The Good Life

I am READING again!

2012-01-16T17:46:00.001-06:00

So far this year I am on book 3! Yes, you read right, book THREE!

You are my Only for school
Happy Birthday by Danielle Steel
Gone for Good by Harlan Coben

My 'Fall into Reading' didn't do too well! But it'll keep on going!

2011-12-22T10:26:00.002-06:00

I have to admit, I left myself hanging here this time around...ooops!
I commited myself to reading these books for a reading challenge:

READ! Roses by Leila Meacham (I do recommend this book! Loved it and couldn't put it down! Read it in one week!) Full of Love by Nancy O'DellTangled by Carolyn MacklerThe 39 Steps by John BuchanReclaiming Lily by Patty LaceREAD! all these things i've done (chocolate is contraband; caffeine is illegal; the city is riddled with crime;) I just had to read this book by Gabrielle Zevin when it arrived at the library. I love chocolate and coffee...so I had to take it home. I'll be offering it to our High School students, or I'll just put it on display and see how long it takes to be checked out...now that would be interesting to see! LOL!

As you can see, I read TWO of them and loved them! The other's...well...life just got in the way...and I love reading, but there was just too much other things going on. I did read one more book, but the title escapes me just now...and I have plenty of reading materials for the holidays...but also many other things I have to do.

Yet, I did like the Fall into Reading and I am looking forward to the next one!
In the meantime I hope to actually read the books above and I have many more on my list now. Books that are right here now and will have to be read:

These are books from School/work to be able to know what they are about and if the students would like them.

I now pronounce you Someone Else by Erin McCahan
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Caught by Harlan Coben
And proof read You are my Only by Beth Kephart
And maybe I'll start to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (not thrilled about that one so I'll see how it goes. It is not on the shelf at work and most likely won't go there either!)

I am also in the middle of The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and charging my eReader as I type! That will be the first one I am finishing before I go on the the once I really would like to read :-) And see how many I can finish in the next two weeks without work!

Thanks for this Fall into Reading project! I did enjoy it and found that many of your readers were answering your questions the way I would, or very close to them. Reading is important and I love to read!
The two kids' books I won went to my niece and nephew for their first birthday, and they just love looking at books. I am so thrilled that they are enjoying them at this young an age, as it hopefully will continue into their teenage years. Books is what I gave my son all the time, and he loves reading too. As he is now almost 30 years old it is hard to get him the book he likes, so I think a gift card to the local store is going to be under the tree this year.

I'll try and keep my reading log full and up to date on here. We'll see how all this will be coming along with the busy life I lead...just give myself a kick and make myself do it! LOL!

First part of Miami visit

2011-12-13T06:52:00.000-06:00

Oh, wow! I think I am loosing my mind!
There hasn't been anything written here since October...what am i doing all the time? Well...I did spend 10 days in Miami for Thanksgiving, and now I am trying to work on those pictures...but look, it's been almost a month and I only have done two pages...hmmmm...guess there were a few other distractions around too.
I'll try to get more up on here the next few days, but I'll be busy again too...what is going on in life...we shouldn't be getting busier as time goes on.

Well, I hope you will enjoy these two pages until I have time to make more :-)

Wow! It's time to start blogging again!

2011-10-10T06:40:00.001-05:00

So here is what's up with my life...busy! LOL!
Between working at the High School now, doing my scrapbooking business, crop myself, try to read, and get some cross stitching done, my life doesn't let much time for cleaning house and blogging...oh, yeah, I also watch way too much TV with Jason. How many more Stargate: Atlantis are there on Netflix?
Anyway, I have also been going on vacations way too much this year...and vacation is a lot said when I go to see my sister and her twins...that's why I have to scrapbook so much! Finished up my June trip and decided on what pictures I'll scrap for my August trip, but now I have over 180 and will have to select again.
In between all that we also went house hunting with Jason and he's closing on a house this week...yeah...then renovation will start...more scrapbooking for me :-)
See, I am having way too much to do!
Check out my reading list...of course I'll have to update that already as I am now reading a book that is not on my list...that's what happens if you work in a library, you keep finding books that sound interesting. And we haven't even received the big order of books yet!
The we have scrapbooking parties at my house! Had one on Saturday with two good friends. We all got something done! Next event is going to be a Friday evening and all day Saturday one. Oct 21-22, "wanna come?"!
Here are two more pages of Alina and Niels. I can't see them as much as I would like to, so I have to make pages of their faces!

So, I'll get my StoryBook for the year done by January and the twins by Christmas and I also have to work on some calendars for Dan and Jason. Those will hopefully be a surprise for them...we'll see if they read my blog!
Well, that is all for today. I'll try to keep this one going more and will post more of my pages.
Till next time, and oh, don't forget to leave a message for me! I love them!

Question #1 answered!

2011-09-28T17:17:00.003-05:00

The question on Callapidder Days was:

How much do book reviews influence your decision to acquire and/or read a book?

And my answer is:

If a friend or family member recommends a book I'll read it. I don't always like the book but hey, if my friends like it I ought to know what they are talking about. i have only once not liked a book a friend suggested to the point where I didn't finish it. Otherwise I just finish the book 'cause maybe it'll take a turn...
I also listen to authors talk sometimes and if they talk about a book I am inclined to just see if it is good (as I am doing with 'Rose's and '39 Steps' which are on my list), I also will read a book before I see the movie (just read 'The Help' so I can go and see the movie, or, as with 'Pillars of the Earth' I watched the show and then got the book and the sequel to read. They also were recommended by my sister after I talked to her about the show.
I like that you are asking questions and we have to find something to write about ourselves. There are some interesting view points on here!

