Ta Da!

Now Announcing! (drum roll, please) Scott and Jean's new and improved Etsy site! Yes, we were inspired by my sister Carol, who at last count had sold 18 items on her shop - way to go!), to post some of our stuff on our site again as well. We originally opened up an Etsy site like two years ago, but only posted a few items and then more or less gave it up.

However, we've decided to try again. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try"....you get the idea.

If you 'd like to check it out, go here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=73278

Also, about Friday morning - Rachel N., so wish you could join us for breakfast! Bren/Jen, we'll give you a call on Bren's cell phone (I'll bet we'll run into you somewhere, too!) sometime after 8:00am.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

What? Thanksgiving Already?

Everybody wants to get into the act! My little buddies and I wish all our friends and loved ones near and far a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Scott and I tried a new restaurant last night called JoJo's Supper Club - It's in Douglas. We had driven down to Saugatuck to pick up my favorite dressing at the Butler Pantry - and by the way, Saugatuck was having their Christmas Open House and the little village looked absolutely lovely - Christmas lights everywhere, and balls of lights that seemed to be suspended from the trees and floating in the air. It was magical! I highly recommend that if you have a free evening it's nice to just drive through - kind of gives you a nostalgic feeling. Although I haven't mentioned this to Katie yet, I'm hoping that when she comes home for Christmas, we might take a carriage ride in Saugatuck this year. I read that it costs only $5 per person for a 15 minute ride. Anyway, we also decided to drive through Douglas - also very nice - there's something special about the little towns/villages that are decked out for Christmas. I love it! I digress. I had seen this JoJo's place online and we decided to give it a try. All in all, not super great, but like I told Scott, it's always fun to try new places! Actually, I did have a very nice curry carrot soup that was very good, but Scott was not overly impressed with his burger, which was served up on raisin bread! Gourmet, I guess? Oh, well...

Today we went to Sam's Club to stock up on some things before our current membership runs out next week. Got some good deals, and ran into Karen & Gary Collings and our neighbors from down the street there. I think by the time we chatted and got through all of the aisles, we were there for over 2 hours!

I've really enjoyed seeing all of the pics and reading the blogs from the rest of the family. Bren and Jen especially keep up with things so well, and always have entertaining tales to tell, and pics to show. And I'm proud of Carol and her work on her Etsy site! It looks great, and things are beginning to sell, too! Way to go, sis.

Some of you may have heard that Herman Miller will be letting go quite a few workers in the next few weeks. Although we feel pretty confident that Scott will keep his job, it's still a bit unnerving. All those who will be let go will know prior to the Christmas holiday, so that's good. The company has been very good about keeping everyone informed. They offered a "buyout" to whoever was interested, but we decided to wait it out and see what happens.

Can't wait to have the kids and Ally home for Thanksgiving! They arrive on Wednesday, and will be staying until Sunday morning. You know what THAT means! Whoo Hoo! Friday morning shopping! There should really be some good deals this year. Hey, I was wondering - would any of you like to meet the girls and me for breakfast somewhere around 9:00am or so? Where would be a good place? It would be great to see you, since we'll be at the Hamberg side of the family for Thanksgiving this year. How about sharing your ideas either on your blogs or via email?

Are You In The Holiday Spirit? I Am.......

Greetings one and all!

http://mistletoemakeover.com/?79576d0ed9e910acc8b0dd882c95a5d6

Cute As Can Be!

OK, Rachel forwarded this on to me; she had received it from Dave. For those of you who love cute little puppy dogs, check it out!

http://cdn1.ustream.tv/swf/4/viewer.45.swf?cid=317016

Dave - Where did you find this?

Cold in Chicago, But Warm Hearts All Around...

Welcome to Shedd Aquarium!

Katie and "friend."

As "per normal" we had a great time in Chicago visiting our wonderful children. Dave and Rachel bought a bed and dresser for their 2nd bedroom, and we brought back a mattress set that we had been storing for them. So, they now have a very comfy 2nd bedroom in their condo, which Scott and I used this weekend - and we slept like logs. It was great! We also stopped at Katie's place to see her new couch - she picked out a very nice one - it looks terrific!

The pictures above are from our trip to Shedd Aquarium, where we went on Saturday. Had a great time there, and especially enjoyed the show they call "Training the Shedd Way" - where they had some rescue dogs which they have trained to do tricks using the same methods they use with their dolphins, seals, etc. It was very entertaining. We also really liked the "Planet Earth" presentation entitled the "Shallow Seas" - we had to wear 3-D glasses for that - you know, where everything on the screen looks like it's coming right at you. Plus, there were really cool effects like wind blowing, things poking you in the back of the head, swishing around your feet, etc. - great fun! We really enjoyed ourselves! Then, on the way back to the condo, Dave stopped at one of our favorite places - Choppers! They have the best chocolate shakes I've ever had, plus great Chicago "dogs." Very good food, lots of it, and for a good price, too. Rachel was all prepared to make lasagna for us last night, but we ate too much at Choppers, and so we decided we couldn't eat that much (she made it tonight instead, I hear...), but she made some of her delicious guacamole and chips for us, and that really hit the spot. We even played a fun round of Trivial Pursuit before heading off to bed. What a fun day!

Dave went to the Bears game today, and so he left early with his friend Chris Gall (one of the groomsmen - remember?). It was really cold out today so he had to bundle up. Rachel made waffles for Scott and me, and then it was off for Holland. We made it home by early afternoon, and so were able to relax, watch the Lions for about 5 minutes before I got totally disgusted, and then watch the Pistons lose to the Celtics. Let's just say that the earlier part of the weekend far surpassed the later part.

We'll be dropping off the little red sports car at Dad's tomorrow to store in the garage for the winter (boo hoo). That means it's getting cold out! Since we missed having him for dinner here today, we're taking him out to Russ' tomorrow night. I think maybe I'll have the turkey dinner that they have this time of year. I have to admit that I do enjoy the foods that are typically served in the fall, like baked squash, pumpkin pie, etc. Yum! Hope all of you had a good weekend! Looking forward to hearing about Jim and Rachel's trip, too....

What a Lovely Day!

What beautiful weather we're having! I'm enjoying the Indian Summer. I have put out my cute little Thanksgiving pilgrims that I bought up in Glen Arbor when we were there. Decorating the house always gets me in the holiday spirit.

It's been a big week for "change" - new president, and new Detroit Piston (which is more important - ha ha?). I was initially VERY disappointed to hear that both Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess were traded to Colorado (for Allen Iverson, just in case you've been living under a rock or have been in San Francisco for the last few days). However, I trust Joe Dumars, and from what I hear he wants to make room in the salary cap for LeBron James down the road. But, I'll miss "Mr. Big Shot", that's for sure. He and Dyess are both class acts. I wish them well.

Katie called me from her office this morning to let me know she had returned safe and sound from her San Francisco trip. She had a wonderful time, but didn't get home until midnight last night, so she's very tired. I told her to rest up tonight, because Scott and I will be going to Chicago tomorrow around noon, to stay for the weekend. Rachel and Dave were trying to think of some fun things for us to do, and we decided it would be fun to go to Shedd Aquarium on Saturday. They have some kind of a show about training animals, including dogs, and so that will be fun. http://www.sheddaquarium.org/new_at_shedd.html.

They also have an IMAX-type thing there, where when you go to view the movie, there are also sound effects, wind, smells, etc. Cool. http://www.sheddaquarium.org/4Dtheater.html

I'm looking forward to our family breakfast next Saturday, at 9:00am at the Biscuit. For those of you who need to know, it's located in Washington Square, right across the street from Pereddies. See you there!