Birthday Boy!

Our oldest grandson turned 11 today!

First let me say Yikes...

Dylan got to spend the day with his Papa and Grandma yesterday and boy did we have fun.
OK the boys had more fun than me, but I was happy knowing that they were having fun.

First a trip to the Boy Scout store to get a kit for the pinewood derby. Papa agreed to help Dylan make his.
Papa took the time to read all the requirements before cutting.

While I visited my ART Doc for a treatment. (My other shoulder is freezing up - Thanks again to Andy for turning my onto this wonder) the boys went and saw Narnia - they both liked it.

Dinner was at Dylan's favorite restaurant - ours too! Applebees.
Here he is with his surprise birthday sundae. And he wasn't even embarrassed when the staff sang Happy Birthday to him.


Dylan has never been in the hot tub when it's been dark or cold. So he can cross that off his list of things to do, cause here he is with papa in the hottub at night and cold out.


We gave him his presents - and that boy put together a 73 piece Harry Potter lego set in 15 minutes. I just sat back and watched. Truly amazing! The second one (153 pieces) took a little longer but not much.
I made him pancakes for breakfast this morning and Papa took him home.

I thought that our kids grew up fast, but with the grandkids they grow up soooo much faster.

Happy Birthday - Dylan!

Unplugged

I have been unplugged from my computer.
I haven't blogged. (oh yeah and heard about it too)
I haven't checked my e-mails. (sorry if I didn't respond to your Christmas wishes).
I haven't even turned the damn computer on.
I spent the Christmas unplugged.
I had a great one though.
We had our normal breakfast Christmas Eve morn with the Duppler family. You can tell who just got back from vacation. Hint: They have the tan faces.

I missed my Bryan. This was the first breakfast he has missed in the 26 years we have been doing this. He was with Mary and her family in Cleveland.



Matthews just wanted his pancakes and of course after Uncle Mike suggested it - ketchup on his sausage. Carrie says he would put ketchup on everything if she let him.


We spend the afternoon at Carrie and Dave's so Matthew could nap. The grownups played a very addicting game called "Apples to Apples". AWE, COME ON!!!! was repeatedly shouted. LOUD!!

Mike and I got home in time to put the ham we won at the moose in the oven. Nebraska corn and potato casserole soon followed.

The food turned out pretty good, but it's the presents that made the evening.

Kaylyn loved her doll and all it's clothes. Stacy noticed right away that the pajamas matched the quilt I made for Kaylyn when she was born.


I bought the boys Zumba pants. I wasn't sure how they would like them, but they loved them. Dylan got White Sox and Logan, the Flordia Gator, Tim Tebow fan got Bronco orange and blue. Logan's pants were way too long so he asked me to fix them. LIKE RIGHT NOW.
That turned out to be quite the challenge seeing that I just opened my second bottle of wine.
It all worked out.
Here they are being silly modeling their pants doing their cousin Jon imitation. They thought he was pretty cool when he showed up to the Turkey bowl with a cut off t-shirt sleeve for a hat. They are wearing the cut off pant legs.

We played a few games of "Apples to Apples" while the kids played twister. Kory is not a game player, but even he had fun. Notice the boys still wearing the "Jon" hats.

It was a very quite night - just family spending some fun time together.

Project Runway

OK maybe I didn't come up with the design.
And the colors were already chosen for me.

But I did have to measure the model (doll) and make my own pattern.

so ....

Kaylyn's doll can have the same "flower girl" dress

That....

Kaylyn wore in Bryan and Mary's wedding
I am very excited to get a picture of them together.

Cookie Bake

I hosted the Cookie Bake again this year.
Mom was the only no show. She wasn't feeling up to it.




We each brought a different kind of cookie dough to bake.
AND We also had a lot to celebrate.

Carrie who was feeling pretty tired brought peanut blossoms. Her 8th grade cheer leading squad won the middle school competition on Saturday.