Updated!!! Fall Into Reading 2011

2011-09-25T14:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I will try and do this list...and these are the only books for now I can think of. I hope no one will mind if I update this list later!
I am going to jump into the Fall Into Reading 2011 challenge, sponsored by Katrina at Callapidder Days. Create your list of books and sign up here. And I heard there are giveaways!

My friend has been doing this for a while and I think it might be time to join her in this. :-)
Let's see who else is going to join us in this endeavor.

And here is my list:

READ! Roses by Leila Meacham (I do recommend this book! Loved it and couldn't put it down! Read it in one week!)
Full of Love by Nancy O'Dell
Tangled by Carolyn Mackler
The 39 Steps by John Buchan
Reclaiming Lily by Patty Lace
READ! all these things i've done (chocolate is contraband; caffeine is illegal; the city is riddled with crime;) I just had to read this book by Gabrielle Zevin when it arrived at the library. I love chocolate and coffee...so I had to take it home. I'll be offering it to our High School students, or I'll just put it on display and see how long it takes to be checked out...now that would be interesting to see! LOL!

2011-09-22T22:39:00.002-05:00

Well, I think I will just post some more pictures up on my post about what I have been doing lately...

Left side of the book taken today for their 10 month birthday.

And the right side of the book, also taken today...I think, for Oma's birthday tomorrow.

I just took all the pictures and made pages for their books.

And here it goes...

...Mama, Zum Geburtstag die besten Wuensche von den Bush's in Texas!

Well, need to update with a few more pictures!

2011-06-25T10:22:00.000-05:00

Where did the time go? May is gone...oh, and June is almost done too! Well, guess I'll have to put some June pages up and get working on more and put them up also! Let me tell you, it's been a busy year so far, and no end in sight either...it's just going to happen, no sweat!

The babies in March (left panel) and in June (right panel).

Might be a long time before I see them again.

Just cooking and playing around for a day!

Here is all we did in May! End of School & fly to Mexico for a wedding!

Spend a great weekend in Mexico with my parents.

Dan had a great day at the airshow and I finally did some pages for him...this is one of 5!

Oh, Mother's Day falls in May!

Oh, see, another one of Dan's pages makes it's appearance here!

More pages of my life! LOL!

2011-05-24T07:03:00.000-05:00

We have to say good bye to many good friends!

Need a t-shirt or sweatshirt? Too many Bison, not enough Eagles!

Dan takes pictures too...seems they are all of airplanes though! Love it!

My favorite babies! 6 month! Time flies!

And yes, sometimes I do cook and when the guys join...well!

Alles Gute Zum Muttertag!

2011-05-08T08:51:00.000-05:00

My Mother is something else. So I called her this morning (on skype so I can see her) and she proceeds to tell me all she has done already this morning. Cooked 24 jars of jelly, made yeast dough and turned it into cinnamon rolls, cooked a big meal (potato salad and Spiessbraten!), and had everyone over for a mother's day lunch (even my nephew who invites himself and then brings a friend along - well, my mom told him he could), and now she is making coffee to take to the ranch along with the cinnamon rolls! Bummer, I want to be home too and enjoy all this! Well, a few more weeks and she will be here! But then it's my time to spoil her as I am the only one who spoils her...you should see what my sister does...she makes my mom cook and freeze meals for her for the next few months until she comes again! Yep, that's my mom...always on the lookout for us (I need to do more baking and dirtying of my oven so she can clean something when she comes!) LOL!

I LOVE MY MOM!

2011-05-06T22:57:00.002-05:00

2011-05-06T22:54:00.000-05:00

So, last night Rhowdie kept barking a warning bark, then we woke up with him barking one bark, this morning I called on him twice to stop, he also was growling a low growl. When I checked 'their' room, Jaeger was in his bed and Rhowdie about 4 feet away from him. Just shined my cell in there and didn't look close. Just didnt' know what was going on.

Well, I am glad I didn't check, Dan told me this evening that Rhowdie was kind of behaving weird when he wanted to take him out, and Jaeger (who btw is the bigger one and the Rottweiler) kept hiding and staying away from Rhowdie (the little Husky mix). Dan realized that Rhowdie was 'protecting' his baby...a dead squirrel!!!! He let Jaeger out and then was working with Rhowdster. He of course wanted to keep his pet and take it out with him. When he finally dropped it, bc he knows that's the only way he can get out, Dan had to work fast to get him out so he could clean up the squirrel and the room! Great!!! Luckily I didn't check closer on the two this morning. And now you have your funny for the weekend!

Haven't posted anything lately, so here we go!

2011-04-22T07:21:00.000-05:00

Babies!

2011-02-25T06:12:00.000-06:00

Here are some pages for the baby book I am making for the babies. They are soo much fun to make! And the babies are just too cute anyway!

2011-02-07T06:45:00.000-06:00

My 2-page layout for Niels' and Alina's books.

Going shopping

2011-02-04T12:40:00.000-06:00

Another shopping trip in tucson

Sent from my Samsung Captivate(tm) on AT&T

Tucson visit

2011-02-03T11:14:00.001-06:00

Spending time with my sister, niece and nephew, and sometimes with bil too. Having way too much fun and getting to stay way longer then planed as Abilene usa iced in...yeah!!

2010-12-19T11:31:00.001-06:00

Not happy being sick. But Dan takes god care of me and is making lunch and going out to buy the Sunday paper.

So, today we took Christmas Card photos...

