Winter Is Here.....Camping Season is Over For Now.

Took me a while to get this post up, been kind of busy with other things.

We closed the camper up Halloween weekend, so now it is winterized and ready to greet us in the Spring.
Hopefully we will have better weather next year than we did this year.  Not many hot days, well not hot enough to get the pool temp up to a comfortable "warm".  It was quite cool most of the year.  There were a few weekends where it was very nice and the water was just right for swimming and/or just floating on our floaties and noodles.  I even acquired a moderate tan!

Now that winter is here, we stay in most of the time, maybe go out for dinner or to visit mom on the weekend.  I have taken up crochet again, and we have been watching a lot of old movies and lately the Christmas shows that have been on TV.

We haven't been playing much World of Warcraft, I guess we need a break from it.  I get on occasionally to do a few things but we don't stay on for hours like we did last winter.  It just isn't a priority for us.

I have been contemplating re-arranging furniture to get a different look, but not many ways to change it around in these small rooms.  The living room is pretty much the way it will stay since there aren't enough solid walls to put a couch against or enough room to re-arrange end tables or other furniture to make it work.  The bedroom is about the same although we have the option of moving the bed from one wall to the other, but that would make the angle at which we need to lay to watch TV would be an uncomfortable contortion LOL.

Missy Dawg continues to be a source of entertainment for us.  She seems to even converse with us.  We tell her something and she makes sounds like she is answering, or most likely sassing.  She knows our schedule and routines and never fails to remind me when it is time for bed, or when it is time for me to get up, even on a weekend!  She did finally adjust to the time change, took her about a week this year.  But she still doesn't know how to read a calender.

Work has been pretty steady, lots of Wal-Mart's and Sam's Clubs going up and we are doing almost all of them in our area.  We are looking for a new location for the office and warehouse since our landlord sold the unit we are in now and the new owner wants to use it for his own business.  So hopefully we have until maybe February to actually move out.  I am already stressing about the move, worrying about getting everything packed, getting rid of what we no longer need to keep, making sure everything gets moved without damage, especially the computers and my big plotter.  I am not going to worry about the warehouse, let the guys deal with it, but the office is mine and I have to make sure everything is moved and relocated at the new place in the correct locations.  I am really hoping to get an office that has more than 1000 s.f. this time, as we have literally grown out of what we have now.  The only other thing that concerns me is how much further I will have to drive to get to it.  I don't like expressway driving, so hoping it is somewhere that I can take back roads that are plowed and salted in the winter and don't flood in the summer.  Is that asking too much?

Our Annual Christmas Letter

Greetings to one and all,

We thought about sending out Christmas cards this year, but changed our minds. Then we thought about sending out a “newsletter” such as the ones we get from friends. You know the kind, they tell all about their year, the accomplishments of their kids, and the exciting things that happened to them throughout the year. We decided against that; all the kids are grown and on their own, we don’t go anywhere, and we don’t do much, so our letter would be so boring.

Ok, so maybe there are a few little tidbits to share.

Our main source of entertainment is our cat, Missy Dawg, or as she is affectionately known by some as “Fat Cat”. She is our alarm clock, our bed time nagger, and our watch cat. She lets us know when it is time to go to bed, such as when it is 9:00, regardless of the day of the week, by head butting our arm or whining in our face wherever we are. In the morning, she lets us know it is 5 am by being a plain pest and hitting one of us on the head with her paw until we get up. Then she goes to the alarm clock and hits it the way she sees us hit it to turn the snooze on. Only she manages to turn the sleep timer on and blare the radio. So we HAVE to react! Then she takes her place in the kitchen waiting for her treats and making sure her bowls are filled for the day. She greets us in the evening by waiting by the front door and making sure we follow her to the kitchen to give her the evening treats. And we never have to worry about squirrels or rabbits getting in; she makes sure we know they are out there. What would we do without her?