Sharen's future daughter-in-law, Erica brought a family recipe with coffee in it. Yum. YES - Jon popped the question and Erica said yes.

Mary who made my Mom's molasses cookies drove out from the city with Bryan (he did some laundry while we baked). Mary got a new job.

Stacy and Kaylyn came in from Genoa. Stacy brought chocolate chip and Kaylyn brought freezer sugar cookies with Snowmen and Reindeer in them. Stacy has headed back to school to get her Masters.

Sharen (bird nest and a new do over cookie made with cocoa puffs peanut butter and m&m's) and I (cut out cookies) was just happy to have all our daughters together with us, doing something we loved to do.

We had cookies all over the house. There was plenty for all of us to get a sample of each cookie to take home.

Knock, Knock

Who's There?
That would be nobody...
Today is the last day for workers at 300 Lake St.
The old Courier News building is turning out the lights and folding up shop and moving the paper. The paper will still exist, but most sales people and reporters will be working out of their homes, and the headquarters will now be in Aurora.

I made one last visit.
My last time here I was carrying out my belonging in a box.
It was nice to go back to visit with old friends.

I got a few hugs from the newsies (reporters)and a warm reception from the new boss in Advertising. I trained her 6 years ago.
My desk was the same as when I left it, so I sat down and made some phone calls to some friends at other plants. It really felt good to catch up and to know that they miss me..

I walked around the building and thought of old times and old friends.

Business Office/Sports Dept.

Old Dispatch Department

Old Composing Room
They asked if there was anything that I wanted. I told them No - I took everything when I left 20 months ago.

Oh yeah, maybe there is just one thing - a piece of the old press that we used as a door stop.

>

Winnings

So I won the mystery pot Thursday night. Mystery Pot is where you put a dollar in the kitty and if they draw out what you bowled in either of your first 2 games you win the pot.
Don't ask what I bowled because it doesn't matter with the point of this post.

What to do with it?
Usually I would put it in my purse and it would disappear with the rest of my change.
Not this time.
I took $50 of it and bought a square on a super bowl board. And the rest Mike and I took with us over to the Moose Saturday night for a meat raffle.
Must of had some luck in them there bills because we won a ham for Christmas dinner and some thick cut pork chops with our first $8.

The First Snow

I promised my sister-in-law a picture of the first snow. So here it is Kathy!



I loved it as a kid - skating, sledding, building snowmen and snowforts.
I loved that our kids loved to play and sled in it too.
I love that my grandkids would rather play in the snow than inside playing video games.

I love the first snow.
I love the way it clings to the trees.
I love to see the tracks of the wild animals across the backyard.
I love to sit in the hot tub with the snow falling.
I love getting up in the middle of the night and looking out the window seeing the moonlight reflect off the fresh snow.
I love that we live somewhere that we get to experience the snow.

Let it Snow - Let it Snow - Let is Snow!!!!

I Like This One...

No This one It's bigger.

For many years Mike, Bryan and I would cut down a fresh tree for Christmas.

I told Mike that it would be fun to take the grandkids and cut down a tree this year. Stacy thought it would be fun too. It was the first time for Stacy, Kory, Brian, and all the kids.

The weather was perfect for their first time. Mike and I would of preferred some snow. We schlepped down the rows and rows of trees.


The kids ran around and around all the trees. Stacy finally settled on this one. Mike found himself helping Kory who decided that next year he was bringing the chainsaw. No fun there!

Their tree was cut.

Mike found ours right away and we had marked it to come back too. In no time he (with help from Brian) had it sawed down.

They did have a wagon that took everybody out into the trees and back, but we decided to carry our purchase back to the building.


We ended with free apple cider and a doughnut. We think we have started a new family tradition. It was just as much fun as I remember.

Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
When we woke up this morning Bryan headed out to the annual turkey bowl. Mary had never been to one so I grabbed the picture, and the movie, camera and Mike, Mary and I went to go watch.