2010-12-11T17:12:00.001-06:00

...well, here are the rejects, they will end up in next years book of this year...get it? LOL!!!

And for the real Christmas Card you will have to tune in on Christmas! Until then...do some reading and don't forget to send me some mail :-0

Love Ya!

In Tucson with the Twins...part 2

2010-11-27T07:42:00.000-06:00

So here is Niels!

In Tucson with the Twins...

2010-11-26T00:11:00.000-06:00

...here are the first pictures of me and Alina.

Dan's Surprise Party!

2010-09-17T03:25:00.000-05:00

Guess who turned 60 today!

2010-09-15T22:16:00.000-05:00

It was fun to surprise Dan today with a party! Jason took Dan away shopping for an hour...hard job as Dan wanted to come home and eat the meal I made for "tonight" but really didn't serve as we were having surprise guests and I had appetizers for them all! It was a great surprise for Dan!
Thanks to all who were able to come, and we missed all who couldn't make it!
Tomorrow evening I should be able to post some pictures of the "burning cake"!!!

Dumb quiz!

2010-08-18T06:58:00.000-05:00

Take this quiz (You can take it here.), which is hosted by The Art Institute of Vancouver ! But it isn't what I am at all! Go figure!!!
You know you want too, just when you were a teenager and took all those tests in the teenie magazines! This one also comes out with fake results! Hope you enjoy it, and let me know what you come back as :-)

Thank you for taking the Creativity Test. The results show your brain dominance as being:

Left Brain	Right Brain
43%	57%

You are more right-brained than left-brained. The right side of your brain controls the left side of your body. In addition to being known as right-brained, you are also known as a creative thinker who uses feeling and intuition to gather information. You retain this information through the use of images and patterns. You are able to visualize the "whole" picture first, and then work backwards to put the pieces together to create the "whole" picture. Your thought process can appear quite illogical and meandering. The problem-solving techniques that you use involve free association, which is often very innovative and creative. The routes taken to arrive at your conclusions are completely opposite to what a left-brained person would be accustomed. You probably find it easy to express yourself using art, dance, or music. Some occupations usually held by a right-brained person are forest ranger, athlete, beautician, actor/actress, craftsman, and artist.

Look who's having a birthday!

2010-07-25T08:43:00.001-05:00

Happy 3rd Anniversary to two special people!

2010-07-14T17:56:00.000-05:00

Vuvuzela Hero

2010-07-12T07:27:00.000-05:00

Vuvuzela Hero

If you don't follow my Facebook account, here is what you are missing :-)

Need to get another Vuvuzela fix now that soccer is over? Here you go!

My mother can cook!

2010-07-11T11:17:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-08T07:01:00.000-05:00

2010-06-11T08:55:00.000-05:00

Moenchbruch

Hmmm...seems that my pages are all to big and they don't fit here...go on my facebook site to see them all!

You just have to become my friend.

Paris!

2010-06-10T01:46:00.000-05:00

RAIN! IT RAINED ON MY WAY HOME!

2010-06-03T08:04:00.002-05:00

After work I did have to stop at two stores, one for Dirk, one for me...had I not stopped so long at the first one I would have made it home before this hit! There was even some hail in this...people waited in the stores, but that's just not so me! I got a bit wet, but made it home looooong before the weather changed.

I was looking forward to swimming though, and that didn't happen :-(

Today!

Oh, in three days I'll be packing the last few things and on my way!

ONE WEEK!!!...

2010-05-30T08:05:00.000-05:00

...and I am off to Germany!!! :-)

Am I sounding exited or what? Well, this is not just a visit to my family and home, but I am taking a bunch of woman friends along to see the beauty of Germany (What the heck was I thinking???!!!)

Anyway, we have an itinerary for the FOUR weeks we will be there with hardly any free time (free time? I won't have any free time...I will have to be the one coming up with stuff to do! Luckily I have my Mama who is even more exited then I am and she is finding stuff to do! YEAH!!!)
So, if we all agree then it will be an easy trip, if we start disagreeing, then I have the say of what we'll do and when...hey, it's a win-win situation for me...or at least I think so...

What will we do? Well, here are the highlights: train to Paris, train to Berlin and Dresden, bus to Oberammergau (The Passion Play is in session and we have tickets). In between there will be a lot of ice cream eating...the weather better plays along...you know, "when angels travel the weather will be nice"!
And here is my first page of the Storybook I will be working on while on this vacation:

It's all about having F-U-N!!!

Have you gotten the theme for this trip? It's airplane, car, ship, bus, vans...Any mode of transportation will work for us...better have good shoes along as that is going to be needed also...there is loads of sightseeing involved...walking, walking, walking! :-)

STAY TUNED TO UPDATES ON THIS SITE...WHEN ~~WEATHER~~ TIME PERMITS!

The Two Howling Backyard Wolves

2010-04-25T18:52:00.003-05:00

I hope I can upload this video to here and you can listen too it...there isn't much to see! I had to hurry and grab the camera to take this video. Tried it about 15 minutes earlier, but it didn't work as they quit before I had the camera. Was a bit faster the second time around, and tomorrow I am just going to wait till the ice cream truck is here and then take them when they are in full swing of howling! You can also find this video on my facebook.

The Renovation Page

2010-04-12T19:41:00.000-05:00

And Sandra wanted to see some better pictures of the bathroom, well, here are some and after I go shopping for more of the detail stuff I'll post some more :-)

It's Anniversary Time!

