Good morning Ladies from a cloudy Minnesota this Easter Saturday ! We have been having a lot of wind here this past few weeks . We also have had some nice sunshine during the week.
I wanted to add the video above , telling the story of Easter week and the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. It is a beautiful Hallelujah .
I finished last week with a late Sunday post. Monday was a busy day with work . Then in the evening we started to prime the walls in our ongoing basement bedroom/bathroom project! But it is exciting to finally be painting. Tuesday was similar with more priming in the evening, I was tired after the second evening !! Wednesday was the kids last night of Church class for the year! I want to thank all the teachers who volunteered to teach our kids in their faith journey in 2021-22 ! Maybe someday I will have the conviction to do the same!
On Thursday evening it was the feast of the last supper . Jesus last meal with his disciples . Holy Thursday celebrates the institution of the Eucharist as the true body and blood of Jesus Christ and the institution of the sacrament of the priesthood.
Good Friday was a day of fasting as it is during all Fridays in lent for Catholics . Our Church had an afternoon celebration of hte passion of Jesus, but I was not able to make it to that one. I went to a nearby Church where they had a 7pm offering. It was a beautiful and poignant event, with everyone getting to go up on the altar to kneel in veneration to Jesus on the cross.
Today we will probably complete the painting in the basement with 2 coats of finish paint ! Tomorrow we go to my in-laws for Easter .
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Good morning Ladies! I am back again after another 2 weeks since I posted ! Last weekend was one where I was busy and did not get around to writing . It looks like spring is here , but I am guarded with that word “looks” as you can never tell when your next snowfall will come in Minnesota. We did have a few skiffs of snow during the week but they went away quick. this morning it is just above freezing at 35F. Our grass is slowly turning to a shade of green from brown, yay!
Waiting for these beauties to show up !!
When I left off 2 weeks ago I had said I was going on Saturday with my son to his new sport trap shooting. They shoot what is called clay pigeons , little discs not the birds thankfully ! He has struggled in other sports but is really enjoying this one. I want the best for him. The mid week was busy with work and school for us . On last weekend , Saturday we had visitors in our old next door neighbors Paul , Patricia and their 4 kids, they are busy having the same number kids as us but their youngest is nearly 2 , so still in the busy stage. it was nice to see them again in a relaxed get together at our house. They liked our house so much that they are now looking to move close to us if the right house comes up! On Sunday we went to church and they had a nice pancake breakfast afterwards, we look forward to it! Our youngest had swim lessons in the afternoon. Monday morning came fast and another week ! There was not anything out of the ordinary that happened during the week. On Friday night we invited our friends Brian and Crystal over along with their kids for game night , we had a lot of fun, with the game spoons being the best , you have to be fast ! On Saturday(yesterday ) we started painting in our daughters new bedroom !! We got one coat on the ceiling and are going to apply a second one. We did not get too much paint time in as we we were also entertaining yesterday afternoon /evening! ( Seems we are becoming quite the hosts!) Chris, Jen and their kids came and also Eric , Sarah and their daughter visited. We had not seen them since early 2020 , after we were all robbed of friend time for the past 2 years , but everyone is getting back to normalcy Thank God ! We chatted , had some good food , and for the adults not driving home a glass of wine or beers for the guys! We also did some games , beanbags (cornhole) and other board games, the kids also got out on the trampoline as the weather was nice! They left around 9pm after a lovely time together!
Now you are up to date, I will finish our Las Vegas trip review ! On the Sunday morning we were there I woke before everyone and went on a early morning walk. It was pretty quiet on Las Vegas Boulevard .
It was a really nice day ! I got back to the hotel and got ready for Church. Went to a Lebanese Catholic Church nearby, it was slightly different but a lovely experience.
After some food and relaxation we took on the 90 minute journey south to Bullhead city Arizona to meet friends from Minnesota who were nearby. They were bringing their son to Arizona for a college tour and we arranged to both drive and meet in the middle ! We had lunch and chatted , then went to Scooters fun park where the kids did activities from batting cages to go carts and mini golf ! I played the mini golf too actually ! I was able to take this photo below of the beautiful sunset before we left to return to Vegas.
We got back to the hotel late , and were ready for sleep! On Monday we went to the strip area and Mandalay Bay. We walked around the grounds and some of the stores inside , then we went to the Irish restaurant I had been wanting to go to !! The food was very good , I also got to meet the Irish Bartender !
We came back to the hotel and relaxed in the pool and hot tub for the evening. The next and last day we went to Krispy Creme for some guilty pleasures , donuts !! We used to have one here but it closed a number of years ago. You can watch the doughnut making in progress but we just missed that part, next time ! I was able to capture the snow capped mountains in the distance from Krispy Kreme, just in case I was missing the snow from home!