Tina and Rich are doing well in Alaska, getting settled in their new home. The twins, Kelby and Colby, were a year old in October and are growing faster than weeds. The Internet and Facebook have allowed us to see them grow from day one, their mom is very good about posting pictures. This past summer they went camping and just loved the experience!

Russ and Dee and the kids are now in a bigger place so the kids can have separate rooms and more play area outside. Sounds like a nice place and the best thing about it is they didn’t have to change schools. Jennifer is a sophomore in high school and already planning her college education. Cheyenne is in 8^th grade, doing very well and anticipating high school with her older sister. Lisa is in 2^nd grade and is smart as a whip; and Russell is in Kindergarten, and is a typical little boy. You have to remember he is up against three older sisters! All the kids do very well in school, all A’s and B’s.

Brian started working with a new company this year. He travels to several states in the country, some of which are Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York, to name a few. His company has accounts nationwide and he covers the Midwest, but seems like he goes more than just the Midwest states, but he enjoys it.

He just moved into his own place, a condo in Yorkville. He is still furnishing it but with as much time as he is away from home, he really doesn’t need much! We gave him one of the extra Christmas trees we had, and his box of ornaments that his grandmothers have been buying for him since he was a baby, along with other ornaments and lights so he can decorate his new place. He still comes by to visit, eat, and play World of Warcraft with us. We still don’t see wedding bells in his future but that’s ok. He is enjoying his life as it is.

We both play World of Warcraft and have a lot of fun doing it. It’s cheap entertainment and at least keeps our minds active! In the summer we go camping, and just won a year’s membership to the campground we go to, along with a lot. So we don’t have to worry about where we will pitch our tent, we will have our own “place”. The campground had a few members that just abandoned their lots and trailers, and the campground took possession and will be selling them in March. We were told there are a few travel trailers that would be just perfect for the two of us that are very affordable. So we are hoping to find one and have a permanent setup as opposed to pitching a tent every time we go there. So if you are trying to find us when the weather gets warm, that’s where we will be. We can always be reached on our cell phones, if we have them “on” us. ;)

So here’s to you, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Stay warm and safe, and for goodness’ sake, leave Santa some cookies and eggnog!

Love,

Russ & Karen

And Fat Cat.

Variation On A Theme

Every Christmas for the last 10 years or so, my sister and brother and I, and our spouses, have had a grab bag in lieu of buying gifts for everyone. We started out by drawing names and buying a gift for the person whose name we picked. There weren't too many rules, just that you couldn't pick yourself or your spouse, and started with a maximum of $20 to spend on the gift. We have brought the max up to $25 now, and have made changes to the way the gifts are selected.

For the first few years we wrote our name on a piece of paper, and a list of 3 things that we would like. This made it easy, but not challenging. Then we decided to write our name on a piece of paper and a single theme for the gift, such as food, liqour, something warm, etc. The possibilities were endless. One year we made a rule that no gift cards, since that was too easy.

One year we had one rule...the gift had to be a "gag" gift. That was the last year for that one!

This year, my sister, not I, came up with an idea for gifts..."Make it or bake it". Since not everyone in the grab bag is the creative or cooking type, I added that it could be something that was handmade as opposed to being mass produced. This could be something from a kiosk in the mall, which there are no shortage of but many of the items are handmade. There are also a lot of Christmas craft fairs at the different schools, churches, and park districts in the area. I added that there were numerous kits to be had at Michaels, Joann Fabrics, etc., that even the guys could create from!

The funny part of the suggestion when it was announced after Thanksgiving dinner as we always do, was they all that it was my idea! I plan on making everyone a little something, such as a key chain or phone charm, but I am still contemplating what I will make my intended recipient.
Sorry, I can't reveal who it is, that has to remain a secret until Christmas Day. But my sister usually figures out who has who by process of elimination, and she only needs to know who she has to do this, although now that my son and nieces and nephews are getting older and have jobs and will be involved with the grab bag, I have a feeling it won't be so easy to figure out who has who!

It will be interesting to see what everyone comes up with for their gift. Almost makes me feel like a little kid anticipating what Santa might leave under the tree!