Thursday, 12 November 2009

  • Radomness

    So I come home from an early grocery run and find that SOMEbody cleaned my DESK!!  Who would DO such a thing - and without being ASKED??!!     I'm intrigued and not a little delighted, but have a sneaking suspicion that the person in question was simply avoiding having to look at the mess on her bedroom floor...

    I'm drinking ice tea at this early hour because my coffee maker is still inoperable and I'm just not in the mood for cowboy coffee.

    My trip home was easy-peasy on Tuesday, and I was out of the airport and shuttled back to my van by 11:15a.m.  The rest of the day was spent catching up with my kiddos, doing our usual Del Taco Tuesday, and then working on a baking project with Jacob in the evening while the girls sorted Dad's coin collection with him.


    Here is Jacob...


    snickering


    the


    doodles.

    We were doing our prep work before we started mixing the dough, and while he was washing a pyrex measuring cup, Jacob reflected his skepticism that something grainy like sand could turn into a liquid and be made into glass.  I said, "Oh really?  Would you like to see it for yourself?"  And I got out a little sauce pan, poured in some sugar, put it on the burner and he watched while something grainy turned in to liquid... and then I added a little butter and poured it on a plate, and voila --



    Toffee!  It was a fun spur-of-the-moment experiment, although if I had had a recipe I would have put in salt, which would have made it better.  Next time. 


    These are way too good.
    Jacob had fun on his first baking project too!


    I have no way of explaining my lack of either blogging or proper picture-taking while I was up north.  I guess I was too busy livin' the dream, baby!   I brought my camera, but then discovered that I had failed to check that the memory card was inside it.  I did go out and buy another one, and was so excited when I was trying it out, my hands were shaking! LoL!


    My mom looks cute, despite my wobbly hands.

    It was good to run around town with mom, have my friend Vicki there for a couple of days, look through the library and choose about 150 books to send home, meet up with an old friend I have not seen in many years, and most of all, just hang out on my brother's couch, enjoying family time.  I reveled in every minute of it and couldn't be bothered to blog.   One night I managed to snap a few shots while we played a couple rounds of scrabble...


    Here's big daddy Doug with teeny-tiny Margaret!


    Sarah during a brief interlude in which her arms were free.


    End of game one.
    Although I squeaked this one out for a win, I (and the other adults) were thoroughly trounced by Alicia in game two.


    Meet Jack.
    I should have shot a video, he is a non-stop ball of motion!


    See my muscles?  I'm STRONNNNG!


    Tim kickin' it on the couch, probably on Facebook...


    This is so precious...


    I think this was another night, Meg was getting some applesauce...




    Mmmm!
    Love the foot.
    Love the baby.
    Love my brother.

    Since returning it is back to routine, school, trying to restore a schedule and chore regularity, etc.  Today is shopping day (more of that later, this morning was just a quickie run) and this weekend we PAINT!  Two more colors to finish off the main area, and then next week, Mom will be here Tuesday! 

    Now I must hit the books.  And at some point I will be around to catch up on my blog reading... ((hangs head guiltily))... I promise!


Friday, 06 November 2009

  • Visiting Home

    I thank you all who prayed for me flying "alone" yesterday, my worries were for naught.  Every bit of my journey went smoothly, from the moment my husband awakened me with a kiss at 3:45 a.m. to driving to the downtown parking lot to taking the shuttle to the airport to checking in via the electronic ticket kiosk to going through security (breeze) to flying in and out of Denver and arriving in Fargo to be greeted by my beautiful sister in law Sarah and two lovely nieces Abigail and Emily (out front in the loading zone, the 15 passenger van, with Doug snoozing behind the wheel and Alicia playing with Meg, idled while we chatted inside waiting for my bag to come down).

    From there we went to Doug's house and I had a fantastic afternoon smothering baby Meg with lovin's and smooches on her sweet chubby cheeks,




    and hanging out with Doug, and enjoying the 3yo antics of Jack, who just got a new Potato Gun.





    My only regret (and it is gigantic) is that when I left the house yesterday morning, having thrust the camera quickly into my purse, I did not verify that it actually had the memory card inside.  (I couldn't resist stealing these Halloween pics from Mom to post here.)  GRRRR!!  Perhaps I can squeeze together enough pennies to buy one -- I don't think I will survive this trip with NO photos of my precious family!

    Signing off for now.  I must get to Best Buy and pick up that memory card before I do ANYthing else...