It was then time to go back to the hotel and do a clean up and then eventually go to the airport. Of course there was some more window shopping to do!
That was our trip , I would definitely go back again in March to escape winter !
I started this post in the early morning and it is now early evening. We went to Palm Sunday Mass this morning it was a lovely poignant reading of the passion and Christ’s ultimate death on the cross for us.
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Good morning Ladies ! I have done it again missing out on my weekly post and recently I have just managed every two weeks . We are finally seeing spring temperatures during the day with a little freeze some nights. Our carpet of snow is now gone though !
When I left off 2 weeks ago I had told you about a family funeral coming up. Pete, who is my Grandpa through marriage passed away while we were in Vegas . It was hard on my father in law to be there when his Dad passed . But he got back home two days later and made the arrangements. So the funeral mass was celebrated last Saturday morning. It was a lovely send off with a nice homily on his life by the priest. He was a veteran of the armed forces and got a military send off with a 3 gun salute . The bugle sounded and it brought us to tears. We had lunch directly afterwards and then at 1:30pm we we drove 45 minutes west where he was buried in the cemetery his wife had been laid to rest in 18 months previous. It is the end of an era and that generation in our family . May God grant you eternal rest Pete.
We got home at 8pm after a long day travelling , a sad day for us left behind but a happy day for Pete , who is reunited with his loved ones in God’s Kingdom.
On Sunday there was church and then afterwards our youngest had swim lessons. He is doing really well. In the evening we had our friend Brandon , his Fiancé Josette and his daughter Maddi over for dinner and just to see each other after a long spell of busyness for us all. They are busy too with their wedding coming up in early May ! Looking forward to that! The work and school week started again and it was pretty standard . One of our sons celebrated his 9th birthday yesterday ! He is growing up so fast its hard to believe really. Myself and my oldest son are home this weekend . My sweetie went to Fargo with 3 of our kids for a get together with an old college roommate and to hang out with their family and kids. Our son has joined the local trap team and is excited to start today. I will go along and offer my support!
So now on to Las Vegas Part two !! I left off the last post with a look at the hotel and our suite , also a quick peek into the nearby casino. We stayed close by the hotel early in the day on Saturday and then late afternoon went to the downtown area . We first went and parked by the miracle mile shopping and dining mall. It was a really nice and vibrant area and of course I did some window shopping !
Then we went outside to see Vegas by night ! It was a great experience seeing all the casinos lights . We watched the Belagio water dance show where the fountains dance to lights and music . It was amazing. You can see a video here Belagio fountain
We got to see all the amazing buildings .
We completed the evening with dinner in the miracle mile mall . more to come in next post !
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Good morning Ladies !! it is a sunny Sunday morning here in Minnesota , 36f and getting up to 39 today. With daylight savings in the early hours of the morning we lost an hour and I am a bit slow in getting active ! I think evening church will be attended today!
from a few days ago
So now on to Las Vegas !! We left on Friday March 4th . We had dinner then drove to a park and ride place close to the airport and dropped off the car. Earlier in the day we brought our dog to a dogsitter through the rover app. She lives 10 minutes away and came highly recommended . We got to the airport at 7pm got checked in through security and met my in-laws by the departure gate. They have the timeshare in Las Vegas, or they can go to any major city in the states basically. It was so nice of them to invite us ! Our flight took off at 9’30 pm and was a pretty smooth trip to Vegas. . We gained 2 hrs heading west , Our flight got in at 11pm local time. We got our cases, and then waited for a shuttle bus to car rental. We got a nice vehicle to fit us all. I didn’t sign on to drive as I came back 2 days earlier than the rest of the family. We then drove and found a restaurant open as the kids were hungry! We ate and then headed to our hotel . We were there around 12. 15 am and were staying on the 9th floor of the Grandview hotel. After getting settled and unpacking a little , getting the kids to bed , we both were going to bed at 1:15am!!!
view from hotel window
The kids were awake early next morning , above is the first view we had from our hotel window. you can see the mountains in the background. In this hotel you go into your suite via a shared foyer using a keycard , then there is suite A and suite B . My in-laws were in A and the rest of us in B , except our 8 year old who wanted to stay with them !! We had the 2 suite doors open all during trip so people could easily go from one to the other.
Above are a few random photos from our suite we also had a stackable washer dryer which was nice ! In the photo looking towards the kitchen you can see the open suite door . On our first day there we took things easy . After breakfast we went to the swimming pool and hot tub pool . Then after some of the adults went over to the nearby Southpoint casino , it was a 5 minute walk away. I am not really a gambler but it was nice to walk around and see what people were doing at machines , and also the horse racing section .
