Christmas Craziness!

Ahh, Christmas time! A season of celebrating Christ's birth, of spending time with family, of festive lights and colors, of snowy white scenes, of sugary treats, of love and laughter! It is an exciting year for us, as we have moved into a new home and can share that home with others!

We started out our Christmas activities with our staff Christmas party at the Landmark here in town! We left the restaurant with very full bellies!

The next night we had a little 'housewarming' party with my parents, grandparents and siblings. Joe cooked an AMAZING prime rib and we ate till we couldn't eat anymore! The conversation and laughter filled my home - I loved it!

On the 23rd we went out to my parents house for our own family's Christmas celebration and had a delicious breakfast for supper feast! Such a great thing to be able to spend the holidays with family!

Have I mentioned yet all the goodies and homemade treats everyone has given us?! Sugar rush!

On Christmas Eve, Joe's family came to our house for our Christmas celebration and yes, once again, we had a feast! Had a great time opening presents and spending time together!

For Christmas Day, Joe and I actually just stayed home and relaxed. Joe had to work the evening shift and I wasn't feeling too well, so it was good to just rest. I think we watched Christmas movies all day long!

The day after Christmas was the big Hilger family reunion. Wow - lots of people! Not everyone made it due to the weather, but several families braved to slick roads. The guys cleaned out the shop out by Joe's parents house so there was somewhere we all could fit! They even took the TV and the Wii out to the shop so the kids could all play. Laughter rang out, conversation abounded and we all had a merry little time!

Oh - and Joe's aunt and uncle and their 8 kiddos stayed with us for a few nights. I love that I was able to offer family a place to stay - again, I love my new house!

I think that is all for now! It has been a very BUSY Christmas - but oh so good. So good to be around family. So good to have a house full of kiddos and love and laughter! A good Christmas, indeed!

Judson's Birthday

We decided to throw Judson a surprise birthday party! We went behind his back and planned the whole thing - bowling, Bionicle/Transformer theme, cake, punch and all! We decided he would come over for his piano lessons as usual and then mom would head home, but take a detour at the store long enough for me to set up the decorations at the house and beat them to the bowling alley. Kelli was coming from Garden City and Rach was on her way home from college. Now, Judson wasn't expecting Rach to be home until really late that night. I don't think he quite figured out what all was going on until Rach walked in the door! He wasn't expecting to see her so soon!

We played one game, not that any of us were great bowlers, but we had a lot of fun! Judson wanted the bumpers up, but we gave him a few pointers and he got a few pins here and there. He even managed a strike at one point!

We ordered pizza and went back to the house to eat. Then the presents came out and FINALLY it was time for the Transformers cake. Mmmm...it was delish!

I sure hope he enjoyed it! I think the rest of us did! It was good to be together!

November 2009

Wow, what creative titles I have come up with! And wow, it has been a while since I have posted, too! Whatever have I been doing?

Well, since we bought the house in October, we thought MAYBE we would be in by Christmas. Well, thru a whirl-wind of activities, we actually moved in the second weekend in November! We spent one week furiously cleaning every knook and cranny and did plenty of painting. Since I decided to paint a beautiful red color on my kitchen wall - it took 3 coats of paint plus primer. I didn't think I would ever be done painting it. But, I must say, I LOVE how it turned out!

My grandparents wanted to help us out by either helping pay a down payment or by helping buy new furniture. I had already started saving up for a new dining table, so the extra money meant I could buy one earlier than I had planned. We decided to make a trip to Garden just to pick one out, but I really didn't expect to find one I liked. I had been looking, but never found 'the one'. Well, we go to the first store and I tell the sales person what I am looking for - a square table that seats at least 8. The only square tables they had were the taller counter height ones, not what I was looking for. HOWEVER, right beside those tall square tables was this GORGEOUS, dark, long table. It was a simple style, yet a little bit elegant. I fell in love! Yep, it now graces my dining room and I couldn't be more happy!

Best of all, we celebrated Thanksgiving at our new house with Joe's parents and their pastor's family - and we all fit nicely around the big table! I love having a big table for big dinners!

Oh, and one of the most AWESOME features of the new house...I have a scrapbook room! An entire room dedicated to scrapbooking! Already I have used it so much! I actually haven't scrapbooked, but I have worked on Jr. Church lesson materials and getting crafts ready for the kids! I truly love that I can spread out my stuff, and if I don't have time to put it up right away, then I don't have. I wasn't able to do that before, I needed to have the kitchen table cleared to eat at!

We have thoroughly enjoyed being homeowners. No, the house isn't perfect, and there are many things that we would change. It still is the nicest place we have ever lived, and most importantly, it is OURS!

October 2009

Picture of Table Rock Lake, Branson

It has been so long since I have posted, it has just been so busy lately! Where did October go?

So what has kept us busy this month?

We are now officially home owners! Yay! After many phone calls, tons of paper work and several signatures, we now own our first home. We bought Andrew and Meghan's house, as they are moving out to the farm. We hope to be all moved in before December gets here!

With plans to go on vacation for the last week of October there was much preparation. I had to work ahead on things at my job, as it is a busy time of year. And right smack dab in the middle of it all, our chickens - which mom raised for us, since we live in town - were ready to butcher. So the day before we left on vacation, we went out and butchered 19 chickens. Yes, most people think it is gross, but it sure does save us alot of money at the grocery store.