2010-04-11T10:09:00.000-05:00

30 Years ago Dan and I got married...what a time that was!

My parents did give me a great send off! And Dan did get home in time to get married, but that is a whole 'nother story! Actually we were married on the 10th at the CourtHouse...a must in Germany, so we celebrated yesterday...by doing taxes!!!

I guess after 30 Years no one remembers anyway and we just kept to ourselves!

Pizza and Gyro's from Dante's at the Mall, not even delivery, Dan picked it up!

And lunch was left-over stew from Easter LOL!!!

We watched a movie...oh, never mind...wasn't good at all and will get back into the mail today!

I made coffee this morning and Dan is just now getting me breakfast, Eggs, Ham and Toast...don't even have to get away from the computer! Sometime today we'll have Texas Steak Express...Dan promised me yesterday...so life is good for us!

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Sandra & Clayton

Well, these two have to tell you their own story...I am not one to spill the beans...sometimes :-)

Anyways! Today is their 5th Anniversary of Married Bliss! So I hope they will enjoy this day and do something for the fun of it. Take the Puppy for a walk, and take Cinnamon along for the fun!

Ahhh...Jason made Pizza for us!

2010-03-04T21:52:00.002-06:00

Okay, here are today's pics of the dogs in the snow...oh, yeah, some humans too!

2010-02-23T19:36:00.002-06:00

Well, trying to add pictures, but for some reason it tells me that there is no image available...ah, I want to put my own image on it!

Well, if you want to see today's pictures, you will have to find me on Facebook :-) you know my name so it's not that hard! Maybe later today or tomorrow it will work.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Okay, I'll post again :-)

2010-02-22T23:26:00.000-06:00

Hmmm...don't know when I posted last, but I do have to post these pictures so you can see it snowed AGAIN in Abilene! This makes snow #6 this season!

Muss halt mal wieder was posten damit ihr sehen koennt das hier mal wieder etwas Schnee liegt! Es hat zum 6. mal geschneit :-) Feuer im Kamin und mit den Hunden spielen so ist's schoen. Es soll heute nacht noch mehr schneien und morgen auch noch etwas, nicht mehr als 30 grad werden, natuerlich sind das Fahrenheit!

My nomination for the first Lufthansa A380

2010-02-17T17:45:00.000-06:00

My nomination for the first Lufthansa A380: "The A380 the new Lufthansa flagship, a special experience, the Lufthansa A380. Find out more about the fascination of a new era in air travel. Take part, Raffles, Downloads, Photos, Video, Gallery, First Flight in 2010."

Well, here is an early Birthday gift for me!

2010-02-10T06:58:00.000-06:00

My mom does want to see more of my writing on here and not on Facebook, so I will write on both places!

Mama, hier ist mein neuer Mikro! Endlich habe ich einen (obwohl das nicht auf meiner Liste stand!).

Anyone interested in Creative Memories? Well, here is a deal for you :-)

And last, but not least...

...if you are interested in learning about Digital Scrapbooking, I am offering a free class on Saturday!

Thought it would be a good idea...

2010-02-01T23:01:00.000-06:00

...to put up some pictures!
This is what we saw when we left at 10 am to drive to Fredericksburg to meet up with Jason. As it was so darn cold we decided to take the dogs with us so they wouldn't be cooped up in the house all day...now they were cooped up in the car...but they like to drive and didn't care!

It didn't get warm all day long...as you can maybe see in the mirror it was 26 F when I took most of these pictures.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T22:54:00.000-06:00

If you missed our New Years Party, sorry...you should have been here :-)
Here are pictures of what you missed, and then I might just have to add a few more later on. Hope we are all going to have a great Year ahead of us.

Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten! Part 2, Teil 2

2009-12-24T21:14:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten!

2009-12-24T12:07:00.002-06:00

Woke up to snow this morning. It'll be around 33 all day long! Yeah! A white Christmas...at least today. Tomorrow they predict it in the 30s but clear and sun...we'll see!

Heute frueh hatten wir Schnee! Es soll den ganzen Tag ueber um die 0 grad sein! Hurrah! Ein weisses Weihnachtsfest...wenigstens heute. Fuer Morgen ist Sonne angesagt und klares Wetter...Wir werden's sehen!

Newest Weatherreport:
Rest of Today

Periods of snow. Areas of blowing snow. Windy. Much colder. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches. Total snow accumulation 4 to 6 inches. Near steady temperature in the upper 20s. Northwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. Chance of precipitation 90 percent.

And more from the Abilene Reporter News at 5 pm (Dec. 24, 2009)

Snowy weather brought a beautiful white blanket of snow to Abilene and counties across the Big Country Thursday, but that winter storm also made for hazardous driving.

If you have never heard the word “blizzard” when referring to snowfall in the Big Country, that is because it has never happened. But it has now.

High winds and blowing snow Thursday prompted the National Weather Service to issue a “blizzard warning” for West Central Texas —the first blizzard warning issued for this area since the NWS office in San Angelo opened in 1947.

A blizzard warning is issued when blowing or falling snow is accompanied by sustained winds above 35 miles per hour, reducing visibility to less than one-quarter mile for three hours or more.

The blizzard warning was issued for Callahan, Haskell, Jones, Shackelford, and Throckmorton counties. A winter storm warning was issued for Taylor and other counties in the Big Country that weren’t included in the blizzard warning.

“The is the worst I’ve seen it in 20 years,” said Haskell Police Chief Steve Grand.

Temperatures will be below 20 degrees on Christmas morning but should inch up to 40 later in the day. Sunny skies also are expected.

