Monday, January 4, 2016

Four Days of 2016

Hello there!  How is your year going so far?  We've had ourselves some snow and ice!  It began on the day after New Years - that icy cold snow that comes down in tiny flakes.  Then last night we heard little ice cubes hitting the roof and our glass skylights all night.  It's supposed to warm up later today and the sun is shining so I think it will be melting.  But school was closed today, much to our DIL Kristi's chagrin.  :-)


Do you see the little ice cubes sprinkled over the snow?


The pond and creek are iced over.. but the water is still flowing, thank goodness.



Here is the pond.. the fish seem to do fine under this!



See the frozen creek?



Simba is catching some sunshine.. see his ear on the left?  He had a run-in with something and it got chewed up pretty bad.  Poor guy.  It might be the black and white cat that has been trying to horn in on the food Kristi give's Simba.  Last night I asked her to take out some ham scraps for him and he loved it.



Kristi just told me that Simba was standing on a rock in the middle of the waterfall to drink the water there since his bowl had frozen up.  I quickly grabbed my camera to get this shot.  Dayle got all the shots above for me.


These are taken through the window so as not to frighten Simba.


Slurp slurp.



I got the second pair of pink booties done, now to make a blue pair for a co-worker of my son Travis whose wife just gave birth to their first child, a boy.  :-)



Our older son Shawn and his family had driven down to Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his wife's family - so we had a dinner and exchanged gifts on New Year's Day.  The boys were having a great time, our little guys love their older cousins a LOT.


My son announced to us that they are moving to California to be closer to Beth's family.  So, I guess 2 of my children and their families will be choosing to live close to their in-laws and far away.  I am glad that our youngest son's wife's parents live here.  I have to say I've been blue for days and it brought back the severe sadness that I experienced when my daughter moved across the country to Ohio and took my only two granddaughters away.  But I guess it's a fact of life and many people rarely see their children and grandchildren.  



On Sunday my wonderful sister Denise came to visit and brought the quilts she'd made for our grandsons - Caleb and Hayden.  Aren't they fun and bright?  She is so nice!



Denise and one of the quilts.. she loves sewing and making quilted things.  She might teach me how.  


After a nice cozy day by the fire yesterday we settled in to watch the first episode of Downton Abbey - the last season.  I'm so sad it will be over after a few short weeks.  Dang it.  



It started out with a fox hunt.. ohhh.. cool.. 


Yesterday we took the tree down and are packing up the other ornaments and decorations.  We took down the colored lights in the dining room but are leaving up the white fairy lights over the window to brighten up the long dark evenings.  Dayle started a fire to help warm the house and with it and the pellet fire stove we kept cozy.  



And so.. it goes.  As the world turns.. the ups, the downs.. life.  I hope your year is going well so far!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

20 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry to read that you son is moving away Teresa. Our Daisy is an hour and a half drive away and even that is too far for me. Stay strong for your darling ones who live with you. Keep snug it looks Sooo cold. Life certainly will be different this year. Hugs xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't have grandchildren yet but can imagine how sad I would be if I did and they moved far away. Hopefully that won't happen but they gotta do what they gotta do, right?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Teresa - I'm so sorry to hear that another of your children and so your grandchildren are moving so far away. My one son lives round the corner but the other is a two and a half to three hour car journey away which I know is nothing compared to distances between you and yours. I still find it hard that they are not around the corner as well, but we brought them up to be independent - but it is still soooooooooooo hard. I am sending you lots and lots of 'hugs' dear friend.
    \it looks very cold in your neck of the woods. As you know we've had so much rain - it is going a bit colder tonight though.
    Take care. Anne x

    ReplyDelete
  4. You shared some great photos and stories in this post, although I too am sad for you that more of your loved ones are moving away... I love seeing the beautiful quilts and booties Denise and you made as gifts! Our yard is coated in ice although Orient Drive is now just wet with a little slush. We still have an abandoned truck in our driveway. The UPS driver parked at the end of the driveway and hiked up on the ice to our door with a package! He deserves high praise! Hoping you and yours stay safe. xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Look on the bright side, now you & Dayle will have an excuse to travel to CA and Ohio more often. What pretty quilts Denise created. She sure is talented. Poor Simba having his food taken by the blk & wht cat. But in the end Simba make out getting ham pieces (smile).
    here in Portland we had tons of snow and then this morning everything was solid ice. Luckily it's beginning to warm up into the high 30's, so it will melt soon. The families in our neighborhood had a blast with their ski's & sleds up & down the street.
    Watched Downton Abbey last night and yes it's said that this is the last season. Hope they'll consider making a movie later. That would be so nice. BTW, I'm so happy for Carson & Mrs. Hughes and Anna & Bates.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Teresa, I'm so sorry that your son is moving away, I can imagine how hard it will be for you. It's looking very cosy in your living room with the lovely fire, I'm glad you're staying warm and snug. The ice cubes are amazing, I bet it's noisy when they land on the skylight though! Sending you a cyber hug, CJ xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh Teresa. You know how my grandma's heart breaks with you on the news of this move. I understand perfectly. Such is life. I guess there's nothing we can do, we just keep moving on. I enjoyed all your photos today... Simba in the water, the snow and the ice. We got about four more inches of snow overnight last night. But it's warmed up nicely this afternoon and some is melting away. Why I think we even reached freezing today for the first time in ages! Your booties are looking so sweet and the quilts that Denise made are just beautiful. Lucky boys! I will definitely be praying for you Teresa. Sometimes it's hard being a mama and grandma isn't it?
    Blessings my sweet Teresa,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  8. So sorry to hear your son and his family are moving away. I live far from my own parents and miss them each day. Prayers.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh Teresa....so sorry to hear your son is moving. I know how sad you must be.
    Poor Simba. Ouch. The snow and ice is so pretty, but I would want to be cozy inside by the fire.
    Love the quilts!!
    XO Kris

