I have to be honest & say that I am ready for 2012 to be over & just pray that 2013 is a happy, HEALTHY New Year!

Here’s a bit of trivia for you…2013 is the first year since 1987 to have 4 different numbers…pretty interesting, huh!

I have spent the last 2 days taking down the Christmas decorations & getting the house back in order!  I remembered why it was that we had quit buying a real tree when I took this one down. What a mess! lol..but it was still worth it. I am thinking we will do the real one again next year.

We had a nice Christmas. It was fun having hubby around for 4 days. We didn’t even really do anything, just was lazy & played here at home, but it was nice. Now doing the same thing during this 4 day holiday.

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas holiday..

Miss Pepper loved sleeping under the tree!  Lori looking cute(r) with her knit headband from her Aunt & Uncle!

me & hubby with our loot! lol..my big gift was an upgrade on my point & shoot camera..hubby’s was a Samsung note 2 tablet.

Our Christmas celebration with Lori & her boyfriend, Craig.

Hubby showing off the cup I got him from Uncommon Goods. lol…it has a place (the mouth) that you can put cookies or a bagle or whatever & then it holds either a hot or cold drink.
My 2 fur babies..it is still so sad without Big Red around.

 

Reflections…

On this final day of the year, I must honestly say that I am relieved that a new one is about to begin.
2012 started with receiving the diagnosis of my MIL, hearing about & then watching her decline, although she put up a strong fight! Our family lost a wonderful woman in July.
My father was diagnosed with Colon Cancer in August, had surgery in September, followed my some scary complications, but thank God, is still with us & doing well!
I spent time away from home helping to care for both, my MIL & my father (and mother) and must say that I am so fortunate to have been able to. I wouldn’t trad that time for anything in the world, even though it was some of the hardest of times.
I became closer to some family members, and was also reunited with others.
The final month started with us losing our fur baby..1 of our 3 cats that we have had since they were born. He was 14 1/2 years old & I still find myself missing him each day.
The year has not been all bad of course. I have a wonderful life with blessings that I do count every day. I am married to the most wonderful man who is a hard worker & my best friend. I have a beautiful daughter (inside & out) who I am so proud of & enjoy seeing her life blossom.

I want to wish all of you a very happy & most importantly, a very healthy New Year!

Hmmm..my last post was from Thanksgiving! yikes…my bad!

Here is a quick catch up of my month of December…

We usually (the last many years..) have used an artificial Christmas tree, but this year we decided we would get a real tree & actually go to a tree farm to get it!

 

a glimpse around the house….

  

 
I made ornaments this year using wine corks! It was so much fun.

 

Baking! only a few pictures of some of the goodies I made up. The peppermint hearts were a first this year. I found the idea on Pinterest! Loved them. First you lay 2 mini candy canes to form a heart, then drizzle a thin layer of white chocolate, then a layer of chocolate, then sprinkles! So cute & so easy. I did some alternate ones too, starting with the dark chocolate & ended with the white chocolate on top. they look so cute in the goody baskets that I make up. The middle picture is the M&M bark & the 3rd picture are the rum cakes…mmmm…to die for!

 

December 9th, we finally got snow!

 

We ended up with about 18″

This was the next day…a beautiful start to the day… well, except for hubby who had to get out & plow the driveway, which ended up taking close to 3 hours!

It made for some fun photo ops!

 

Friday night, 12/14 was date night for hubby & I. We went out to one of our favorite restaurants & then afterwards drove through my favorite park that has a Christmas light display…

These next 2 are my fun with lights “artsy” shots!

 

1 of our 3 cats, Big Red ended up starting to lose a lot of weight & was having trouble breathing. I took him in to the vet at the end of November. First diagnosis was Diabetes. We had to give him insulin shots twice a day & then was suppose to bring him back in 7-10 days to see about readjusting his insulin. Daughter & I brought him  back in on 12/10. He was actually acting strange that morning. They ended up having to put him on oxygen at the vet & we also found out that he was full of cancer. He only had 1 small portion of 1 lung that was not affected, which was why he was having so much trouble breathing. The doctor told us he wouldn’t make it long at all once the oxygen was taken off. He suggested that we put him to sleep. Me, hubby & daughter all met up at the clinic that afternoon & said our goodbyes. He literally died in daughters arms with me & hubby on each side.
It was so hard & so sad for all of us. He was 14 1/2 years old. We had him from day 1… we bottle fed him. He was a part of our family. He is greatly missed.

