Winter fun

By the looks of things, our little golden birthday girl is getting good use out of her goggles!  Winter activities can sometimes give us a new perspective on snow...
however,
when you get to be a grandma and the snow piles up around your boundaries -
you just can't see the fun.
That is until you see a picture of your grand-babies dressed warm and smiling...
once again you can feel the rays of the summer sun!

Shinney puff

Nola Jean and Jordyn Noel February 21st, 2014 "snowed in"

Our little Jordyn Noel Harren is very social.  She tells great stories and knows how to play with friends.  Along with all her language she does at times do something with her "R's".  We are not quite sure what it is...
but she will tell you sweetly that her name is "Jordyn Noel Harren "(Jo done Noel Hawwen) and then as momma is getting Jordyn ( jo done) out of the car seat she will say "don't worry about me momma I like to arch my back!" (don't wowwy about me mom, I like to awch my back). She has never liked driving in the car seat, and somehow she arches her back to make it more comfortable.  As a mom, you worry ( wowwy) about it, but Jordyn (Jo done says not to!).  Jaci Anna has always taken such good care of her little sister and Conner (Conno) her brother loves to play with her...
at least for a little while...
even though Jordyn (Jo done) many times likes to play beyond his limits.
My favorite story by far is the one about "The three little pigs".
Jordyn (Jo done) has heard this story and likes to play out the book.
She heard the wolf say "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down"
so, when her and Nola played the three little pigs...
Nola was a little pig
and Jo done was "Shinney puff" (the big bad wolf!)
After I heard this story I got this picture and a TXT...
"BEST FRIENDS FO- EVAH "
What more can a gramma really ask for in life?
Grandchildren, family, and stories of Shinney puffs!

The little SHAGS secret tea (sweet) party

Nola Jean, Jordyn Noel and JaciAnna

One of each dessert!

It was the day of the annual SHAG reunion.  We decided this year it would be a crazy hair pot luck.  Everyone worked on getting there schedules so that they could arrive and eat around 1:00.  As the food came through the door we ran out of space in our kitchen,
ran out of space on our living room table...
where should we put the desserts?
We decide to put them on the radiator in the living room, it was kind of out of the way and yet still visible so people would know where to get their heart shaped cupcakes that Duey made, their oreo cake dreams that Miranda made, fundamiddles that JaciAnna made, or their jello/cool-whip delight that Carol made.
Miranda gave the first warning of putting the desserts at eye level with the little ones.  She said exactly "I am not responsible for those desserts if you are putting them there where the kids can reach what they want".
We didn't think much more of it until we discovered the couch next to the radiator had been pulled out from the wall,
and nestled sweetly behind it was one of each sweet...
and the little sweets wondering how their secret tea party could have possibly been discovered!

The little SHAGS and LOVE

Conner D.

Addy

Nola, Jordyn, Jaci

Jack

Evelyn and Cassie

Love is the most powerful of human emotions. I think that we can agree on the most important sentence in any language being... "I LOVE YOU".

Love requires no justification. If you love someone, no other reason for loving - or living - is needed!

Jordyn and Nola

These two sweet babies are cousins.  They are only 6 months apart in age.  Because they are family and because of their age, they will always remain friends.  Life will try to pull them apart but the bonds that are being built now as they are children will see them through.  There is probably nothing that could make a grandma happier.
Lacey and Nola have been trying to get to Foley about once a month.  They go to help out with things and let Jordyn and Nola play together.  On wednesday the 19th of Feb they ventured to Foley for their night stay. The plans were for them to bring me Conner and he would stay here with us for the week-end.  Well the big ole snow storm has changed plans...
but, in each case of disappointed plans you can find joy...
Thank- you for this JOY!
(This is the email I received earlier this morning)

Will keep you posted on our travels or postponement later in the afternoon.   For now, read up on these cuties and the cute things they are saying.  It's so funny listening to those two.

