Do you need a vacation??

      I guess it's time with this blog that I put a plug in for our resort!  Most of my readers arrive here via our resort website...but if you land on my blog from another blog, you might not even know about our cool vacation spot! 

      Our resort is what you would call a "seasonal" resort...we're only open from mid-May to mid-October.  We're on our own vacation right now...in our living room at the resort.  We enjoy the place so much that we don't even like to leave...except to visit grandkids! 

      Anyway, check out our website at http://www.crlodge.com/ and if you have never been here, you need to come!  We are in our 23rd year of doing our best to make your family's vacation the best you've ever had....EVER!  Better than Disneyland!  Well, we don't have Mickey, but we do guarantee that your vacation here will be one of the most relaxing weeks you've spent!  Everyone can find something to do.  The kids have an endless supply of activities...canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, giant beach area, heated pool, playground, the "Elfun Trail"....bingo, minnow races, movies, free ice cream, video games, pinball, pool table, famous milkshakes, french fries, new friends, great fishing off the docks and their very own resort dog for a week!  Wrigley loves people on vacation.

      So, I could post tons of pictures here, but if you go to our resort website, you'll see them there...then just click on the blog link there to come back here.  Bookmark us!  Check our cabin openings for the summer.  Leave a comment here...or contact us from the website.  We love entertaining you at our resort. 

      It's the best job we've ever had...and one we don't want to give up any time soon!  So...enjoy the winter...or not....and think about spending a week with us!  We like it here and you will too!

What a Difference a Day Makes!!

      Wow!  We went to bed last night with blowing snow and woke up to this.....compare the trees out the window to the photo in my last posting...

       We got about 6 inches of NEW snow on top of the piles we already had!  Steve can't keep up with the shoveling today...the wind blows the sidewalks shut as fast as he shovels. 

       And here's who came to visit in the middle of the storm.....

And here's some more pictures of winter at the resort....

Don't they look cold!!

So....we haven't had mail delivery since last Friday!  Now you have an idea of how much snow we've had!

Enjoy your warmer weather....wherever you are!  Summer is coming!!

My Favorite Room...

      In the winter time, my favorite room is my sewing room.  I can hibernate in there for hours at a time.  This past week, I took 2 days and sorted, labeled, folded and reorganized most of my "stash" of fabric.  If you're a true "fabriholic", the disease can ravage you from time to time...fabric just jumps into your arms when you're near a fabric store.  The smell of that fabric store makes you want to buy the neat little bundles and set them ever so nicely on your sewing room shelves, never to be used but just smelled and touched from time to time(right Barb?). 

      So, Jen, this chore is one reason that the boys quilts are "in progress" and have been for a few months.  Other fabrics holler at me and I have to stop what I'm doing and handle new fabrics, smell them and arrange them artfully on my shelves.

      I truly think my true calling might be the whole organizational thing...I can't resist organizing when I'm at someone else's house...my girls are all testimony to that.  They all humor me and let me organize their pantries, kitchen drawers, basements...I actually think they have begun creating "messes" before I arrive so that I'll feel needed!  Well, thanks girls, I do appreciate that.  And you can come organize my house any time you want!

      Below are some wonderful photos of my organized sewing abode...drool away...and come sew with me!  I love company...and Lord knows I have plenty of fabric/buttons/ribbons/etc. to share with everyone!

Trip to Illinois

     Well, my goal with this blog was to post at least once a week...but a trip to Illinois interrupted that goal!  We left home on 1/14 with grandson, Calvin, 5, in tow...4+ hours in the car and thank goodness for DVD players and Nintendo DS!  He still asked "are we there yet" a few times, but overall it was a good trip.  Arrived at Will's (7) house and stayed overnight. 

    

     Left Friday morning with both boys for our big trip to Illinois...they had never been there and with no school the following Monday, we had the opportunity to show them where their Dad/Mom grew up and lived...and visit the great grandparents and extended family.  I tried really hard to document the trip, but it was BUSY!  We had not traveled with youngsters in the car for many years!  But what fun we had.  We stopped at the famous Iowa 80 truckstop for lunch...they checked out the video games, toys, ate lunch and exercised their legs walking around before we got back in the car to continue the trip.  We counted the states we were visiting and Papa tried to throw in a little history along the way...that teacher in him just comes out sometimes!  The boys listened patiently...most of the time.  Then something would catch their eyes and the questions would start again.

     We arrived in Washington, Illinois, on Friday evening and had dinner with Great Grandma & Grandpa Addler, Nancy & Dave and Bruce & Chris.  The boys got roughed up by Dave & Bruce...something they probably needed after being in the car most of the day.  We spent the next 2 nights staying at my brother John's house...he and Les and the girls, Kayla & Megan provided all the fun the boys needed being away from home.  Kayla, 7, and Megan, 5, are great friends of the boys...they have fun together at the resort each summer so it was special to see them in the winter...the kids played non-stop.  I had packed 4 bingo cards from the lodge and a bag of "prizes" to play in the car...and the boys thought it was so cool they played several games with Kayla & Megan.  It was heart-warming to watch them have so much fun with their "cousins".  We went to visit Great Grandma Lee on Saturday afternoon, along with my brother, Dave, & Brenda, Kristin & Rob.  Will & Calvin found quiet ways to entertain themselves and again, were so well-behaved in a different environment.  We were proud of them and told them so.  We left our car with my brother and drove our "new" car home...leaving on Sunday morning for the trip back.

