A new year..... a new decade.

Well today is New Year's Eve..... and since Christmas day it's been a bit quiet.  Gifts were exchanged with neighbors, our neighbors are selling their house, the family is back in Iowa.  Rich has been working in the yard power washing ( the driveway is the only thing left) and spraying the deck and boathouse with wet n forget. I've been taking down both the trees, and all the Christmas decorations and the house is back to normal.  No big celebration tonight - it's just the two of us..... enjoying Ravioli w/meatballs and garlic bread for dinner...... along with a beverage ( root beer for Rich..... gin and tonic for me)

But we both are enjoying..... and love our Christmas presents.  The hummingbird feeder is out, and the hummingbirds are starting to stop for a drink.  I love my new watch ( but needs to be taken to the jeweler for a couple of extra links) and my new cookware set!  Rich as made the rounds visiting friends with his new "Crappie Attitude" t-shirt, and really likes his new mouse pad, with some of his big catches at Black Lake, and his new 2020 dog calendar.

Starting to make plans for traveling in 2020. Dennis will be visiting again in February for 3 or 4 days and celebrating his Dad's birthday.   Then in May will be a trip to Iowa for our grandson's graduation from University of Iowa.... and from there to Black Lake for 6 or 7 weeks...........Hoping to spend some time with my brother in NY and then stopping in Pennsylvania to visit our friends Dieter and Helen. 

So to prepare for all that..........it's time, once again to get back to exercising and walking and taking off some lbs.! 

Dennis and the kids took off to SanDiego this past week to attend the Holiday Bowl. ( Iowa Hawkeyes/ San Diego), and before heading back home spend the day at the SanDiego Zoo.  Hawkeyes Won!!!!   49-24!!!

Been thinking and talking about selling..... and moving to a 55+ community.... where we don't have all the yard work to take care of.............Nothing definite yet........ but have to admit it sounds good to me. 

Wishing all our family and friends a Happy, Healthy and Blessed New Year!

Christmas Day.... Santa was very good to us this year!

Christmas day was really pretty quiet..........   I was up early, about 6:00, and Rich  a little bit later.  Up, yes......but not awake, so we had to wait for the coffee to kick in before the fun could begin.

Picture below shows the tree first thing in the morning,  All the presents and stocking now under the tree wrapped and then unwrapped.... and the ham, scalloped/au-gratin potatoes, green bean casserole and banana bread for dinner.

And yes Santa was very generous this year....I got new set of cookware AND a new large fry pan, cookie sheet, cutting board, measuring spoons and cup, a humming bird, a watch and several stocking stuffers.   Rich got a new Stanley 2 cup thermos, wall calendar, 2 year calendar, a mouse pad with pictures  of his big fish catches...a couple pair of sorts, and a "Crappie Attitude" t-shirt, lots of candy (dark chocolate, white chocolate, Raspberry/Chocolate, Chocolate covered cherries...and lots of stocking stuffers.  And pictures , cookies, coffee, breads and gift cards from family and neighbors.  Of course the big present to each of us this year was the visit with Dennis & Crystal, and of course the bathroom remodel. We certainly are very very blessed!

Facebook was pretty busy today too.  I got pretty sentimental....because my brother Dave is alone every year for Christmas. ( well he has his dog, Jake). So I got an old picture out of him and I when we were very  very young sitting in front of the Christmas tree........and left him a message that one of these years we were going to get another picture of the two of us sitting in front of the tree.!

Picture below shows that picture, along with a family photo of Dennis,Crystal, Dalton and Chauna - that they posted on Facebook.... and Dave put a picture of the Christmas gift me gave him.......with a note that said " My sister Donna always gets me the neatest Christmas presents Thank you. I love it."  He and Jake do a lot of hiking.....and he takes some awesome pictures.....This year he got a photo album. 

Yes - it's been a very good year.........despite the medical issues, it was a great year, that went by way too fast.  Heard to believe it's almost 2020!

One more day....

Well, the past several days have been busy.... last minute shopping, and last minute wrapping, planning the Christmas day menu (and grocery shopping).....

Been mostly left over's,  meatloaf and tuna noodle casserole.... but Rich cook some Chicken K-Bobs on the grill the other day.........and he's got about 3/4 of the power washing done.