I will continue our Vegas adventure next week. We had some sad news on the trip , the patriarch of the family Pete passed away at the age of 93 last Wednesday. He was so nice to me always , and on the weekend before our wedding him and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, it was the first event we did as we travelled for our wedding week. His funeral takes place Saturday. He is the last of the Great Grandparents , may he rest in peace.
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Good morning Ladies ! It is another cold morning here 1 degree as I look at my countertop thermometer . The week started so nice with Sunday being in the mid thirties, It felt really good with the sunshine! After that it all about wrapping up in layers as you went outside.
As I said last Sunday , we stayed at a hotel nearby as the kids were off on Monday for presidents day. We checked in at 3:30 pm and our rooms were poolside, meaning you just open a sliding door and and you can get right to the pool area in the middle of the hotel. The kids changed fast and were in the pool immediately ! There are kiddy splash pools , but we are now beyond that for our youngest now . He is in the big pool and loves the water like the rest of his siblings. There is a big slide that they went down and had fun with. I put on my suit as well and got wet too! I also spent a little time in the hot tub . At 6 we went to a nearby Perkins restaurant for dinner. They were so understaffed , The greeter Lady also had to clean tables to get people seated. I felt bad for her. But everyplace seems to be looking for staff in the catering business now. We had a nice meal when it did come out. We went back to the hotel and the kids got back in the pool, us adults just sat and watched them play this time.
On Monday morning it was an early check out as our son had a doctors appointment . It was a fun little getaway though ! The week went back to normal Tuesday with work and school. On Wednesday we got a few inches of snow , just to compliment the rest of our snow built up for the past few months ! Last night our son had a little playdate with his friend Amelia and she also brought some girl scout cookies that we purchased from her. They are very tasty and for a good cause.
We will be doing some final prep for our trip to Las Vegas this weekend ! We leave on Friday night and will arrive late , but I hope to be up early Saturday to see the place ! I am not sure if I will get to write a post but if not next week I will the following week.
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Have a beautiful weekend , hugs and best wishes, Terri xo.
Good morning Ladies from a sunny balmy Minnesota !! You heard right , it is 42 f right now and sunny and it feels amazing ! Lots will think I am crazy but when your body is climatized to sub zero temps this feels so good. Now where did i put that sun lotion ?!!
Last Sunday we had a nice relaxing day and then in the evening we tuned into the superbowl. I enjoyed it for the most part, The commercials were ok , half time show pretty good , and was an exciting finish with the Rams winning by one score to win the trophy. Monday came around fast and it was back to the grind! It was also Valentines day( or St. Valentines day as I first remember it being called ) A nice little picture below !
We stayed home and had a nice dinner with the whole family. Wednesday was church class night for the kids . There is always a bit of driving that night as they go at two different times , but that is ok. On Friday our daughter went to a friends for a sleepover. On Saturday my in-laws came and brought us sauer kraut and dumplings a German favorite, I have gotten used to it after marrying into a part German family ! My Father -in -law is really good at making them ! They stayed for a few hours and surprised the kids with a trip to Las Vegas over spring break! We knew about it already, but it was exciting for the kids . We go on March 4th and return March 10th ! It is a more family friendly place these days and I am interested to see it at first hand ! It will be good to experience different temperatures!
We are still working on our basement project , here are a few photos
bedroom
closet
Bathroom
The kids are off school tomorrow for presidents day and we are staying in a hotel for tonight with a swimming park that has some nice slides! We will be checking in at 3:30 this afternoon.
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Have a beautiful week ahead, talk to you next week, Terri xo.
Good morning Ladies ! You join me from another chilly Minnesota morning. it is -5f right now . Yesterday we woke up to rain and 36f. The rain is the worst this time of year , after its done it freezes and causes icy spots for driving in. It is better if it stays just under the freezing mark. We are promised a few days of cold weather going forward.
As I said last week I tested positive for Covid and had to isolate from the family. It was tough but we got through . On Monday I was able to go back to work and was advised to wear a mask for the week as I did . Even at home I stayed away for the most part from everyone just in case, I did not want to get anyone sick. Wednesday the kids were back in church class . As the week went on I was getting back to normal. I was just happy I didn’t get any adverse side effects.
On Friday night our daughter had a bunch of girlfriends over for a sleepover. I made them breakfast on Saturday morning before they went their separate ways. We worked on the basement yesterday, prepping the walls with sheetrock mud . It is a 3 part process so maybe will be ready in 2 weeks for paint! Today we went to church and later will watch the superbowl(I think ! ) I will let you know below which team I want to win!