Wednesday, 04 November 2009

Tuesday, 03 November 2009

  • Halloween Weekend, 2009 - Last Day at the Ranch

    Sunday Morning was a rough one for Megan.  She woke with a sore throat, and I gave her some cough medicine that kind of knocked her out for a while.


    She was semi-aware while we were having our bible reading time, but managed to wake up a little when it came time to go out for our morning's activities.

    Grandpa and Grandma had not been to visit Upper Carrizo Well before,
    so that was our first destination.

    I wasn't sure what was going on when Paul and his dad began to rock this big metal trough back and forth...


    They got it tipped far enough to dump out the water and ice inside...


    ...then it rocked back...


    and then I got the picture... it was about having a RIDE!

    Apparently being rocked back and forth in this thing was fun.


    Jacob, however, was on a mission, and headed straight for the water tower...


    I never get tired of the old western fencing...


    These kids got so muddy... they took off their sweaters and sat on them to protect their pants.  Ish!


    I can't even tell who this is... Megan I think...


    A little snow left in the shadow of the tank.


    Laurent peering over the side.


    Looking out over the range.


    More peering into the tank.


    Aha, Jacob has gone higher...


    Dilapidated chair...


    Grandma checking out the digs in the old cowboy house.


    Home sweet home!






    Megan found a rattler skull!


    The old stable.


    Girl in a fence!


    Laurent, I think.


    Jake hanging out.


    Cool fence.


    Grandpa, Grandma, and the kiddos in the stable.


    Paul, Nettie and kids in the stable.


    On the way out, Paul in the chute!


    And Jake climbing the fence.


    From there we drove through north Carrizo ranch to get to the Big Mountain... and stopped so I could take this photo of the tree that grows in the middle of the road.


    Paul took lots of climbing pics, as always...














    And a grand climb was had by all.

    ~*~*~*~*~

    Now, I want you to take a good look at these next three pictures.







    What is missing here?

    ~*~*~*~*~

    At the end of the day...


    Paul will often say:


    "Another crappy sunset at the ranch."

    ~*~*~*~*~



    (I think I came in under 900 pics this time...)

  • Halloween Weekend, 2009 - Field Trip & Fish Fry

    Saturday morning, here is Paul kicking back and relaxing while breakfast is being made.


    Usually we have oatmeal and maple syrup for breakfast at the ranch.
    BUT... Grandma brought donuts!
    That being the case, there was not the usual market for healthy rolled oats...
    Thus, Paul ordered up a grilled cheese sandwich, and his short-order cooks were happy to oblige.


    Enjoying the morning coffee...


    After breakfast we headed out for a field trip.
    You might wonder why anyone would need a field trip, what with being at the ranch...
    however, there is more to see than ranch.
    We headed over to Springerville, where you may remember we found a most delightfully green wetland on a previous trip.
    We thought it would be fun to stop there and show the Grands...

    ... only the green seems to have gone into hiding!

    We discovered something on this trip, though, that we had been unable to explore on the previous visit (due to the downpour), and that was the extensive trails around the wetland and lake, which run about 10 miles in all.
    We got to see quite a bit more than last time, including this very cool beaver dam:



    And this bridge across the creek:










    Paul took got some cute shots of Megan and Laurent:




    And Geneva and Grandma, resting on a bench at the end of the hike:


    From there we went to visit the Western Drug and General Store,
    or
    Western Drudge Store
    as Jacob calls it.
    He had a good time in the end though, and came away with a toy car.
    I found myself some yarn, of course, and a few other trifles, and it was there that I spied the
    Lodge Logic Enamel Cast Iron cookware.
    I don't know if I can get it anywhere in town here... I wonder what would be more expensive, a trip to Springerville to buy cookware, or ordering it and paying the shipping for cast iron?   Tough call...

    Anyway, back at the ranch, there was time for some shooting:






    Jacob fussed about going up to the range, since he was obsessing over his legos, but ended up marching proudly back down to the cabin to show me the can he had obliterated:




    And of course Grandma had to get in on the action too:


    ~*~*~*~*~

    While I was in the Coleman lantern aisle, musing over whether I could afford to pick up another lamp for the cabin, I happened to turn around, and what do you think I found?
    The best invention ever!

    A head lamp to wear while crocheting after dark!
    I am the biggest geek.
    But seriously, it was only $5.99, I thought it couldn't hurt to try,
    and sure enough, it worked like a dream.
    No more holding the mag flashlight in the crook between my shoulder and neck, and eliciting nagging about the 'wasting' of batteries from my husband!