The White team scored 7


The Dark Team scored 4


I did get some video of the game and of course at one point I had the camera turned off when it was supposed to be on and I got footage of the ground, my jacket, and the back of Mary. Opps!!

After Mike and I went to the movie (we saw Burlesque and both Really enjoyed it) I spent the rest of the afternoon, down loading the video, editing the movie and trying to get it on You Tube. It is taking forever so I will keep trying and post it as soon as it lets me.

Giving Thanks

Thanks to all my family members that came to MY thanksgiving celebration. Our friend Steve was in town from NY for the weekend and (after countless hints, suggestions, and down right begging from Steve) I decided to have the family over for a Thanksgiving feast on Sunday.

Thank You to Mary and Bryan for coming out Saturday and helping, seriously, with anything I told them to do.
Here they are, along with Brian and Dylan, (who showed up for a crock pot dinner Saturday night) making the centerpieces for the tables. Dylan also had a part in helping with making the stuffing.


The flowers are fake, but the vases are real pumpkins.



The tables all set in the garage.


Thanks again to Mary for being such a good sport. I peeked into the bag that Mary had with her fixing for her broccoli casserole and teased her that I was sure she didn't have enough. This was her first time contributing to a Kolberg family dinner and she didn't want to be the one who didn't make enough. (Right, Michelle).
The family likes to eat and eat and eat.
I backed off when she was determined to run to the store to get more. There was plenty and everyone got to try it and a few asked for the recipe.

Thanks to all the female members of the family who did not disappoint in making some mighty fine grub. Imagine my dining room table loaded down with food right here, because I never took another picture after the table settings - Too busy with the movie camera.

Thanks to Erica. When I invited her I told her to make something that HER family usually served and would tell us something about her. Sharen said "You know that she's Italian and will probably make something pasta. Right!"
Really, do I look stupid - of course, I know that. She couldn't come, but she did send some mighty delicious lasagna with Jon.

Thanks to Sharen and Cheryl for letting me use their electric roaster. It is the best way to cook turkeys and frees up the oven for important stuff like vege casserole and Nebraska corn. Close your eyes and see 2 beautiful turkeys with extra crispy skin.

Thanks for the weather. The kids had a ball running around outside playing nerf gun tag.

A huge thanks to my husband. He gets me. He loves my family and wanted everybody there just as much as I did.

Weekend Makeover

While Mike is away (in FL) playing in a softball tourney, I decided that our living room needs a makeover.
Mike was none to pleased. Last time he left and I painted the living room I ended up in the hospital. I took a step off the ladder and fell. Clumsy me thought I was on the last step and I had 2 steps to go. I reassured him I had learned my lesson and would be very careful.

I was tired of the wall color - I was tired of the blue carpet - I was needing a project so - I did it.

After countless trips to the Menards, Home Depot and Lowes and getting numerous mini paint swatches (I love those little cans), I settled on a color.


Gone is the "purple Haze" in comes the "Sandtrap". I really ended up picking this color because of the name. It's a little neutral for me, but I think I can brighten up the space with other things.

I rolled up the light blue carpet, wash and waxed the beautiful hard wood floors and replaced it with this area rug. Big thanks to Mary and Bryan for helping take the old carpet to the garage. Man that sucker was heavy.


Mike is due home sometime this evening and I am sure he will love what I did.

Fire Starter

If you want to know how to start a fire just ask a boy scout.

The grand kids had a day off from school and came over to play. It was a beautiful fall day.
At lunch I said that I wanted to get that pile of sticks in the firepit burned. Dylan, our boy scout, offered to help. "I can start your fire really fast, Grandma and I won't need any gasoline." He says with a big ass grin.

I told him to go for it - all the while thinking yeah, sure!

I'll be damned if that little shit got that fire started in NO time.