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Good morning Ladies ! I am back again after another 2 week break . On Sunday January 23rd we went to late church . We were down one car as one was in the shop for repairs. On Tuesday the 25th I took our son to a doctor appointment to see how he was progressing with his boot after fracturing his shinbone in November. He got good news and was told he does not need it anymore and we walked out of the hospital with both shoes on !! As a treat we went to one of our favorite restaurants Perkins on the way home for lunch ! I spent the rest of the day doing jobs around the house. ( always stuff to do!)
The rest of the week went by quickly, it was nice when Friday came. On Saturday we worked on our basement bedroom / bathroom project. We added sound insulation in the floor between the upper level, and were ready to start sheetrocking! We borrowed a sheetrock lift which makes it easy to put it on the ceiling. You put the sheet on the platform and crank a wheel, magic ! On Sunday we went to normal morning church . It was a nice afternoon to relax . We did watch some football and the Chargers and Cincinnati made it to the superbowl.
On Monday it was another cold day , I think I am getting used to them now! It was back to the regular week. On Tuesday coming home from work I started to feel a little weak and got some chills. I stopped at target to pick up food for dinner and it continued . I came home and decided as a precaution to do a covid test . We have some in home testing kits. I went through all the steps and at the end it came back POSITIVE !! I could not believe it , but accepted the results. I isolated from the family after that and took the Wednesday , Thursday and Friday off work. When everyone was at work and school Wednesday I did some small chores but after a bit I was starting to feel weak again. I listened to my body and took it easy ! By Friday I was starting to come around again and got some things done. This weekend I have been hiding away with everyone at home ! I kind of feel guilty but it is necessary. This is the last day of isolation but I will try and be careful for the next few as well.
Please rate out of 10 this ruffle polka dot dress
Have a beautiful and healthy week ahead !!! Best wishes, Terri xo
Good morning Ladies ! I hope you are having a nice weekend where you are. It is relatively warm here today so far , 16f after having a few days in the past week down to minus 12 and a windchill too. The joys of Minnesota ! We also had a light snowshower last night.
Last Sunday we went to Church , and had a nice visiting priest , he was a little hard to understand but we did get what he was saying. Afterwards we had a nice time at home and then went to a local restaurant for dinner. The kids were off school Monday for MLK day. On Tuesday I was able to call my Mom and wish her a happy Birthday. She said ” I am getting on in years” but she is the one who always says your as young as you feel! I am hoping to see her in person this summer. On Tuesday morning I got the sad news that my Uncle , Aunts husband had passed away after a few years in declining health. He lived his life to the fullest, he was a chef who worked hard and also played hard in his freetime. He was always the life of the party and will be missed . I was able to talk to my Aunt over the phone that morning which was nice to comfort her. I watched the funeral mass online earlier today. May he rest in peace , a man of great faith . Wednesday and Thursday went by pretty much as normal. We did get a new heater installed in the garage Wednesday, which is nice , it works on a thermostat so can be set to turn off.
Today we have basement projects we will be working on in hopes to soon complete the bedroom and bathroom. The boys are going to go snowmobiling with friends of ours , all I can say is brrr!!
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Good morning Ladies ! I am back after a two week break. I got so busy last weekend I did not get time to write to you ! On the 3rd the kids went back to school after the Christmas break. I think they were all ready for it ! It was a very cold week ! On Friday it reached minus 16 f or minus 27c !! That morning i video messaged my cousin in Perth Australia to chat and tell him about the weather extremes! It was 97f (36c ) with him !! Just 113f difference! Saturday was a day of work around the house . We did a project in our sons room which I will take photos of later for you to see. In the evening we had our friends Brandon , his Fiance Josette and his daughter Maddi over for dinner and games. We ordered pizza and it was very good! During the evening they announced a date for their wedding !!! They will become husband and wife on May 7th and we are looking forward to it now. She has her dress picked out and had a lovely day finding it with her mom and sister.
On Sunday morning i woke up with an upset stomach. I stayed home from Church as a precaution and layed low for the rest of the day. It was a good decision and I kept away from everyone else. I was much better on Monday morning and was able to go to work. on Monday our oldest son had a choir concert at the high school. They all did really well for the hour we were there.
Wednesday evening the kids had church class . During class i stopped at a local store and bumped into my old neighbor Patricia ! She was so excited to see me and gave me a big hug right away ! She really misses our family next door , The new couple are nice but are busy with work a lot of the time. We agreed to have them over to visit one these upcoming weekends. I was glad when Friday came ! The two older kids had sleepovers that night at friends houses. We completed the project in our sons room last night! I was at the thrift store recently and had to take this cup home with me !
Please rate out of 10 this floral print crepe smocked dress, maybe for valentines day ! See here
Have a beautiful week ahead, A big shoutout to Kate who celebrated her birthday on January 10th and to My Mom who celebrates hers on the 18th . Take care, Terri xo.