 

I received my photo back from the Chippewa County Tourism department. This was one that won & was in the 2012 tourism magazine & hung throughout the area. They had it matted & framed. It made a nice Christmas present for the family who I photographed!

This next one was an honorable mention & was also in the magazine, but didn’t get matted & framed. I did end up buying a frame for it.

 

I also had 2 photos that were finalists in a new restaurant that opened in Eau Claire. They wanted entries for people & places in the area. I got 2 $25.00 gift cards for those! Fun!!

 

 

my parents sent us this yummy gift basket & also another gift box with sausages & cheese.

 

Gifts from my brother & his family…Twilight Woods lotion & bubble bath, a really neat necklace & earrings, a gorgeous tri wrap watch, a beautiful glass bottle stopper & 3 yummy smelling candles from Bath & Body Works.  Loved them all!!!

 

Lobster Gram! OMG…what a great gift! It included 2 live Maine Lobsters, 2 lbs. of fresh littleneck clams, New England Clam Chowder,oyster crackers, 2 servings of new potatoes & corn on the cob. Even had a lemon, clarified butter, 2 shell crackers & seafood forks, lobster bibs & moist towelettes!  How fun & how delicious!!!  A vendor that hubby does business with sent this to us. I will definitely keep them in mind for future gifts. This dinner for 2 was only $99.95..not sure how much the shipping was.

 

Daughter had my old 2000 Taurus. It was in & out of the shop & had well over 100,000 miles on it. Hubby decided he wanted to one more big thing for his baby girl….

So he bought her a 2012 Mazda 3! Nice! She of course, was thrilled to death. Best Christmas present ever!

 

We went to her boyfriend’s “end of the world/30th birthday party” this past Friday night 12/21/12…it was fun. They went to Green Bay for the weekend. They got to go to the Packers game yesterday! *jealous*!

They are going to his mother’s today & his dad’s tomorrow, so hubby & I are spending the holidays with just each other. Enjoying some quiet time together. Daughter has to work on Wed. so we will celebrate Christmas with them on Thursday evening.  I remember those days when we would have to travel to all of the relative’s houses. Even though we are missing our family right now, it is also nice to be able to just relax & enjoy the quiet!

Wishing you all a safe & Merry Christmas.

 

Our Thanksgiving was small & laid back. It was just so nice to have my tiny family together, plus one…(daughter’s bf)

I have to say though, watching the Macy’s Day Parade was just not the same being home alone! (Hubby was at deer camp…daughter doesn’t live with us any more)
It use to be a family affair….sausage balls & the parade. Then it turned into an “us girls” event as hubby doesn’t get into parades much! lol..
Even last year, daughter was already moved out, but she came over & we had our tradition. But not this year. *sigh….I am so happy that I raised her well & that she is on her own, but oh my…
holidays are just not the same!

I am also very disappointed that I only got one picture from yesterday. I told everyone first thing that I wanted a group picture, a family picture, and couples…the other 3 party poopers all rolled their eyes & muttered something under their breath.  I of course was busy in the kitchen…when the food was done, we all had to eat…I knew where this was going to lead…if I didn’t grab my camera now, I wouldn’t get any pictures…so here it is …the only 1 to mark my Thanksgiving 2012…(and forget me asking them to look at me & smile…I just had to point & shoot. Although, daughter being the drama queen that she is actually did both!)

Hubby headed back to deer camp around 5:00 this morning. He will be home Sunday night. So far nobody has gotten anything. We did have a cold front & snow come in overnight, so we were hoping that would get the deer moving.

My day today was a nice lazy one. I spent a lot of time on the computer. I did some on-line shopping & browsing. Caught up on blogs & emails & FB since I wasn’t online yesterday. Also did a bit of crafting.

Now I believe it is time to go & pour a glass of wine & catch up on the news.

 

 

Just wanted to stop in & wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving. Most of us will not be on the computer tomorrow, so I best say it now!

Hubby is at deer camp, but will come home tomorrow afternoon. Daughter & her boyfriend will also come over! Our family is small, but I am thankful that we will be together tomorrow.
I do miss living close to our relatives & being able to get together with them during the holidays.  I am thankful that my brother & his family will have my parents over to their home.