Meteorologist Les Hiesler, who worked at the Abilene office of the NWS before it closed, said he did not recall a blizzard warning ever being issued from the office, which was opened from 1908 to 1995.

Abilene received between two and five inches of snow, while between seven and eight inches accumulated in the northern parts of the Big Country.

The winter storm system tracked east along Interstate 20 Thursday, bringing snow to all of the areas east of Abilene.

Snowy conditions turned to slush, then ice, making roadways hazardous for motorists. Accidents were reported all along I-20 from Mitchell County to Eastland County.

“All of the snow is along and north of I-20,” said Buddy McIntyre, a meteorologist with the NWS in San Angelo.

The blizzard conditions caused white-out conditions for drivers, and freezing temperatures are expected to keep the roads icy and very hazardous.

“The highway conditions are going to remain in pretty bad shape,” McIntyre said.

Another cold front will move through the area Sunday night, bringing temperatures back down to freezing. More wintry weather is likely on Monday and Tuesday, McIntyre said.

Snowfall across West Central Texas is a rare event, with snowfall in December even rarer. However, most rare of all may be a white Christmas.

Since 1914, Abilene has had only three measurable snowfalls and three trace snowfalls on Christmas Day. In other words, a white Christmas occurs on average about once every 14 years.

So, what did I do today?

2009-12-12T17:44:00.000-06:00

This was supposed to be a workless day with just nothing at all to do...so...

I started to record all of Dan's records to Computer (well, it will take longer then I though :-)) it will be a loooong project, but that is okay, it's his Christmas present and whenever I rather sit on the computer I just tell him I copy his records...of course I have to listen to his music...that is not always my piece of cake, but it's his Christmas...
Then we decided to go shopping...for food...well, Walmart is way too full, so we turned around and went to Albertsons...yeah! As I needed a cake for tomorrow I was looking around for something when I remembered that Dan had bought a can of Blueberry Pie Filling...he was going to bake something weeks ago...and still hasn't. When I reminded him he was going to get a baked pie shell...well, that's good for filling with jell-o and whipcream...but fruit...aaagh!!! So I looked at a Blackberry Pie Filling can and found a recipe for a Coffee Cake, took a picture and emailed it home so I can copy it for the Blueberry can...here it is!

Well, the package of Jell-o in the back is clearer then my recipe, but I made the coffee cake...I'll take a picture of it later when I made the glaze (doesn't matter that I didn't have 1 1/2 cup of butter (only 1 1/4) and took less sugar...took 2 cups of flour, seemed to batter up okay :-)
Before I made the cake though I cut onions and meat and am making Gulasch for lunch tomorrow, and for Monday's lunch...there is someone having a birthday and I'll get her lunch :-) Oh, well...no surprise here!
And then it was back to the computer recording more of Chicago...now I found my old Christmas records, so I am taking a break and record those, or at least one or two, while still cooking the Gulasch!

So, this is my day of not doing anything...but it's fun to cook and to finally doing something with those old records that are collecting dust in the corner :-) I wonder how they will sound when they are copied over to a CD, as that is the next step :-)

Oh, have you realized we already had our Christmas...as Dan got a record player from me :-) Well, those pictures will follow when I put them on a nice background and on Creative Memories...you'll just have to wait and see what else we got...so, stay tuned to the Bush's blog!

Uh somebody… A little help here please!!

2009-12-11T06:35:00.000-06:00

Uh somebody… A little help here please!!

2009-12-11T06:33:00.000-06:00

Uh somebody… A little help here please!!

If the pic doesn't show up here you just have to click and follow the link! It is so precious...and no, it's not at my house, and not my dog either!

Playing with StoryBook Creator again!

2009-12-10T20:08:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to see what I could do and this is what happened...took all the color out of the picture, except Rick!

And it didn't even take that long :-)

Now this picture looked really good before, but I am liking it better now!

And an update on the weather :-)

2009-12-08T22:19:00.000-06:00

Yesterday it was cold...cold...cold...brrrr!
Today it got pretty warm :-) Predicted was 70, but that didn't happen. We had a high of 59 and a low of 30. No ice on the roads this morning, even though that was forcasted. It was cold this morning, but nothing compared to yesterday. Then it got pretty warm just to turn cold with gusty winds and dust storm. Now we are waiting for the arctic air that is supposed to come down. -17 in Wyoming, Lubbock 25, Our weather tonight is going to be 22 and tomorrow the high will be 39...or so they say :-) then it gets warm again! Yeah, Texas!!! Wouldn't want to live anywhere else :-)

Yep, it was cold yesterday!

2009-12-08T07:03:00.000-06:00

We had a temp of 28 almost all day long. Started to get warmer as the night was progressing. There was supposed to be ice this morning, but there isn't any, so we go to work as usual. The dogs meanwhile...

Our Thanksgiving Day Celebration in Pictures!

2009-11-27T09:22:00.000-06:00

Ahhh...the dogs :-)

2009-11-19T06:56:00.000-06:00

If we don't have anything else to write about, we'll write about the dogs...oh, it's only me writing on here :-)

Snacks...did we hear SNACKS!!!

Sleepyhead with toy!

I do watch over this toy...see him 'wink' at me!!!

Ugh...come on, let me sleep...don't you see my head is falling soon!

Rhowdster has all the energy in this dog family!

NOW I WANT SOME COMMENTS ON THIS POST. IF YOU READ IT YOU CAN LEAVE COMMENTS!
WHEN IHR DIESE NACHRICHT LEST DANN KOENNT IHR AUCH EINEN KOMMENTAR ABGEBEN. KOMMENTARE SIND ERWUENSCHT.