    ~*~*~*~*~

    Grandpa Fred, being a true native Minnesotan, is a fisherman.  He brings home many, many fish throughout the summer.  The very best eating in the world is fresh fish from the lake, fried up in a pan, with sliced garden tomatoes and cucumbers on the side.   Mmmmmm-mmmm-mmmm!
    This year must have been a particularly good year for fishing, because they had enough to spare to bring a case of frozen fillets down to AZ with them.
    Saturday night, Grandma and Geneva set up a workstation by the stove and (while I was busily crocheting in my corner with my headlamp on) fried up some dandy fish and potatoes:




    Jacob was playing with Lego's by the light of the lantern:




    Tasty!  Crispy!  Yummy!


    The men are hovering around the good smells:


    And finally after everyone was fed up, we went out for some fireside fun:


    Another day's worth of memories, stored away in the memory bank.
    ~*~*~*~*~

  • Halloween Weekend, 2009 - They're Baaa-ack!

    Friday morning we were all up and attem early.  We needed to go into town (yay!!) to pick up some lamp oil, and then some kiddos went shooting with their dad (it was much warmer by then) before we had a bit of lunch and cleaned up the cabin.
    Then the kids ran up to the top of the hill to watch for Grandpa's van.
    Then some of them meandered down the road toward the gate to wait where he would turn from the back road into our section.
    Megan stayed at the top of the hill, and when she saw him turn the corner, she ran down to the cabin to announce that they were coming.
    Poor Jacob, he was way at the bottom of the ascent to our corner, and after greeting them on the road had to trudge up the hill and then down to the cabin because their van was too full for him to hitch a ride.
    There was much rejoicing at the arrival of Grandpa and Grandma Heidmann after their summer break in MN.

    As always they brought little presents for everyone.
    They found this cowboy hat at a rummage sale for .50cents and thought of Megan.
    The lights flash obnoxiously when you flip a little switch inside.


    Then she wanted to try it on everyone else:


    Paul is unenthused by this frippery.


    Grandpa likewise.


    It didn't take but a few minutes before Paul was chomping at the bit to get us out the door and off on a hike.
    We drove a little ways until we found a spot that was near the edge of Carrizo Wash, parked the van, and trudged down.

    There may have been some snowball fighting on the way...





    Finally we made it down through the brush and salt cedars to the sandy wash...


    ...only to find that it wasn't sandy so much as muddy.  We were all toting about 4lbs. of mud on each foot after a couple of minutes!


    This is just silly from a Minnesota point of view:


    On we went, winding around, climbing up the sides...




    This was a big wall, and several children attempted to conquer it:




    The sides of the wash are packed mud, so it's tricky climbing up the crumbly walls...


    Geneva is not fond of heights.  Here she has decided to turn around and slide down again.


    Megan is stuck.
    Jacob could climb no further, and has also turned around...




    Finally Grandpa climbed up to help Meg down...




    A bit further on, Jacob found a way up to a ledge...


    While he was on the ledge, his sisters had gone around and climbed to the top and headed back the other way.


    ~*~*~*~*~

    The evening sunset was a fitting climax to another wonderful day at the ranch:




    ~*~*~*~*~

  • Halloween Weekend, 2009 - COLD!!

    When we drove into St. John's on Wednesday evening around 8pm, we passed a sign that read 26°.
    I was very glad I had brought a bag full of hats!

    Thursday morning dawned, frigid and overcast, with a temperature of 19°.



    For some reason I got away from home without my coat, so I spent the day shivering in my sweatshirt.

    (...and work-gloves and hat!  Cute, huh!)


    My honey, next to a snowy tree.


    Kids by a snowy tree on a snowy hillside!
    It's Arizona, ok?  We have to commemorate these unique meteorological events!
    Who knows when this hill will be as white again?


    I gave Paul this hat for Christmas the first year we were married.
    He has used it maybe twice since we moved to AZ!
    It's very warm.


    Snow on a bush.


    Snow at the shooting range.


    Here is Paul, loading my gun for me so I could keep my gloves on.
    We went shooting during the warmest part of the day.
    That would have been at about 30°, with a biting wind.
    All of us had fingers like ice blocks, were miserably cold all over, and shot atrociously.
    It was still amazingly fun.


    When we weren't outside freezing, various people napped.


    Late afternoon, Jacob and his dad hiked down to the mud canyon, one of his favorite destinations.


    Ahhh, the majesty of Sissy Jupe!