We have been blessed with mild weather here for the month of November. Tomorrow is suppose to be in the upper 50′s, but then we do have a front coming in tomorrow night & with it, much cooler temperatures & chances of some snow.

I hope you all have a day surrounded by family, friends, laughter & good times. If you are traveling, I wish you safe travels.

   

We had our first snow for the season today. It came down pretty good for a while & actually stuck except on the pavement.

Of course, all of the animals came out ….

   

 I just stayed in & turned on the fireplace & did some crafting & took it easy.  I am coming down with a cold & so I used the weather as an extra excuse to be lazy!
I took some ground venison out of the freezer & will make chili for dinner. I also took a pheasant out of the freezer to cook for dinner tomorrow night. (hubby went pheasant hunting in South Dakota a couple of weeks ago & brought home 7!) Then by the time the weather warms up again on Thursday, I will go to the grocery store

I am so glad that this election is just about over with. I went & voted early last week hoping that the 5 to 7 a day average political phone calls we were getting would stop. That didn’t happen!

 

 

 

 

I had an e-mail from an old Xanga friend who asked if something had happened to my dad.  She saw the last post that I had done was on the day of his surgery & then nothing else since then.
I felt so bad! My dad is fine..he actually ended up with a much longer hospital stay the first time around after the surgery & then ended up with several complications after being home for a week & ended up back in the hospital for a 2nd time. I was doing daily updates on my Facebook as most my friends & family are there now & I never thought, much less had a chance to update over here at Xanga.  I apologize for that. I ended up cancelling my flight home 2 different times & actually flew from Texas on into Tulsa  the last weekend of September as we had that award ceremony for the family to attend on October 1. So hubby drove down by himself & then I met up with him there.

I will have to be honest & say that I will be so happy for this year to just be over with. Which speaking of…it almost is! Can’t believe it really, but I am so ready to put it behind me & hope that 2013 is better.

I’ve been thinking of just closing down my site over here, but then I look at all that I have over here & think that I will leave it…at least for now. If for nothing else, a lot of people do still come over here to get a recipe! lol..

I am typing this on my phone & already was 1/2 way through with a post & have no idea what happened to it. This will not be as detailed.
My dad had the surgery yesterday. The official name of the procedure was called Extended Right Colectomy.
The tumor was the size of a lemon they said.
We will have the results back on that next week to see if he will need Chemo or any further treatment.
The surgery went well & he is doing good. He is still in ICU tonight. He may be moved sometime tomorrow to a regular room.
I am so glad to be here to be able to help not only him, but my mom also.

3 day weekend with hubby!! Not much at all planned though. We will go fishing tomorrow! Yay!!!

I travel on Tuesday. My dad checks in to the hospital on Wed. & his surgery is scheduled for Thursday.
My mom & I will share a hotel room & stay in Shreveport until he is released from the hospital & then I will drive them home & stay with them while dad is recuperating. I do have reservations made to travel back home on the 15th as long as all goes well.  Thoughts & prayers will be appreciated.

I am hoping to have a lot of time on my hands & if I have internet connections, I hope to catch up with everyone over here.

I hope you all enjoy your long weekend.

Thank you all for your comments & support. I really appreciate it.

 

My mom told be back a couple of years ago when I turned 50 that she really hoped I had better times in my 50′s than she did in hers. She said her 40′s were her best years & her 50′s sucked. Well mama, I’m afraid that I take after you. So far my 50′s have sucked. This year has been the worst year for several different reasons. But I can only pull myself up by my bootstraps & jump back on my horse & hope for a better ride….

I actually got to go & see my mom & my dad recently. Unfortunately it wasn’t a planned trip or one to be excited over. I jumped on a plane the morning after hearing that the mass that was found in my dad from his colonoscopy was cancer.  All that I knew was that I had to be there for both of them during his surgery, hospital stay & recovery. I knew that cancer was in him & that the doctor would surely go right in & get it out. Hmmph..NOT!  Because of his congestive heart failure & sleep apnea, the surgeon said he would need clearance from his primary care physician first.  There was other prepping that needed to be done, one of which is getting him off of certain medications.  Oh well….I got to spend 4 days with them before flying back home. Now I am waiting to hear from them any minute as to when the surgery will be scheduled & I will go right back down there again.

