gloomy, actually.  There were some things that were remindful of the situation in Paris right now, though. Hmm, my spellcheck does not seem to like the word remindful, I kind of do, though!

We lunch at the Roadhouse and ran into the Schwandts there, so they joined us.  I had dinner, the others had breakfast.  Then we stopped at the County Fair banquet hall, to check out the art show, as Boyd had an exhibit there.  Lots of very nice pieces there.  There were drawings benefiting the Salvation Army.  From there it was a quick stop at WM and then home.  I told Orrin I had to take a little nap, as I had a very restless night of sleep last night.  He did some cleaning up around the yard, and came in for a nap as well.  We were determined to wake up by 3, and by some miracle, we did!  I had missed a couple of phone calls, so on checking discovered that I had won a prize from the art show!  It was a book that one of the vendors had written.  She sent it home with Boyd.  Kathy said Terry had won a prize as well, wonder what he got?

We went to the matinee this afternoon, and saw the Peanuts movie.  My dear hubby was very patient about going to this, but I think he kind of enjoyed it too.  The theater wasn't too full for this showing, so it was quiet.  It was a cute movie.  All of the previews were for children's movies too.  I promised him that the next movie we see would be for adults.  Maybe the new Star Wars movie?  hehe.  Afterward, he decided we needed a little something more substantial than popcorn so we stopped at the DQ and shared a chicken strip meal.  Then, as we needed some milk, we stopped at the Dollar General for that, it's $3 a gallon right now.  I was surprised they were still open, but I guess they are open until 10 every day.

Now we're home and settled in for our regular lineup, so I'd better get off here.  I did find where the photos that are regular size are, now I wonder if they are showing up?  Please let me know.  The others were just too small.

And that's about it.  I'll share another picture, let me know how that works.  :)

One from the seminar.

And Alan's birthday card.  Alan, if you haven't gotten it yet, don't look!  Oh, Lisa had put something on FB yesterday about a shooting over by Gibbon, how did that turn out?

Hugs, Orrin, Linda and Teddy


The apostle Paul, who was miraculously called to Christ while in route to persecute Christians in the city of Damascas - located near the heart of embattled ISIS territory in modern day Syria - wrote in the Bible, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 1-5).



 

Friday the 13th, November 2015

Don't know if this is supposed to be a scary day, never seemed like it! I was up early and it was 27 degrees out! Brrr.  But it did warm up into the 50's today, so not so bad. 

I went to Watertown this forenoon because I wanted to get to the eye doctor before noon.  My lens had fallen out again last night, for the second time. It was the screw holding the frame together that was not holding. We were able to get it back together last night and the other time too. But I decided the screw must be stripped, so wanted to get it replaced. Now that I am farsighted rather than nearsighted (after cataract surgery, I think I made the wrong choice there) Orrin has to help with it, as I can't see close up without my glasses!  Anyway, long story still long, I did get it fixed, hopefully for good this time.

Then I stopped at GSI with a few things, and did a little shopping as well. Kathy was there shopping, and so were a few other ladies. I had a cup of coffee with them, and then headed over to Needleworks for the machine embroidery class.

There were quite a few people there this time, and I met a few new ladies. I think the socialization is the most compelling reason to go to these.  :)  After that, I stopped at Culver's for the FOD and then back to Papa Murphy's to bring a pizza home.  I haven't done that for a while. I always get the family size, more for the $$, but then later I wonder why?  Well, we'll have leftovers for a while. 

It doesn't seem like I accomplished much, although I did track down a design pack.  I was going to lend it to my friend, only to find she already had it!!  LOL

I'm happy to hear that you all are able to get my pictures now, but now I have to figure out how to get a larger version.  The other day when I was fooling around there, I did get back to that page, but now I've forgotten how I found it!  Grrr.  I wish Google would quit messing with it and with me.

I chatted with Justin and Dan last night on FB, they had gone to see the Peanuts movie.  Wonder if I can talk Orrin into going?  Hmmm.

Oh, forgot to mention that the good Lord has been looking after me.  The other night, on the way back from Monte, I  nearly hit 2 deer just east of our place. It was dusk, and I almost didn't see them!  And then today, someone just pulled right in front of me, almost collided!  Luckily, they saw me at the last minute and I saw them, so it was avoided.  Why don't people look before they pull out of a parking spot??

Well, we're due for a nice weekend again, yeaa!  I'm afraid that when Thanksgiving gets here, the weather will turn.

Have a great evening!  Hugs, Orrin, Linda and Teddy

"You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance."
-Psalm 32:7

okay, here's the bigger picture, hope you can see it?