Happy Birthday Lion!!!

2009-11-15T07:29:00.000-06:00

Okay, I admit, I love to read blogs!

2009-11-15T06:25:00.000-06:00

Yes, I do read blogs, I love blogs. I read other peoples blogs. I read blogs of people I don't know, just because it is fun. And I do follow some blogs just because they are fun to read. And I follow some authors blogs, not because I particullarly like what they write in their books, or how they write their books. No, just because! I don't know how I got to Danielle Steel's blog, but I do read and follow her blogs. She leads an interesting life. And yes, I have quite a few of her books in German. Don't think I ever read one in English though. Anyways, I follow her blog and today she has written a funny one I thought I ought to share with you, especially if you are a dog person. So, here is the link and if you follow my blog you might just want to peek into hers today!
Have fun reading it and let me know what you thought...if you want too!

My busy weekend!

2009-11-12T07:26:00.000-06:00

Well, I am not posting that much anymore, so here is why...too many visitors in the land of Texas! But we are loving it, sometimes more, sometimes less :-)
Anyway, here is the weekend I just had and then I had to recover for two days (yep, I took two days off just before Thanksgiving and loved every minute of not doing much)!

Jason and I made Dan and Kristy happy yesterday!!!

2009-10-25T13:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we took Tina, Dirk and the boys back to Dallas to fly home. After dropping them off at the airport we needed to get something to eat. As Krisy also was in Dallas we thought it would be fun to go and eat dinner together. Her and I texted back and forth while we, Jason, Dan and I, looked for a place to eat. Jason checked his GPS on the phone and found a Greek place, when we got there it was no where to be found. I called Kristy and told her we'd be looking at another place. Well, we found a Philly Steak Sandwich place and decided to go there as it was right around the corner...yes, it was a yellow shack with tables outside...we almost didn't stop, but Jason was insistent. We called Kristy and gave her direction. She followed them (we had to call her again as I gave her wrong info), and finally made it...we had warned her that it was just a shack, but she wanted to join us anyways. Well, when she saw on the sign that there were Tastykakes she was very happy. We all ordered and Dan was torn between which Tastykakes to buy...I made his decision easy and told him to get one of each (hey, I don't like them and won't eat them!). He also got Birchbeeer to drink and then he bought 'Scrapple' which is some kind of lunch meat he doesn't particular like, but got anyways! Yes, the sandwich wasn't bad and Dan and Kristy really thought they liked it very much and it was comparable to the real thing they said. So I wanted to post our adventure and here is the link to the homepage. http://www.billadelphias.com/

Rhowdie at work again!

2009-10-01T06:54:00.000-05:00

This time Rhowdie monster thought he ought to have a go at a Possum! Well, Dan got both dogs in (how he always figures out something happened I don't know!), then he went out to take care of it. IT was still breathing. So Dan came back inside and turned the lights off. He went out looking for the Possum again a while later and it was gone. We left the dogs out and they were quiet. When I went to bed I called them in. Rhowdie, who usually is first at the door and in, wasn't coming and running around behind the pool. Jaeger, who always needs his special invite, was sitting on top of the picnic table and looking into the tree behind the pool (I didn't know he was looking into the tree though, just thought the wind kept riling him up!), you know where I am going with this story, right?! Anyways, Rhowdie did come in, but Jaeger was not inclined to come. So I left him and told Dan. Dan went out there and found the Possum in the tree! Yep, he wasn't smart enough to leave the premises! I sure hope that thing is gone today or Rhowdie will get it! So you can see the Rottweiler sits on the picnic table (picture the elephant who is afraid of the mouse), and Rhowdie defends the yard! Go Rhowdie!!!
Dieses mal hat das Rhowdie Monster es mit einem Opposum aufenommen! Dan hat die Hunde reingelassen (wie er das immer weiss, habe ich keine Ahnung!), dann ist er rausgegangen und wollte das Tier entfernen. Aber das Tier hat immer noch geatmet. Also kam Dan wieder rein und hat das Licht ausgemacht. Spaeter ist er wieder rausgegangen um zu sehen ob es weg war und er konnte es nicht mehr finden. Also haben wir die Hunde wieder rausgelassen und sie haben nicht gebellt. Aber als ich dann ins Bett bin wollte ich sie reinlassen, Rhowdie, wo immer der Erste ist, kam nicht rein sondern rannte hinter dem Pool rum!) dann kam er endlich. Jaeger, der immer eine extra Einladung braucht, sass auf dem picknick Tisch und hat immer in den Baum hinter dem pool geschaut, (aber das wusste ich nicht, dacht es war der Wind in den Baeumen). also habe ich ihn draussen gelassen und Dan bescheid gesagt. Er hat dann den Opposum im Baum gefunden. Der war nicht schlau genug unser Grundstueck zu verlassen. Also jetzt seht ihr mal, der Rottweiler sitzt auf dem Tisch (denke Elefant und Maus) und der Husky verteitigt unser Grund und Boden! Go Rhowdie!!!

Wordless Wednesday - full of words :-)

2009-09-30T06:40:00.002-05:00

Jaeger had some fun tonight...

2009-09-27T21:12:00.002-05:00

Herzlichen Glueckwunsch zu Deinem Geburtstag!

