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.