    ReplyDelete
  10. Such a shame that your son is moving away, such sad news, Perhaps make arrangements for a visit so that you have something to look forward to and spend some quality time with them. Beautiful quilts, loved the bright colours. The fire looks so warm and inviting with all the snow and ice around. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sorry to hear that your son is moving, I am sure that you will go and visit though, and have new adventures in a new place. I hope so anyway! I am glad that we don't have ice storms like that here, having experienced a few in the USA I can say that they are one thing I don't miss. Stay warm and safe. Hugs to you. xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm a cold weather wimp. My Colorado boy has been in California enjoying warmer weather for his winter break but it is the same weather we are having here and to me it feels cold. Usually more cold inside than out since we live in concrete with no insulation or heat. So glad you are taking care of Simba. I have an outside kitty that I've set up a box for with a towel and he sleeps here at night. When it is sunny, he sleeps on a shelf that is also draped with a towel. Sure is hard letting our kids go, no matter their age. I'm worried about my youngest heading off to college this year. He's not as independent as his brother. Everything is in constant change that's for sure. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hello my dear Teresa and Dayle, so sorry to hear of your son, daughter in law and two grandsons moving, I feel your sadness. I am so thrilled for you that Hayden and Caleb was with you and what sweet boys they are!!!!! All my kids are 2.5 hours away and I am the one who moved for job reasons, so I know the pain, not as far by any means, but not around the corner. Life is ever changing, I guess we all have to make the best of it.....sending hugs to all of you, xoxoRobin
    Maybe you can plan a few trips?! Lots of love, Robin

    ReplyDelete
  14. Can you get a credit card and earn some air miles whenever you shop so you can visit your daughter and son in law regularly? It's a shame not to see the children grow up on a weekly basis, but like you say so many do not these busy days. It might be a good chance for some road trips down to Cal in the RV?

    I hope Simba's bowl is ice free every day, poor old thing...I don't envy his outdoors life, but he is very lucky to have you.

    Happy New Year xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love your new header. SO pretty. I LOVE the quilts . What great gifts!
    Im always a bit sad about AL living in Virginia. I GET YOUR PAIN. I do.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hello Teresa, I so enjoyed seeing your beautiful photos of winter; especially those of adorable Simba. It's sad to read that your son is moving away. After our daughter and son-in-law moved to California and had their first child, we decided to move down here to be close to the grandchildren. But, my son is not near so I understand how you miss your children. Hopefully you can visit them often. We are experiencing the first big storm of the season and the rain really came down in sheets today. It's OK since we need this rain. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week and keep warm :) hugs, Pat

    ReplyDelete
  17. I know you must be sad that your son is moving. Our kids are only a few hours away, so we are lucky so far. We had a lot of ice, too. Ours came in the form of sleet that fell all day. We wound up with a couple of inches of frozen, slushy stuff that soon turned into all frozen. That's winter in the Midwest. Great quilts, so bright and fun.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I am so sorry Teresa, I know you love having those boys as close as they are, did your son find another job in California? I can only imagine how sad you are. I am sending you a really big hug in hopes that it helps.
    Meredith

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Teresa, it was fun to see your wintry photos. I'm sorry to hear that your son is moving away. But it will be really nice for you to have a place to visit in California, it's a good place for vacations. I know you'll make the time to have a close relationship no matter how far apart you are. It means a lot to me, as a person whose parents can hardly be bothered to stay in contact with her, that you care to maintain your ties with your kids and grandkids. I hope you're having a good week so far.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh gosh Teresa hugs and more hugs just catching up here as been off the grid.....thank goodness your other son and that dear dil are staying around ♥ I also must say that seeing those icy snaps sure cooled me down here while experiencing bloody hot weather lol xoxoxoxo

    ReplyDelete

I absolutely love comments and thank you so much for taking time to leave me a note. :-)