    Back at the cabin, some horseplay ensued...












    My two Minnesota babies... they dearly love their snow, and wish they lived where it was less of a novelty.

    ~*~*~*~*~

  • Halloween Weekend, 2009 - The Biltmore & Superior

    Our journey to the ranch this time was somewhat "circ-i-tu-i-tous" as we like to say.
    Instead of leaving in the early morning, or meeting Paul at the Circle-K by GD, we went a bit round-about.  Packed, loaded, and out of the driveway by 11a.m., I stopped first at QT for a bit of lunch and some gas.  From there we drove to the eye doctor, where we picked up Laurent's new glasses.  After that I had planned to drive to Superior so the kids could spend some time with their cousins (which we usually can't do because Paul is always very anxious to get to the ranch), but we were about an hour ahead of schedule, and I didn't want to arrive on their doorstep before they were finished with their school for the day.  Thus, I pointed my nose toward the Biltmore Fashion Center, since it was on the way, for to treat the kids to a walk around the ritzy shops.  (I used to go there when Laurent and Megan were wee tots in a double stroller, just to perambulate up and down the cobblestone amongst the upper crust and wonder what it would be like to actually go into those stores and feel like you belonged there!)

    There was an escalator.
    Wherever there is an escalator, kids HAVE to ride the escalator.


    There was a cute bench:

    (This was the second picture I took on this bench... the first was a better shot, but only after taking it did I realize that the backdrop behind them was the Victoria's Secret store....)

    There were profuse apologies for the drab landscaping:


    There were fancy models in windows:


    There was a Ralph Lauren store:


    There were emporiums filled with astounding arrays of costly trinkets and trifles:


    And then there was the most fabulous boutique the whole plaza:
    Williams Sonoma!

    Nettie loves Le Creuset:

    (side note:  Nettie learned later in the weekend that Lodge Logic has cast iron enamel cookware that looks comparable, for about one third to half the price.  Nettie is genuinely intrigued...)

    Nettie liked the Ruffoni Hammered Stainless Steel:


    Nettie revels in walls filled with shiny cookware:


    How bored do you think a 9-yo boy would be in this kind of shop?
    Yeah... you guessed it.
    He was a trooper though, and managed to find a way to entertain himself.
    I found him making faces in this mirror-like pan lid:


    I'm proud to say I made it out of the store without spending an inordinate amount of money, but not without succumbing to the heady seasonal spice aroma wafting through the store, and picking up some Pecan-Pumpkin Butter for my Mom-&-Sis-In-Law.

    ~*~*~*~*~

    After we were finished drooling over pretty crockery, it was time to hit the road and go visit the cousins in Superior.


    Jenna


    Jadyn


    Jess!


    Sissy and Bella were fascinated with their cousins too...


    Beagle pups, Reagan and Thatcher

    Before leaving, all the cousins posed together wearing Nettie Hats:

    JT, Joe
    Megan, Jacob, Laurent, Geneva
    Jenna & Jadyn

    We had a fun two hours that sped by all too quickly.
    When Paul arrived at 4pm, we had to get on the road, so as to make it through the Salt River Canyon before dark.

    ~*~*~*~*~

nettieheidmann

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    • Name: nettieheidmann
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    • Member Since: 1/31/2006
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About Me

  • Creedal, Liturgy Loving, Theology Reading, Home Schooling, Bread Baking, Wife-Mom-Daughter-Sister-Aunt - Artist - Musician - Thespian - Tolkien - Lewis - Wolfe (Gene) - Chesterton - Austen - JB Jordan - NT Wright - fan of Pope Benedict XVI (gasp! Can an Anglican say that?!) - 24 - LOST - Alias - Smallville - Heroes ... um, surely there must be more...

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A Note to all my Faithful Readers:

I want each and every one of you to know that I never ignore either comments or messages - however, I turn off Xanga between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. so as not to be a distraction during home schooling.  I always try to catch up after school is done, so have no fear, if you have sent a message or question in a comment during the day, my response will be forthcoming!

Thanks!
:)
~Nettie~

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Nettie's Weight Loss Progress


April, 2008


January, 2009

Surgery was at the end of March, 2009.


July, 2009
60 lbs. and 4 pant sizes smaller.


October, 2009
70 lbs.

Nettie's Walking Log

October 3rd
1 mile in the evening

October 5th
2 miles in the evening


October 19th
2 miles in the morning


October 20th
1 mile in the morning

2 miles in the evening


October 21st
2 miles in the morning

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