2009-09-23T07:24:00.000-05:00

First pages of my Heritage Book (updated 9-22)

2009-09-20T22:13:00.002-05:00

My Mom's parents

My Grandparents on their wedding day, 1933

My grandmother and her parents

And more of my great-grandparents

Karl Jutzi in the stone quarry

Working on my Heritage Album :-)

2009-09-14T22:21:00.000-05:00

TV: More flooding rains in Central Texas | News for Austin, Texas | Austin News | KVUE.com | KVUE News |Top Stories

2009-09-14T06:53:00.001-05:00

Sad that my mom in Germany has to ask me where it is flooding in Texas and I have to go to the Austin news to find it...maybe I ought to watch more TV? But I can't throw the dogs out in this weather and they are the ones in the family room...they took it over! :-)

TV: More flooding rains in Central Texas | News for Austin, Texas | Austin News | KVUE.com | KVUE News |Top Stories

Shared via AddThis

Jason the 2nd Lt.

2009-08-31T07:24:00.000-05:00

After the big Thunderstorm tonight...

2009-08-27T22:43:00.000-05:00

...we drove shopping and I saw this rainbow. By the time I got my cell out and we were at another good spot to take the picture the rainbow isn't as impressive anymore, but I wanted to share it with you anyway! Hope you can see it, you might have to zoom in a bit!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-25T23:59:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-08-19T19:48:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

2009-08-05T07:04:00.000-05:00

Jaeger's response to a video of a baby 'talking'

2009-08-02T14:46:00.001-05:00

I was watching a video clip of one of my friends baby. Jaeger was in the other room and didn't like that he couldn't find the baby and he was very concerned about the baby. I played it again after I had my video ready so I could post it!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-29T00:01:00.002-05:00

Can you guess?!

2009-07-25T21:04:00.000-05:00

Take a guess on this one! :-)

The Winner wins!

Happy Birthday Sandra...

2009-07-25T12:37:00.000-05:00

...even if you don't answer your phone!

You can print this one out and put it in your 8X8 frame I gave you in March...if it's already on your wall that is!

Hope you and Clayton are having a fun day and are celebrating, instead of working...that's a hint, but you are probably at work as always, and so is he...

And my mom says I never post anything here!

2009-07-19T10:02:00.001-05:00

Es hat die ganze Nacht gestuermt
Also hat Rhowdie wieder die Nerven verloren
Kam ins Schlafzimmer und hat Dan abgeholt
Der hat dann alle schlimme sachen von Rhowdie abgehalten
Hat bei jedem Sturm bei Rhowdie gesessen
Der Arme Jaeger musste in seine Huette weil er dachte es waere Zeit zum spielen
Auserdem macht Rhowdie Jaeger zum Nervenbuendel weil er die ganze Zeit hin und her rennt, da ist es besser wenn Jaeger in Ruhe schlafen kann
Wenn der Sturm nachlaesst kommt Dan wieder ins Bett, nur um 2 Minuten spaeter wieder von Rhowdie abgeholt zu werden.

Ich weiss nicht ob es wirklich nur 2 minuten sind, ich weiss nur das ich wach werde wenn Dan reinkommt und dann wenn Rhowdie reinkommt und Dan wieder rausgeht!

Ich bin dann halt immer 1 sekunde mit dennen wach und dann kann ich wieder schlafen!
So, Mama, habe ich Dir jetzt genug geschrieben und von meiner Nacht erzaehlt?
ROFLOL! Weisst Du was dass heisst?
Ich bin jetzt seit 3 Stunden wach und die beiden haben sich ausgeschlafen, denke ich! Rhowdie war ganz geschafft, der Arme Hund!!!

(picture created with Creative Memories StoryBook Creator Plus)

Do you know how dark it gets?!?

2009-07-17T09:15:00.001-05:00

Power outage darkens south Abilene

Daralyn Schoenewald schoenewaldd@reporternews.com / 325-676-6765
Thursday, July 16, 2009

Almost 10,000 homes and businesses in Abilene were without power Thursday evening, part of a band of outages that stretches through Oklahoma and Texas.
No cause was announced but severe weather along the Texas-Oklahoma border was reported by local Little League officials who were at a tournament Wichita Falls, where lightning and high winds were reported.
The outage mostly affected southeast Abilene, said John Gallagher, a public information officer for the Abilene Fire Department.
Power went out at around 9:45 p.m. It was hoped power would be restored by 11 p.m., and the Abilene Police Department reported calls about the outage stopped around 10:45 p.m.
The 9,609 customers without power represented nearly 17 percent of AEP customers in Taylor County, according to the electric company’s Web site.

It is dark when the power goes off at 9:45 pm! And so quiet, except some peoples dogs barking (yes, mine :-)) But not too bad! Finding candles in the dark is not that easy...but luckily I know where they are and didn't stub any toes either!

When the power came back on we watched a bit of the news and then decided to watch a DVD, just to have the power go off again and jump back on. Well, that was it, I was done with that and turned off the TV (after all, I don't want it to stay off forever with the power doing what it wants!). So we turned in early and still slept late this morning.

Ah, maybe the power should go off more often around here, we'd get lots of sleep that way. :-)

My Wednesday Afternoon!

2009-07-16T19:52:00.000-05:00

So Wednesday after work my friends came over and we scrapbooked for hours, then took a swim to freshen up. That's what a summer afternoon is all for! Go and weep :-)

Check out all my cards!

2009-07-11T10:44:00.000-05:00

I made all of these plus more! All Creative Memories!

You can make them too, just give me a call :-)

You all need to check this one out!