Prior to getting this news though, my brother & his family finally made the trip up to visit us for the first time since we moved to Wisconsin.  We picked them up at the Minneapolis airport & took our almost 11 year old niece to the amusement park inside of Mall of America before coming on back home. Daughter also came with us as she was off of work & loves to ride the rides! Well, this 10 year old going on 11 is as tall as I am! Check out these 2 pictures of her & my 22 year old daughter!

  

 

I also have pictures back from when we were in Tulsa that were taken before the Memorial Service.

me & hubby

I love this one of daughter & hubby!

Daughter & me

 

Hubby & I will be back in Tulsa the first of October to attend the 2012 Tulsa Hall of Fame.

EDIT:    The Hall of Fame is put on by the Tulsa Historical Society each year & awards past or present people who have made a difference to the city. Here is a link to this years event & the inductees (one of them being my MIL who just recently passed away)  http://www.tulsahistory.org/recognition/hall-of-fame/

 

 

No matter how bad things are…just remember “this too shall pass”

and after every storm, comes the calm

or in this instance, a rainbow!

 

   

Jean B. McGill

 

BY Staff Reports Sunday, July 22, 2012 7/22/2012 5:42:56 AM

 

June 15, 1941 – July 20, 2012 Born June 15, 1941
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Jean McGill was a life-long Oklahoman even
though she spent much of her career traveling outside of the state. Jean
was the second of two children born to William C. Bonney and Wilma
Grace Bonney. Jean graduated from Classen High School in Oklahoma City
and the University of Oklahoma, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree
in Business Management. Jean married William Noble following graduation
and they had two children: Susie Noble McRight and Scott Allen Noble.
The couple settled in Tulsa, Oklahoma, bought Builders’ Steel Company in
1974, and built it into a successful steel fabrication company. Jean
married Jim Mc- Gill in 1992 and they collectively claim four children
and eleven grandchildren. Jean survived breast cancer at a young age and
turned her attention to the search for a cure for cancer, which was a
focused effort for the rest of her life. Serving over thirtyfive years
as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society, she was granted an
Honorary Life Membership in 2011, one of the highest awards of the
Society. Jean traveled throughout North America and Europe speaking
about cancer prevention, including keynote presentations at meetings in
England, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Italy. She rose to the position of
Treasurer of the American Cancer Society where she was responsible for
the investment of over $1 billion of reserve funds and oversaw a
reorganization of the Society necessary to comply with the latest in
accounting regulations. Jean’s focus on health issues also attracted her
to advocate against the use of tobacco; she lobbied both the State of
Oklahoma and the United States Congress as a forceful opponent of
tobacco, assuming a leadership role in the fight to outlaw smoking on
airplanes. She also assumed leadership roles in the Tulsa community with
regard to health issues, particularly women’s health issues, with
service on the Hillcrest Healthcare System Board of Directors, including
service as Chairman of the Board, Morningside Foundation including
service as Chairman of the Board, and the Tulsa Community Foundation
where she served as Secretary and Treasurer. And she has over ten years
of service on the Oklahoma Capital Investment Board, which has oversight
responsibility for over $100 million of State funds. Jean was chosen to
receive the City of Tulsa Hall of Fame Award in 2012 which will be
presented posthumously on October 3, 2012. Beyond Jean’s numerous
accolades and contributions to the community, she will be remembered for
her beautiful smile, sparkling eyes, and sunny disposition; a woman who
could ski the double blacks and hike the Continental Divide, Jean also
was the most gracious of hostesses, quick to make everyone feel welcome
and comfortable, quick to laugh and enjoy the company of friends.
Whether playing or visiting with a grandchild or presiding in the
boardroom, Jean’s love of people always made her shine. She will be
greatly missed. Jean is survived by her husband, Jim McGill, her brother
Bill Bonney, four children and eleven grandchildren. A memorial service
will be held at Tulsa University Sharp Chapel 2:00 PM Wednesday, July
25, 2012. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the American Cancer
Society will be appreciated. Ninde Brookside Chapel 918-742-5556
www.ninde.com  This obituary was published in the Tulsa World on
7/22/2012.