On Sunday - I had to make another batch of peanut butter fudge, and a loaf of Banana bread, and Monday morning, Rich made his 3 Christmas pumpkin pies!  Phil & Dorene stopped by and we exchanged Christmas gifts.... and then I delivered gifts to Jim & Patty, John & Diane, and our newest neighbors, Bill & Elaine..... and Rich took a plate of goodies to Tom and Mike (who spend the winter here in Lake Placid, fishing!!

 Now just one more sleep.... tonight is Christmas Eve 2019.  Nothing fancy planned for today..... and no celebrations.  The best part of our Christmas was having Dennis and Crystal here........and maybe one year the whole family can be together.

Presents are wrapped and under the tree, the stockings are hung....... and now we wait for Santa to do his magic!

But while we celebrate.................let's not forget the REAL meaning of Christmas...........to celebrate Christ's birth.  Wishing everyone a Merry and Blessed Christmas.

Dennis & Crystal Visit

Dennis & Crystal arrived in Florida from Davenport, Iowa on Sunday.  While Dennis has been able to make the trip here several times,  Crystal has not been able to get the time of from work..... so we've missed seeing her.  So the week long trip this time was primarily for her to be able to spend time with her family, who live in the Lakeland, Fl area. 

So they flew into Orlando, and spent Sunday and Monday in Lakeland, then drove here to spend time with us, and on Wednesday headed for Land O Lakes to spend the day with Dennis' step-dad and sister, back to visiting Crystal's family and then heading back to Iowa on Saturday morning.

Some pictures of their time here with us and dinner on Tuesday at Dock 633 here  on the lake.  Fun time, lots of laughing, a few adult beverages, and a good time at dinner.  Had to get a picture of that HUGE sandwich that Dennis selected. A Giant Burgger with lettuce, tomato and mustard between TWO grilled cheese sandwiches and fries!!!!  A few pictures taken at dinner.... and the rest at the house.  Hated to see them leave, but we'll see Dennis again in February for 3 or 4 days, and then we'll see them AND the kids in May when we head to Iowa for our grand-sons graduation from University of Iowa.

A little bit of something different for dinner tonight.... We fixed waffles topped with blueberries and whip cream, with a side of sausage!   It was really pretty good!

And finally one last picture of the bathroom remodel.... A before and after photo.  And I just love the shelves that Rich made for me ......

Things are looking good... shopping done, bathroom done, ready for Christmas

Can't believe it's almost the end of another year..........Time sure does fly!

So not sure what's going on with the weather though.....Here in Florida, it just can not quite figure out what "Fall" and "Winter" really are.   We've had some cool days..... and then, like today, back in the 80's.  Dry for a while and now it's back to rain.  Sunshine..... foggy mornings, Iguana's on the dock.......power washing and cleaning outside.....yesterday was the back lanai.

Got a lot of baking done this past week.  Rich did up a pretty good batch of potato candy earlier and then I spent two days pretty much in the kitchen.  Day one was Oatmeal cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Fudge w/ walnuts.  And then made a Ham/Macaroni/Cheese casserole for dinner.
 Day two was Peanut Butter Cookies, Peanut Butter Fudge.

And while I was cooking and baking...Rich was finishing up in the bathroom, building the shelf for the bathroom, and repainting my desk chair..... All of this called for a cold adult beverage and homemade Pizza...Rich opted for the Eggnog with a shot of Cinnamon Whiskey, and I had a Gin and Tonic.

And now we're sitting here waiting for Dennis and Crystal to arrive.  Flew in from Iowa to surprise Crystal's mom for her birthday..... and just stopping by here for the day before they spend a couple more days with her family.  Treasure every minute we get to spend with them.  Dennis will be back in February.... and we'll be in Iowa in May!

It's beginning to look a lot like Xmas....

Of course it has been leftovers, leftovers, and more leftovers from Thanksgiving....So several meals have been Turkey, Hot Turkey Sandwiches, Cold Turkey Sandwiches.....and filling in with stuffing, sweet potatoes and green bean casserole!     I do love Thanksgiving and Turkey..... but it will NOT be Turkey for Christmas OR New Years Day dinner.... for sure.

And so we've started getting the Christmas decorations out.  We are so excited that our son Dennis, and wife, Crystal are visiting for a few days this month.  They won't be staying for the Christmas Holiday.....but with having to visit family members in Land-O-Lakes, and Lakeland......They will be back home in Iowa to celebrate the holiday with the kids.

