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!

Is It Halloween Already?

I got such a kick out of seeing Dolly in her "hotdog" costume (see Brenda's blog)! How cute! It got me to thinking about last Halloween when Ally spent Halloween evening at our house. She sat out on the front porch with me all evening as the trick-or-treaters came and went, and of course everyone loved her and had to pet her. She helped me pass out candy and was very polite to everyone who stopped by. That was fun! This year of course she'll be in Chicago with Dave and Rachel - hey kids, will Ally have a costume? If I remember right, I believe Macey will be a fairy princess this year - how about little Kels? Of course I can't wait to see pictures! I think the weather is supposed to warm up, so that will be nice for the little ones. It's so much cooler today that even I was chilly! Ha Ha. You KNOW how often that happens - like never. I really love this time of year - putting new flannel sheets on our bed, lighting the fireplace and burning candles in the house. Puts me in the holiday spirit already! I always feel like once Halloween is over, the holiday season is really upon us.

Katie called the other night to say that she bought a new couch for her living room - I can't wait to see it. She has really decorated her apartment so cute. She will be leaving on Saturday for a few days in San Francisco, to attend a conference for work. It is quite a big event that occurs each year, with special speakers and such. She was excited to find out that the Foo Fighters (I'm so hip, right?) will be there one evening. Have fun, honey!

Well, I can't wait for the Pistons to play their first game of the season this week - finally, a team that can actually PLAY pretty well. What a pleasant change. I miss my sports - can't get too excited about the World Series, and of course the Lions don't count.

Aren't these felt Christmas ornaments adorable?

I'm thinking of buying the kit to make them: http://www.rosylittlethings.com/ornaments.html

Not much else going on at the moment, so will sign off for now. Happy Halloween everybody!

Well, Here I Am Again (Finally).....

The trouble with not posting for awhile is that I can't remember what I last wrote about, but oh well, no matter, I'll just give you a quick update of what's happening my way.

I think we all enjoyed Dad's 90th birthday cake/coffee celebration at church last weekend, followed by a BBQ lunch at our house. As you can see, I have attached a few pics. Speaking of Dad, I took him to have his hearing checked this week. As you know, he is one of the most lovable and even-tempered seniors around, but he still has a few feisty bones in his body - he was irritated, (I was too!) because it seems like every other month or so one or both of his hearing aids seems to need repair. Well, when we went in for the appointment, I asked about that, and we learned that even though his hearing aids were still under warranty, every time they were sent for repair, OLD parts were used to fix them! Duh! That's like using an old light bulb to replace the one that just burned out. Suffice to say, we left without him having his hearing tested - in his words (and he said this to the woman there) "I've had about enough of this outfit!" I had to laugh.

I'm watching the World Series tonight, but of course it doesn't have the same excitement as it would if either the Cubs or the Tigers were in it. I'm rooting for Tampa Bay. Also looking forward to the start of the Pistons season next week.

Scott and I went to our last art show for the season last Friday and Saturday - at the Little River Casino in Manistee. We also stayed there for the night. Very nice rooms, and we enjoyed a nice prime rib and seafood (well not me for the seafood) buffet there on Friday night. The art show ended up being pretty much a bust, and I quickly lost my $20 limit in the slot machines, but we still enjoyed ourselves a lot. On Friday we drove back up to the Beulah area, and I stopped at Mecca - the store that Carol raved about. It definitely was very cute and I spent quite some time there (while Scott slept in the car, as per normal). I picked up a cute little glittery red bird. Had pleasant memories of our stay up north as we also drove up M-22 to enjoy the colors, and went right past good old Herring Road. The colors were just perfect last weekend, and the weather cooperated nicely.

It was good to see most of the family over the weekend; we haven't seen Dave in awhile, and are really looking forward to all three of the Chicagoans (I guess I should say 4, including Ally) visiting for Thanksgiving. For those who don't know, we'll be having Thanksgiving with the Hamberg side this year; but the Nykerk Christmas will be at our house on Christmas Day! Thanks to Brenda for checking out the idea of our family sponsoring another family that's less fortunate - that should put all of us more in the Christmas spirit!

Have you heard? Ally got enough votes on the "Save the Chessies" site so that she will be a pin-up girl in the 2009 Chesapeake Bay Retriever calendar that the organization puts out. She is such a pretty girl! (A little bird told me that we will be receiving one from Dave and Rachel for Christmas....)

Hope Carol is starting to feel better soon....love to all!

A Good Time Was Had By All....

Well, we did it! Our trip up north was a success, and I think everyone had a good time. Hopefully dad enjoyed it too, although I'm sure it will take a few days for him to recover! He may need some extra sleep for awhile. I have to give him credit - he even tried going out on the pontoon boat on a chilly day. What a trooper!

Rachel and Katie have just left to go back to Chicago. I'm so glad they were able to come, too. I'm posting a few of my pictures here, and the rest I've posted to Snapfish.com (shamberg@charter.net, password: nellie, to access).

Thanks everyone, for making our family trip a success - it meant a lot that so many of you made the trip, and I know it meant a lot to dad.

By the way, our last crafting time will be Thursday evening at my house. Come one, come all!