Rough Week?

Just had to share this, it is too cute! 

Have you ever felt like this at the end of the week?  Good news, God is always there to pick you up and dust you off and encourage you on your journey for the next week.  You are never alone!

I Choose

Amen!  A good positive thought for the day from http://www.facebook.com/#!/PositiveInspirationalQuotes!

Spring is coming!

Well today is a wonderful Spring day in the rockies!  People are out raking in their yard.  The temperature is in the 50's and although there is some wind out there, no heavy coat is needed!

Another sign of Spring is watching wild life around.  This year we have totally gotten hooked on watching the eagles in Decorah Iowa.  If you have not gone to the site, you are missing a blessing.

Last night mama eagle laid her 3rd egg. It has been fun watching them, Mom and Dad, and how they interact, and you feel like you are right there.  This site is run by donations, and it is well worth it to contribute if you are so inclined. 

You can view the site at http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles.  Warning, you will soon become hooked as we have.  The eagles mate for life.  It has been so enlightening to watch them interact, take turns on the nest, and care for eachother.  Each time before Mom laid an egg, Dad brought her something to eat before hand, making sure she had strength for the task.
Now that the nest is full it will be fun to watch the eggs hatch, and chicks grow, and fledge on their own.  Last year they put a monitoring devise on one of the fledglings and they have monitored D1's travels all year long.  This is quite a project!  The dedication by Bob Anderson the exective director of the Raptor Resource Project is amazing!  He runs the feed from Mr. and Mrs. Holthaus' garage that is near the cottonwood tree the eagles are in. Bob is always busy showing us amazing shots of the eagles, and the surrounding country.   The Raptor Resource Project also has links to other nests that they have scattered across the country.  Owls, Hawks and other Eagles.  We like the Decorah site the best as the view is fantastic and images are so clear.  However it is fun to watch the progress of the other sites as well.


Many things have been written about the projects, and others are busy capturing pictures for all of us to enjoy.  I hope you go to these links, they are wonderful as well.

Looks like Spring is trying it's best to come in. Tulips are coming up, and other flowers as well have started peeking through and the lilacs are budding. The neighbor tilled up his garden, and ours will not be far behind.  We will still have some snow and rain soon, but as long as there are days like today with the front door open to enjoy we are happy!

Hugs, Ma and Pa

Words of Wisdom

I read a quote today that so spoke to me and I thought I would share it with you!

"We can't solve the world's problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein

Here is a man that we all agree was amazing, but he did not let problems control him, and fret over them, He moved on!

Good words to live by!

That's my tip for Tuesday!

Doll Cake

Our girls never cease to amaze us.  Our youngest Sherry is always doing something for her friends and loved ones.  Even though she has very little to give and share, she does what she can, and here is what she shared today.

She made this darling cake for one of the kids on her block!

Sherry has never had any formal training in cake decorating, but her cakes keep getting better and better, and we think this one is special!

Made by a very special lady with a heart of gold.

We are proud of you Sherry!

10K Victory

Julie raced again today.  It was her first 10k.

Finished in 1:16!!! Best time ever!  Way to go Julie Kay!  We love you and are so very proud of you girl!  You have come a long way from last spring, and we know that you can do anything you set you mind to. Can't wait to see what you will do next!

Micah our son in law raced with her and was just ahead of her at 1:04.  So proud of them both!
Hugs, Ma and Pa



Nucla Trip, with all it's beauty.

Had a few days off over the weekend, and so we got to go home to Nucla and see Mama, my sister Barbie and hubby Larry were also there from Farmington, so it was a great time.
Ayngel and Ed and kids also live in Nucla. Ayngel is our niece, who is a busy author about to finish her second book, and has many award winning squidoo articles.

Heading there (100 miles away) is always a treat.... so many beautiful things to see as we go along.  This year has been a "dry" year as far as snowfall, not nearly what we need yet, but for what we do get we are thankful.

So, as we headed up over 9 mile hill, and through Unaweep Canyon we could see there was a slight dusting of snow on the tops of the mountains, and the fields still had snow on it, so we did not get to see deer and elk herds there.  But it was beautiful.  The dusting of snow just brought out the cliffs and all the beauty.  There were rock climbers out at the beginning of Unaweep, (this will give you detail ) they are there rain or shine, enjoying the sport. We went past Driggs Mansion, and it is still partially standing under Thimble Rock and still very beautiful. Looked a lot like the picture in this link.  The link is from another blogger in years past, however the correct story is the wife came to the mansion, but in 6 months wanted to leave as she was so isolated. 