     Well, this trip back was very eventful!  We had reserved a night at The Hotel Rome in Wisconsin Dells.  As we got closer to that destination, we started telling the boys about the Dells...well, enough said...when we got off the exit the "wows" and "look look" started non-stop.  They were so excited...and I think we were thinking...are we really going to go down those water slides???  We arrived at the hotel, registered and the boys spotted the arcade area and asked to go...I think the arcades proved to be the FUN spot of the hotel.  We did drag them away from there and checked into our room as they oohed and aahed over the bunkbeds in the room.  We all got our swimsuits on and trekked over to the water park...and had a blast for 3+ hours!  Even these old folks had fun!  We swam, floated down the lazy river, sat in the hot tub and "played" with the boys.  We were surprised at how much fun it was...for these old folks!  Now we can say we've been to a water park...it makes our pool at the resort a little less exciting but...no...we're not adding those slides and fountains!  The Dells has it all...and I'm sure we'll be back!

     We arrived in Shakopee MN Monday afternoon, dropped off a very exhausted Will and continued our trip to Bemidji to drop off our other short person...we heard later from all their parents that they were very tired boys!!  Well, I think the grandparents were tired too!

     We are so thankful that we were able to spend this time with the older grandsons...and we look forward to future trips with the other grandkids...and we think 2 at a time is a good number!  If the kids on the trip outnumber the grandparents...it could be scary!  So, Ben & Nathan, you're next...just let us get rested up first!  And thanks, parents, for letting us create such blessed memories with our grandsons!

Our Crew

I just know you have all been waiting with baited breath for our Christmas photo...well, Steve and I sat down one evening...with 6 little boys and 2 precious little girls...to "TRY" to get a group photo.  We knew that trying to put all our kids/spouses/fiancee' in the picture too would just add to the calamity.  So, before we celebrated with these little ones and opened presents, we took their picture.  What fun! 

I'm sure we have about 20 different shots...but these are probably the best ones...smiles from some in the first picture and smiles from the rest in the second picture...that's pretty successful!

Then the mayhem started...paper everywhere...Jill is mobile so she was all over the room.  Monica watched her with awesome wonder hoping that she, too, would be mobile like that soon!  The presents were put aside and the little boys all headed downstairs to play...various activities...like jumping from the pool table to a mattress on the floor...who's idea was that?  I'm sure the stories will continue for many years to come!

We feel so blessed to be grandparents of these little ones...God is good!  Hug your babies and we will sure continue to hug ours!  Blessings to you all in the new year!

Addicted to Nintendo DS

And you kids out there don't think old people know how to play these new-fangled hand-held video games!!  I got a pink Nintendo DS last Christmas from Max & Sara...I thought it was really funny that a grandma gets her own DS to play!  But...I like it!  Now, my sewing pre-empts this DS playing most days, but sometimes it just feels good to sit and try and beat the game!  Tonite I was playing Calvin's new "I Spy" game...he left here accidentally so I decided to try it...well, an hour later I was so hooked...and doing quite well, too...of course the game is probably rated for very young children...but it takes Grandmas a little longer to get the whole eye/hand coordination thing going...but I think I could beat any of you now!

So...kids....bring your DS up this summer and we'll have some tournaments...I might even let you play with mine!  I doubt I'll have much time in the summer...so I'm making up for it this winter by playing my fool head off.  Does anyone have the "card sharks" game?  It has bowling on it...and that is addicting too.  I think that's the intention of Nintendo...don't you think? 

Don't tell Calvin, but I got him the baseball game for his DS for his birthday...I might have to open it before April and try it out...wouldn't want it to be too hard for him!!

Enjoy all that snow you Midwesterners!  We didn't get it this time, but I'm sure we will soon.  It's too stinkin cold to snow right now!

Maybe I'll play just one...more....game...before bedtime!

January Memories...

When I look out at the lake this time of year, I can't help but see memories of our kids playing hockey on the ice...the first winter they used brooms and a tennis ball.  Steve went to town and bought 4 hockey sticks and a puck...they were so excited!  No one had skates...they ran all over the ice with their boots, chasing that puck with their fancy hockey sticks and didn't even feel the cold air on their faces.

They'd come in after a game or two and we'd make hot chocolate.  As the years went on, some of them graduated to ice skates...John was only 4 that first winter....he probably could have been a famous hockey player if we had pursued that sport.  We didn't...instead, they all played basketball and some of them aspired to be "famous" basketball players like their Uncle Doug!

I imagine that one of these winters, I will look out the kitchen window and see little ones playing hockey again...these 6 little grandsons and 2 granddaughters will surely try out their parents' hockey sticks some day...the sticks are waiting in the garage for them!

DAYDREAMING...

Wishing it was warm enough for this...

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