So.... I actually put up TWO trees this year.  The bigger one in the living room, and a table top tree in the family room.  A few other minor displays on the mantel, the office desk, the table settings and center pieces.....the plants and ribbons on the porch.  I still need to pick up a wreath hanger so I can put the wreath on the front door.

Most of the Christmas shopping is done.  One more to order for Rich's brother Bob.... and I still have a few little things to pick up for Rich.  Finished writing up all the Christmas Cards today and watered the poinsettias on the porch.

We did get back to cooking and baking this past week.  I made a big pot of Chicken Noodle soup (no picture!), a peanut butter pie for Rich, and a big dish of Lasagna, which we will probably share with the neighbors, John & Dianne.  We'll never finish the whole dish ourselves.

The bathroom is pretty much finished, but I have ordered a chocolate brown soap dispenser, and tooth brush dish.  And Rich is in the process of making me a decorative shelf for the wall behind the toilet.  And then I have a couple of wall hangings to get up. 

Today we did some cleaning outside, mostly just with the hose and Clorox! Rich will be spraying the dock area a few other places with Wet N Forget to get rid of the mold after the rainy season.  And within the next week, it will be the power washer for the drive and sidewalks.

Had plans to have Miss Ava ( our friends dog) visit for a week, but as it turned out, it's the same week that Dennis and Crystal arrive.  So we probably will not see Nathan and Krystal again until after Christmas.  But on Tuesday we'll meet up with Buddy and Dianne at Hibachi for our last 2019 dinner out!

Still thinking seriously of hosting a New Year's Day get together here at the house.... and that will give our neighbors a chance to meet our two newest neighbors!  We'll see.

Thanksgiving with Friends

Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving with special friends.  Actually this has become somewhat of a yearly tradition....and so it's day we look forward to.

But the preparations began about a week ago with the customary grocery shopping, especially that Turkey that needs time in fridge to thaw!  And then Tuesday, was dessert preparation day.  I made up a batch of peanut butter cups, knowing that Krystal could not eat pie.... and, of course Rich made his pumpkin pie!  And by Wednesday evening there was one lone piece left..... ( I had one small piece, and Rich finished the first pie Thursday for lunch)

Nathan and Krystal arrived first on Thanksgiving Day along with Miss Ava!  And they brought Rich and I a HUGE bottle of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey..... along with a bottle of cream soda.  The drinks were excellent...... I had TWO!  Buddy and Dianne arrived about a half hour later (and the ramp that Rich put together worked perfectly for Dianne).... and the chatter, conversation, laughter, picture taking and getting ready to eat began.  Ava kept here eye on what was going on in the kitchen... patiently waiting for Rich to drop a piece of the turkey he was carving.

The menu included: Turkey (of course) Herb stuffing (in the bird) and Sausage stuffing (in the oven),Mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce,  Buddy & Dianne brought the Green Bean Casserole, dinner rolls and pumpkin bread, and Nathan and Krystal brought the Sweet Potato Casserole, Corn and Cinnamon cake/rolls for dessert.  Buddy gave thanks....and needless to say........everything was delicious!

Dennis called early afternoon.  The family usually goes to friends home for Thanksgiving. But Dennis has been under the weather, and not feeling well, so he decided to stay home rest and take a nap.  As did the two dogs, Laia and Zoey.  They joined Dennis on the couch!😊

Staying home for Black Friday.........probably do some Christmas Shopping on line today................OR, maybe I get started on Christmas decorations......

Time flies~ This week went by so fast

It's been a good and a bad week......I had been prescribed Omeprozole, and Ranitidine for my Barrett's Esophagus  As you probably heard, Zantac has been pulled from shelves.  Ranitidine is the generic prescription for Zantac..... so obviously, I had to stop taking it.  They replaced it with Fomitidine, which is not working.  I'm experiencing, again the bad symptoms (chest pain, stomach aches, etc.) but what is worse is that it makes me so very tired, and irritable!  So it's back to the Doctor on Tuesday.

What's that saying?  It's a bitch getting old?  Between working on the bathroom, the boat and dock, and the yard work we both have aches and pains:  my shoulder, and back.... Rich's back and knee..... UGH! 

We have not had the boat out since we came back from NY in August.... so it, and the dock was really in need of some cleaning.  I had to chuckle watching the White Ibis strut across the yard.. while Rich is so focused on his chore that he doesn't even notice.    A little later in the day... the Ibis was on the front hedge at the front window.

