A couple of weeks ago, Kayla messaged me and asked if I was up for going to see Wicked. I am always up for seeing any play, and seeing it with Kayla is doubly better. Originally, Kayla and Spencer were going on a double date with her friend Liz and her husband Tony. It turns …
read moreOn Labor Day, Kelli and the kids came over for a visit. Rick made lasagna for us, along with his chocolate brownies (recipe coming soon). Kelli and I were back to working on Eli’s quilt. I had gotten it this far… Kelli decided she wanted a border and more squares. Here it is with a …
Labor Day Visitors Read More »
read moreI was looking at the calendar while I was scheduling blog posts. September 9th. Yep, that’s a day I’ll always remember. 365 days ago, I was lying in a hospital bed at the University of Iowa Hospital. I had just had back surgery. I was a ball of emotion. Was this going to stop the …
read moreMy friend asked me if I had Labor Day plans. I was thinking camping, fishing, and the like…or even a party, so I said not really. HA!! That was a lie. We were busy. It was just a more normal kind of weekend. Friday, Rick and I tried to catch up on a few things …
read moreI got a letter from a blog reader and I thought I would share it with you. It’s a fun story from Barb. Jo, you are never going to believe this. I have been following you for years and saw your recent post about Hanging out in Michigan. I currently live in Florida but I …
It’s a Small World… Read More »
read moreI told you in an earlier post that I had four doctor appointments last week. Thank goodness I don’t have a regular job. I’d never be able to do it. No place would ever allow me enough time to go to all of my appointments. Well…Thursday was an easy appointment. I had to have an …
read moreI thought I would update you on a few blog changes and ask for your help too… I am working on updating the quilt donations page. I have had a few people contact me saying that they have tried to contact people on the list and have gotten no response. I have gone through and …
A Few Blog Changes Read More »
read more** Warning. Graphic photos ahead**You already know that life has been a little crazy around here…well, it is about to get crazier. Not only did the grandkids take off to their first day of school yesterday, Rick did too!! Interesting, I know. Here’s how it all happened. When we were in Michigan, Rick ended up …
First Day of School Read More »
read moreOur vacation wasn’t over. Some time ago when Rick and I first talked about going on vacation, he mentioned going to Michigan. Later he said told me about his cousin Tammy who lived in Ohio and that he’d really like to get there to visit sometime. Well… I put two and two together and said, …
read moreTuesday of last week we packed our bags and headed to Michigan. Why Michigan? Rick grew up living five blocks from Lake Michigan. He lived near Michigan Beach, Michigan, near St. Joseph. His parents moved from there to Mississippi, but the rest of the family mostly stayed in that area. His mom was coming for …
read moreKelli’s kids have had the summer off. Those three are a handful but a happy handful. Kelli has tried to take extra PTO over the summer to try to cut down on child care costs. They have been going to some of the local libraries’ summer programs. Since we live rural, she can catch them …
Summer Fun with the Hankens Read More »
read moreI know several of you contacted me wondering if I was okay, as the blog wasn’t kept to its normal standard. I am okay. Right now I’m busy unpacking. Rick and I have been in Michigan for a week. I didn’t tell you in advance because I didn’t have anyone here watching the house. I …
read moreThursday was pool table day. The company we worked with to get the pool table delivered and set up was Cedar Rapid Billiards. They picked up the pool table at 6 am in the morning and was to our house shortly after 8 am. We had Craig and Karl lined up to help unload. Karl …
The Pool Table Arrived!! Read More »
read moreI’ve gotten a little bit of criticism lately. The following comments have come my way. The blog isn’t about quilting all the time anymore.There isn’t as much cross-stitching happening.There’s a lot more about my life…less about crafting. What happened to me? Yes, I do hear these things. UGH. About the same time, I saw this …
Trying New Things… Read More »
read moreI have a bunch of random things that really can’t go into a single blog post on their own, so I’m putting them together into one post. Rick and I have continued to go fishing. We’ve learned that we love to take the boys fishing right at the end of our day with them. Last …
read moreThe dust cleared from the garage sale and our mini retreat. We were gradually listing a few items on Marketplace. Everything was happening slowly as both Rick and I were catching up on sleep and the house. Two days after the retreat, I was sitting out chatting with Rick while he was drinking his coffee. …
For Fishing Knots too!! Read More »
read moreFishing has become a serious pastime for Rick and me. In the last seven days, we’ve gone four times. We don’t go for a long time…mostly just for two hours or so. We had the mill pond here in town. We went to Lake Meyer, and we went to a friend’s private pond. We had …
read moreYou might remember that I had an ear issue. My right ear was not working quite right. It would reverberate periodically. It did it all the time when I sang. It wasn’t painful…just not right. I went to my local doctor and then to the ENT about it. She ended up scoping me up my …
read moreAs you know, we’re getting ready for a garage sale. I am purging a lot. I jokingly told Rick he was so lucky. He asked why. I said I keep looking and re-looking at everything in the house. I keep deciding if I want to keep it or sell it on the garage sale. I …
Rick in the Kitchen…Small Appliances Read More »
read moreI had my doctor’s appointment on Monday. This was the follow-up with the podiatrist. I had been soaking my foot for over two months, trying to calluses off my right big toe. I had calluses that were layered and layered. UGH. I’m diabetic, and feet are important for diabetics, so I went in when I …
read more