Many thanks

to my parents and brother Dave for holding down the fort while we were gone. Mom and Dad kept the kids, and Dave made many trips back and forth to our house keeping our woodburning furnace going and caring for the cats, dogs and horse. Your help is appreciated more than you know!!

A couple more

A very comfortable bed with top notch cozy down alternative bedding

A nice bath with heated towel bar, lighted make-up mirror, robes, and of course a phone by the toilet so I could call all of my friends while sitting on the throne?! I guess I never understood the concept of phones in the bathroom--not somewhere I want to sit to talk :)

10 Timberland Cabin--perfect!

The main inn. It has several suites also, some overlooking the river--not a priority for us since we live near the river.

Little Cabin in the Woods

After a LONG last few months, Greg and I went away for a little weekend retreat. It turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. We stayed 2 nights at this log cabin at the Goldmoor Inn just outside of Galena. It was very nice and a great compromise between luxurious and homey. They definately have the fine details down to make your stay extra special. When we pulled up to the inn the innkeeper came out to greet us at the car. Then after check-in she met us at the cabin to show us around the place and how everything worked. All of the extra little amenities provided in the room were nice touches. It was definately the CLEANEST place I have ever stayed. The bed and bedding were top notch. In fact, we loved the bedding so much that it is what we asked my parents to give us for Christmas! They are always looking for ideas and this was something we BOTH loved--COZY! If you are looking for great little getaway for two I would recommend the Goldmoor, no doubt! They have two of the cabins, a couple of cottages and then the main inn has several suites. Breakfast was included with your stay. You can eat in the main dining room or have it delivered to you. The first day they noticed we hadn't eaten and called our room to see if we were ready to have it delivered. And, it was great food! The refrigerator was stocked with water, soda, and juice--all complimentary. We headed to downtown Galena a couple of different times. It was about 8 miles away. The fireplace, the whirlpool in the living room, the cute little kitchen, nice bathroom, the most comfortable bed, the privateness all made this a perfect getaway. And, on Sunday when we woke up it was snowing--made me wish we were staying one more night!

more of the 'cabin'

Dual Purpose Family Gathering

Today my family got together for Thanksgiving, and we celebrated Creighton's birthday since we were all together today and his 'real' day is tomorrow. It was a great day, a fanstastic meal and a happy birthday boy. Fun for all....

The kids

#6 for the Big Man!

I have a pit

in my stomach that won't go away. Last Friday Colby called me at work after school upset because one of her classmate's father had died. The counselor had came in and talked to them about it. It was a tragic on-the-job accident. Colby and her big heart immediately wanted to do something for them. The student has came back to school and Colby is keeping a close eye on him and reporting to me daily how he is doing.

I just can't get it off my mind. I don't know the details of why, but at an early age this boy and his siblings were thrown into the foster care system. Birth parents--gone. They were adopted by a loving family and given a new start in life. A mommy and daddy and plenty of love to go around. And then this, a second time, their daddy stripped away from them all too soon. Went to work, never to return. Gone.

I want to fix it. I want to DO something to make it better. I can't. No one can. But, what I can do is pray. Pray they know that their Father in heaven will never leave them. Pray they know that God is good. All the time. Even now when their hearts are broken. He is good. He is there. May they feel safe in His arms. Hold them tight Lord....hold them tight.

As we celebrate all that we are thankful for tomorrow, as we gather with family and friends, take a moment to pray. Pray for those that are grieving, those that are missing a loved one, those whose table is missing someone for the first time, those that are experiencing their first holiday without their daddy or their spouse. As we count our blessings this Thanksgiving remember too, those whose day will be difficult, painful, tearful.

Wish I could do more....

Strep, Strep

And now all of us pictured below are on antibiotics. Strep, Sinus Infection, Strep.....Yep, couldn't have come at a better time. Although hopefully we are all on the mend before the holiday weekend. We have made great friends at the pharmacy :)

One Down

with Strep. Fever and exceptionally sore throat. Got him into the dr. right away this morning and with a double shot of antibiotics today he should be good to go for tomorrow. And the bonus was that she gave me a round of antibiotics for my sinus infection. I have been putting off going in for about two weeks. That was two birds with one stone for sure.

And, thanks to my dad for keeping Creighton today as I really had to be at work. Seems that someone is always sick when I really need to be at work or on a holiday. Hopefully, we are all cleared up and ready to celebrate Thanksgiving and Creighton's birthday on Thursday.

And this.....

For a nightcap I decided to put up the Christmas trees. Both of them. Glad it's done....
This is 'my' tree.... (mine has matching ornaments)

And this is the kids' tree.....(theirs has Spongebob, and other really cool stuff like that :)

Birthday Boy

And today we celebrated Creighton's birthday with grandparents Carlson since they will be out of town for his birthday (the actual day isn't until the 28th). Lots of early celebrations when your day falls on a holiday weekend.

He loves his new tractor.....there is always much farming to be done around here.

Best Friends

These two guys have been friends since birth.... Nicholas and Creighton (forever known to eachother as 'Nicky' and 'Buddy')

And twin sister to Nicholas is Madison. She hangs tough with the boys. To us, she will forever be known as 'Maddie Pants'. And a true little Maddie Pants she is :) Love her too....

14 Little People

and a two hour bowling party was just about enough for one day.....that's WORK!