AND  as I was taking the picture.... with the screen door open.......... one of the black snakes made his way into the lanai!!!   Rich has been exceptionally busy - not just the boat, but yard work and above he's sealing the sliders.  And the last two pictures are a make/shift ramp for Dianne. Since she is unable to walk.... we need to get her and the wheelchair in the house on Thanksgiving Day.   And of course - he had to get the snake out of the lanai!😄

Moving right along on the bathroom remodel

Well the bathroom remodel is moving along.   On Tuesday the 11th, the plumber (from C&C Plumbing) arrived............an hour late!!!   He dug up a whole lot of dirt....  removed the existing water closet and install a new one, installed the shower valve in the wall, and installed a new  P-trap in the floor and moved the drain line.  He also removed  the old blue toilet and installed the new one.   Rich was not real impressed with his work....... very very very slow, put a few nicks in the tile floor.... etc. etc. and was here for better than 4 hours.  And so Rich has been pretty much finishing up the rest of the plumbing himself. 

The guys from Marlin Marble had planned on coming back to work on Tuesday,  but because the plumber  didn't finish up until mid afternoon, they rescheduled for Wednesday morning.   These guys don't wast any time.  They finished up the  shower drain and put in the shower pan, put up the wall board to support the marble..... and then did some work out front to get the vanity top to fit properly.

.
They were back again on Thursday to finish up, installing the marble in the shower, along with the top trim, window trim, and installing the safety bar.  They also finished the installation of the vanity top.  They finished up mid afternoon, so Rich did the installation of the shower head and shower knob. And over the weekend he got the towel bars and toilet paper holder installed as well as getting the huge mirror and overhead lights back in place.  Also got all the wall painting done.

Early this week he started to get the plumbing finished for the vanity, and installing the new faucet.  And yesterday Cesar, from Marlin Marble installed the new vanity doors and handles.  I had ordered a shower curtain, and rug, on line.....but neither Rich nor I were pleased with the quality or the color, so today we returned them..... and I'll need to go shopping real soon! 

Of course - we still find time to work in the kitchen, cook on the grill, and make some of our favorite dishes.  This  past week we did the meatball subs, Stromboli  again ( it was excellent) and on Thursday did some Chicken K-Bobs on the grill, with some roasted baby potatoes.

And of course on the 11th, we observed Veteran's Day....  Had to share this, as we are so very very proud of our son Dennis.  This is what he shared on Veterans day.

"I am a Veteran, and a Veteran is someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to & including their life... right out of High School to present. (Army Retired. Military Police... 21 yrs Active Duty Army & currently on 11 yrs as a Department of the Army Civilian) .. God Bless America, my brothers & sisters, family & friends, All Veterans & their Families & those that support them!" 🇺🇸

Next big day coming up is Thanksgiving......and our good friends, the Showalters and the Douglas' will be joining us for dinner at our home.  Dianne is not able to walk at all now.  So Rich is making a ramp, so that Buddy can get her wheelchair in up the landing step and the door step.  Once inside we'll not have a problem.  And of course Nate and Krystal is bringing Miss Ava, so we can get our dog fix!! Should be a fun day...

Bathroom demolition/remodel underway...

Pretty quiet week..... Rich had to go in for his yearly colonoscopy at Advent Health in Sebring, and all went well. This time he got the OK to extent the next one for TWO years.    I have ONE MORE DAY of eye drops....... finally!!!

Continuing to work on Christmas Gifts for everyone......... and it's going pretty well.  A couple of items have already arrived in the mail......and a couple more should be arriving in a couple of days.

Today the crew from Marlin Marble arrived to begin the tear out in the guest bathroom.  Rich has been busy taking down towel holders, doing some wall repair, and yesterday disconnected the sink....  The guys arrived just after 8:00 this morning and wasted no time getting started.  About thee hours later they finished what they could.  Tomorrow morning the plumber will be here, and when finished, the guys from Marlin will be back with the vanity top, and begin the shower area.   Some pictures from today.  Really hard working, friendly crew!

Another trip into Sebring on Saturday afternoon, so we stopped at Hibachi for an early dinner. Been doin' a lot of cooking and baking... but forget to get the camera out for the mac n cheese, or the meatloaf, or the burgers and the excellent peanut butter pie!!!  But I remembered today to take one of the Chicken Chili, and the peanut butter cups.