Jordyn and Nola are playing three little pigs-

Jordyn:  Yo little pig and I'll be Shinny Puff.  (you're little pig, and I'll be the big bad wolf.  She thinks the wolf is named Shinny puff!!)

Jordyn:  I'm Cawford the dog (Clifford the big red dog)
Nola:  Okay, hi Cawford, I'm little puppy.  (She thinks Jordyn wants to be named Cawford, she is not understanding that Jordyn is saying Clifford)
Jordyn: No, I'm not Cawford, I'm Cawford!
Nola:  That's what I said!
After a bit of trying to get it straight, Jordyn gives up and lets Nola continue to call her "Cawford" for the next half hour.

SNOWSTORM Feb 20th - 21st, 2014

For the third Thursday in a row, my mom and I have cancelled our plans to go to Mankato to get the Toyota serviced and do a little shopping.  All three cancellations have been due to snow.
When we woke up on Feb 20th - the temps were warm (at least compared to what we have had) and there was no snow.  The prediction was for it to come in around 11:00 and to continue for 24 hours of snow and blowing.  Curt made it to work fine and called to say "where ever you are when this storm starts, plan on that is where you will be staying."
Okay, decision made, we will cancel!
It did start snowing here almost exactly around 11:00, and it snowed and snowed.  We were able to go over for a quick trip to Gaylord to visit with Linda and Doug. Diane drove and after about an hour there... we decided...
better get home now or we won't get there. 
We got home safely but the drive home was 20 miles an hour and a line up of cars 20 deep.
As the evening went on the storm progressed.
Al our UPS man got stuck out on Hi-way 9 around 11:30pm (brought safely home around 11:00am)
...other cars stranded on the same road, all night!
Nick our cop was called out on many calls and was unable to get through the drifts or to see where he was going.
Carol our corporate secretary person was able to get safely home and posted pictures and prayed with us.
Alex the jailer from NewUlm was stuck out on  19 between Lafayette and Winthrop, he said he went in to "survival mode" as there are no plows out, no travel.
Ringo our UPS drivers wife was home, sick with worry and went to fb for help. Cancelled her mammogram appt for the 3rd time.
Lacey and Nola got stranded in Foley, cancellation of the plans... there will be no travel for awhile.
They closed almost all the hi-ways around here...
my boss called, she is stuck on her gravel road right outside her home.
It has been 24 hours sense the start of the storm.  It is cold and windy around the clean beauty of the snow...
The plows are out...
but stay home.
As you can see by the picture, the bright sky can be quite deceiving on what is really going on.

NewYears Eve 2013

New Years Eve is a tradition.  It has changed from year to year, depending on weather and what is going on around the area.
Most of the years sense at least 1976 the yellow boots have spent it together.
I remember most the year of 2000 when all the computers were going to be shutting down due to the change in dates, none of the cash registers were going to be working and many thought it would be the end of the world.  I believe it was called Y2K.  All of us went to a motel in Mankato and celebrated with each other.  All the Giesens, Hackers, Schmidts and Meyer's were there and it was a wonderful time together. I do have a few pictures somewhere of that year that when I find I will add on to this post.
We have gone to Green-Isle, Gaylord, Arlington, Lafyette, NewUlm, and Mankato to name a few.  This last NewYears, 2013 - we spent at the "Hacker Ranchenda" located outside of Lafyette, Mn.
We spent the evening there where Du had cooked us all up some of his dumplings and kraut - it is well worth the trip just for thta!  We all brought food and Dave came also!  We ate together and then we played "poop on your neighbor".  It is a fun card game for a lot of people, and you didn't have to think real hard - much laughter went around the table with each card holding person!
We all spent the night there - it was dangerously cold temps outside, but, inside was the warmth of family and friends.
The next day all of us went to Mankato to take Jeff back and we stopped to eat at the Chinese Buffet back by the Toyota dealer. 
It was an ending meal to a wonderful NewYears!