At last, the long awaited final week of October got here. Joe's parents decided to take all the family to Branson for a week. This was all a part of Joe's dad's birthday celebration. You see, on Sunday, we all went to church with Joe's parents and had a surprise birthday dinner and party after church. Yeah, Nin thought we were up to something when we all showed up at their church! After the party we took off for Branson.

We had to stop off at the Springfield Bass Pro Shop, of course, so the guys could get some fishing gear, but on Monday afternoon we finally made it to Branson.

It is SO beautiful there. All the leaves were turning to their glorious fall colors and it made for some amazing views! We stayed at a resort right off of Table Rock lake. The guys enjoyed a little bit of fishing and even caught a 15 pound fish on their jug lines.

We went to the Talking Rocks Caverns (and no the rocks do not talk!) and had quite the time there.

One day was spent at Silver Dollar City going on rides and shopping at all the little shops. Even I rode a roller coaster - but only after my hubby tricked me into it, but that's a whole other story!

A few of us went to downtown Branson and did a little shopping and ate out. Each evening we relaxed in the awesome hot tub - which was especially nice cause us flatlanders were just not used to walking up all those hills in Branson!!

The week came to an end and the girls left the guys in Oswego to hunt while we made the drive back home. As much as I LOVED the vacation and all the fun that we had, it was really good to be home!

And now on to November, which will be just as busy as October was. I need to start packing. I have a new house to paint, clean and move into. The holidays are coming up and I really need to start thinking about Christmas shopping....

We'll see how long it takes for the next post!

Sisters, Sisters!

While Rach was home for the summer I intended to spend alot of time with her and Kelli. We weren't able to spend as much time together as we would have liked to, but the bits and pieces of time here and there were lots of fun!

One particular trip to Garden was great. We had breakfast at IHOP and went to the zoo. After hours of shopping we hit Patrick Dugan's Coffee for a little break. I so enjoy the time I get to spend with my sisters. I am very glad that we all have a good relationship! I hope next summer when Rach is home we make it a point to get together more often!

Picking the Garden and Canning the Goods!

Well, this year is my first year for a garden and my first year to can. I was VERY nervous about the whole canning process. I was afraid that I wouldn't do it right and all my food would be ruined. I was afraid that I wouldn't get the canner lid on right and it would explode and I would burn my face with the steam. I was afraid all my jars would break or that they wouldn't seal. Yes - I imagined up every possible scenario!! I had read the books my mom gave me, but I still wasn't feeling very confident, so I asked for her tips. Well, bless her heart, so typed out the whole process - from beginning to end - and emailed it to me. I printed it out and read it several times and most of my worries were put to rest. The next day I went out to my garden and dug up all my carrots and spent the next few hours washing, peeling, and slicing them! And when it came time to can - well, that was the easy part! I was able to get 5 quarts of carrots and they all sealed! Now, I just have to be patient till winter time and pop open a jar and see how they taste!

I am now confident that I can do the rest of the canning. I only got 2 pickings out of my peas and then it got too hot for them - but they were delicious! I put one quart of peas in the freezer. My green beans are doing really well, and we have had them for a few meals. I will have to save a few days worth of pickings to be able to can them. We have cucumbers and LOTS of yellow squash! The okra still has a ways to go - but so far so good. I have one little bell pepper, but several more blooms, so I hope I get a good crop of bells. Joe's jalapeno's have taken off and the plants are full of them - his habanero's haven't really done anything yet, though. And our tomatoes, well, they aren't doing so great. Of the 6 we planted, only one is still alive. The one has lots of blooms and just the other day we found our first little tomato! So I hope all those blooms turn into tomatoes!

This garden has been a learning experience. We don't have a bumper crop or the nicest looking garden - but we are getting some good produce and are learning how to do things different for next year!

July 4th Weekend

Moe and Jess invited us to go with them to Canton Lake in Oklahoma for the July 4th weekend. Jess's family owns a few trailer houses down there and have a few boats, jet ski's, tubes, and kneeboards and make use of them all as often as they can get to the lake! We were very excited to go as we have never been jet skiing, tubing or kneeboarding before! And, well, we miss the ocean and the lake was as close to the ocean as we were gonna get! We were in for a surprise because the lake is HUGE - I wasn't expecting it to be so big! Joe and I both got to ride the jet ski's and the next day we took turns driving them - I think they were my favorite part! Tubing was quite an experience! It was such fun, but my arms were so sore from hanging on for dear life! Joe attempted the kneeboarding and even got up on the board a few times, but didn't make it far. I didn't try that one - maybe next time! I loved being in the water and now have a good tan - a few burnt spots too - but they'll tan nicely!! In the evenings, all the guys set out jug lines for fish and the next morning they went and picked them up. Jess and I had stayed back at the house and when the guys came back Joe was yelling for me to get my camera - they had caught a BIG fish. Big was right! The catfish weighed 20 pounds and was 34 inches long! Those guys were so excited about their catch! It was such a great weekend! A great time getting to know Jess's family. A great time on the water. A great time for fishing. A great time to just get away and have some fun!