They got out the cart and pulled it around the yard filling it with leaves to throw on the fire. No, we are not allowed to burn leaves, but I wasn't going to spoil their fun.
Mike ended up pulling the kids around - someone had to be in the cart holding the leaves down. ;0)


Dylan's secret he learned at boy scouts. Dryer Lint!
He stuffed it in the sticks and lit it and it started right up. Genius.

Last Football Weekend

We went to Sycamore to watch our last football games of the season. Logan played in an 8 year old All Star tournament.

It was a 5 team tourney with a round robin format. Our Broncos played 3 games on Saturday and won them all. A lock for the championship game on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams stood on the same side of the field so we took our seats on the 45 yard line on the opposite side in our lawn chairs. That's our Logan, Number 42 in the white shoes, standing up swinging his arms.

Our first lose was to a team from Racine on Sunday morning and the boys took some lumps. Logan's ankle was sore from Saturday, but it was his knee that caused him to sit out the second half of the first game. He begged the coach to let him play in the championship game at 3:30 and he sure did (with Mom and Dad's permission).

We played the team from Racine again. They were a traveling team and it showed. They had not been scored on the whole weekend until the 3rd quarter of that championship game and our star, JP, ran one in for a touchdown. Final 26-6.

The Racine team was bigger and stronger. Several of our Broncos got hurt. One ended up with a broken ankle, and several had bummed knees and necks, but the boys played really hard and never gave up.

Bulls Game

My nephew Jon is a basketball fanatic. He has played hoops his whole life starting with a min-hoop when he was about 2. He has coached high school basketball, both girls and boys. He can lay around and watch hours on TV, gamble on the spreads, and tell you the standings on both college and pros. So it was no surprise when he went and got season tickets to the Bulls this year.

On our birthday this year, him and Erica gave Sharen and me 2 of the season tickets. Last night we headed on into the city to watch the Bulls play the Knicks.

We paid the $25 and got a parking spot 50 yards from the doors. We got in just before the down pour. We grabbed some beers, Sharen got a pretzel and I had one of the best pulled pork sandwiches. Highly recommended.
We watched the warm ups - It took awhile for the place to fill up and everyone was coming in really wet.

Jons' seat are right under the hideout of Bennie the Bull. He was literally in our face.

The game was not what we were hoping for, but we had a good time anyway. It felt more like a preseason game with the starter sitting on the bench the whole 4th quarter. Yes - we were among the chanters. "We Want Rose - We Want Rose"

This was nice to see though.


After the game we got out of the parking lot and onto the expressway in less than 5 minutes - we both decided well worth the money for that prime parking to not have to sit and fight the traffic.

Thanks again to Jon and Erica.

Green Tomato Relish

When I was putting together Mary's shower gift this summer, a collection of all of Bryan's favorite eats, I ran across one of my favorite recipes. Green Tomato Relish!

Just reading it again brought back really fond memories of me and Bryan's great-gamba Mazie in the kitchen canning.
Bryan's Gamba Mazie was a spitfire. She stood about 4'8" in shoes, lived to be 99 (1 week short of 100) and took command of any kitchen. She also was an amazing quilter. (That has nothing to do with cooking, but she did turn me on to the art of quilting) Oh Yeah, and she Loved her "little boy Bryan".


So when I was breaking down my garden this weekend I saved all my green tomatoes to make this yummy relish again.
I couldn't find my old fashioned meat grinder (must of got tossed out when we moved here) so I called my Mom and asked if she still had hers. No, but she did have an electric grinder.

This thing is amazing and I got all the tomatoes, peppers, and onions done in no time. I am putting one of these on the top of my Christmas wish list.

Mazie was there with me whispering in my ear.

Never use those fancy new aluminum pots (she called everything a pot) and always, always use a wooden spoon.


Make sure your jars are nice and HOT.


I had to cut the recipe down by a 1/4, but I think Gamba would be proud.


Green Tomato Salsa

I did take out a few green tomatoes to make this salsa. It got 2 thumbs up from Bryan ans Mary.