Here is a picture of it right after it was built between 1914-1918.

Our favorite water fall was still silent, and full of ice, all though with a few more days of the 40's and 50's that we have had it will be running.

Here is a few Springs back... isn't it beautiful?

Then we come to Gateway.  If you have not heard about Gateway and what has happened to it, it has become quite a place, called Gateway Canyon Resort .  It is beautiful as you can see.  In these pictures you can see the canyons around there and the farm land around as well.  Our son-in-law Micah was on the first building crew that helped build it, and he enjoyed it alot.  They are now adding to it.  Looks like more guest space or perhaps help lodging.  If you are a fan of antique cars it boasts of one that cannot be beat. We love it. 

Here is a picture we took of the scenery from the parking lot in a past visit.

After leaving Gateway which is about half way home, we headed into the beautiful red canyons that seem to stretch up to the sky forever. As we wind in and out of the canyons I wonder what stories they have to tell. We go past many mines that once were busy with Uranium, and past Urivan, nothing is left of the city that was there... my Mama used to play in a band in the the dance hall there, past the petroglyphs, and the flume and onto Mama's house.  I will share these places with you later, so you can see how special they are as well.

It was such a great visit.  It made me realize that it had been way too long between our "Nucla Breaks".  Again I realized how blessed I am to have found my family and be a part of their lives.  See my ealier post, "A Tale of 2 Mothers", for that story.

Did not see any deer until we were on our way home, 1/2 mile from our house, a 2 point buck, headed into a farmers field! That's Colorado for you!

Hope you all had a blessed Valentines!  My honey took me to Red Lobster and I was spoiled rotten!

Hugs xxx

Always shining!

I love silver jewelry don't you?  Jim has made some beautiful jewelry through the years, and the only thing about silver is it tarnishes.  And it is time consuming to clean.  So, Jim being the great husband that he is, found the solution for me.

 

Yes, you do not have your jewelry on hooks in a fancy display.... but.... you pop them out of the bag and they are ready to wear.  You see those little back squares?  They are called intercept anti-tarnish tabs.  These are the one" square size. You can also get them in different sizes like 2" by 5" strips.  We got this size as they are easy to put in a bag.  I have all my silver jewelry put up this way, and put them in a darling small cedar chest that our Julie got me when she was younger.  These tabs make it so you do not have to polish the silver.  It is being out in the air that tarnishes the silver the most.  The bags take care of that, and having the anti-tarnish stips in there keeps the shine on!

Jim got these little anti tarnish jewels from Rio Grande Jewelry Supply.  www.riogrande.com.  You can also get the little plastic bags there as well.

So, throw away the chemicals, and the polishing clothes, and try this , you will be glad that you did!

That's your tip for this Tuesday!

Hugs, Ma and Pa

Smiles for the day :)



Coupon special !

Whoever said when you get older you would have more time to get things done... hasn't been living my life.... geeesssh!

Here is the tip I wanted to share with you yesterday but did not get to it.

Now I am not a coupon Queen... but I do save coupons, and use them.  I just do not like the big bulky coupon organizers, weather the little binders or big 3 ring one as I do not have that many, and it is frustrating to me.  So I have re purposed another item for organizing coupons.

This is your standard "grandma's brag book" for pictures.  I actually got this with a photo organizing box that was given to me, and since like any "savey" grandma  I use my cell phone for brag pictures, and I have re purposed this to hold my coupons.  Each area has a designation for coupons.  Food, health and beauty, paper products, computer items, pet food, items at Walgreen's or Rite aid and I even have coupons for restaurants in there, as well as gift card for the same. You have a lot of slots to fill, so make it according to your liking and needs, and you don't have to worry about pigeon holing a coupon where it does not fit, and then not using it because you cannot find it.

Since I do not have a ton of coupons, it works for us.  Jim is not adverse to carry it with him when he does the shopping, and they all get used for the most part.  This even fits in my Miche bag without bother, and has been one of the best things I have come up with. 

So, look around and see if you have a "brag book" to re purpose and happy shopping!!

That's Tips Tuesday... a day late :)

Happy Birthday Lizzy!

Have you ever wanted to see what pure love and energy is?  We have that, she is called Elizabeth Grace Baker and she turns 3 today!  Wow, time is flying!

From the time she was born she has been on the go trying to keep up with her sister, and at the same time will cuddle up next to you and say "I Love you", before she if off again in a flash.  God has some wonderful things ahead for this little one.  And Papa and Nana love her very much.