2009-07-09T23:07:00.000-05:00

Dan and I will be going to eat next week. Burger @ Perini's! Who's coming?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Hhere is the article from the Abilene Reporter News:

Perini's burger wins on TV

By Celinda Emison
Originally published 11:41 a.m., July 9, 2009
Updated 11:41 a.m., July 9, 2009

Stake a claim to this recipe

1/2-pound black Angus ground beef
Perini’s special steak rub (mixed in the burger)
Sweet sourdough bun
Spicy mustard
Purple onions (grilled)
Mushrooms (grilled)
Green chiles (chopped)

It’s official. Tom Perini makes the best burger maker in the land, at least according to Matt Lauer and the judges on the Today Show.
Perini, cowboy chef and owner of Perini Ranch Steakhouse, beat out two competitors — Aaron McCargo Jr., host of “Big Daddy’s House” on the Food Network, and Adam Rather from Mother’s Federal Hill Grille in Maryland. McCargo made a pizza or calzone-style burger, while Rather made his restaurant’s signature deep-fried burger “Heart Attack on a Plate.”
But the judges, Lauer, Natalie Morales and Hoda Kotb, unanimously chose Perini’s thick and juicy Texas-style burger, seasoned with his special rub and loaded down with grilled onions, mushrooms and green chilies — all on a sourdough bun.
“This is like an old-fashioned burger; there are no tricks with this,” Perini told Lauer as he formed a hamburger patty from certified Angus beef. “This is the way we made burgers years ago. It is how we get that wonderful flavor that we love in Texas.”
After Perini built the burger, it was time for the taste test.
“Can anyone actually get their mouth around this thing, other than Hoda I mean?” Lauer asked as they all took a bite.
After a short huddle, the three pronounced Perini the burger boss and presented him with a trophy plaque, complete with a burger on the front.
As they made the presentation, Bruno — aka Sacha Baron Cohen — pushed his way through the outdoor set to congratulate Perini on his win. In true Texas style, Perini, tipped his hat to the flamboyant star, who had been on the show promoting his new movie.
Perini’s burger was declared the best burger in Texas last month by the Food Network magazine, which selected the best burgers from all 50 states

What a tribute!

2009-07-09T06:34:00.002-05:00

I got this in an email the other day and it is really good. Hadn't received it before, but it's been around since 2007. Hope you will listen/view it and enjoy it also.

PAPA! Herzlichen Glueckwunsch zu Deinem Geburtstag!

2009-07-08T06:51:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July! American Independence Day!

2009-07-04T08:07:00.008-05:00

So, here we go again, another party, YEAH!!! What would we do without this day to just celebrate away!
We are going to a flag raising ceremony this morning, and this afternoon we'll have our own party here! As always we will spend our time outside in the pool and under the trees in the shade :-) and in the cool water of the pool!
If you are not here, you missed it, and we are missing you ! If you are here, good for you and you will be celebrating with us.
Pictures will be posted tomorrow, as I can't post pictures of an event before the event! What fun is that?
And the food we'll have...outstanding (if everyone brings something). And luckily the weather plays along and it'll be hot today as always in Texas in the summer! FUN, FUN, FUN!

So, here it goes! Happy Independence Day to America!

Okay, it's the 5th, and here are two colages with pictures of the fun we had. First off, Dan got to do the grilling, he likes it, or so I think. Then we have the food!

Followed by our company we had, the girls love beeing in the pool and everyone else just likes the conversations going on! Hope you all had a grand time yesterday and are going to get ready for Labor Day the next big party event at our house, or maybe we'll just have to add another party in in July and August!

Cross stitch half done :-)

2009-06-23T18:59:00.000-05:00

To whom it may concern...here are two christmas pillows we'll be finishing next week!

Come back next week for the finished product :-)

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T16:15:00.000-05:00

For Dan "Happy Father's Day"!

And my Dad: "Einen schoenen Vatertag"! (Ist halt erst Heute hier, musst Du mir mal naechstes Jahr vorher bescheid sagen, dann vergess' ich das auch nicht, vielleicht :-))

Jason picture!

2009-06-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

Well, it's a copy from an online newsletter. Can you find Jason? And I did have to smudge faces as I don't know who they are and if they want their pic on my blog. We heard from him last week in the middle of the night. Seems he's doing fine :-)

2009-06-13T16:33:00.000-05:00

This is an unusual love story involving an 89-year-old woman and her beloved Chariot. The two have been together for decades and traveled more than 540,000 miles across this nation's highways and side streets.

What a story this is, if you like cars you will love checking it out! First Part!

Here is the second part of Rachel's story!

And the link to the 3rd part .

Today!!!

2009-06-11T17:20:00.000-05:00

E-mail just popped up:

Subject: HI/BYE

Love you guys. Maybe get phone tomorrow.

Hugs and kisses,
son,
Jason

Maybe we will get phone call soon!!! Yeah!

Yesterday!

2009-06-11T07:12:00.003-05:00

Coming home from work I found a dog in the neighbors yard and was wondering, for a second, whose dog it might was. I really didn't finish the thought as I realized it was one of mine!!!

The Husky broke out!!!

As I stopped the car and opened the door he wagged his tail and came right over. He just loved to see me. I put him back in the yard where we were greeted by the Rottweiler who is way too big to fit through this hole!

I put a big tire in front of the hole so he couldn't escape again.

I went inside, ate lunch, worked on the computer, when it started to rain, so I opened the backdoor and no dog...calling the dogs Jaeger came running, Rhowdie was no where to be found. Checked the hole, yep, he moved the tire!!! Now it's starting to rain harder. Get my shoes, keys, wallet, cell phone, jump in the car, call Dan to come help searching, and start driving. go around the first corner and there is Rhowdie, wagging his tail, giving me a big smile and is so happy that his ride has shown up. He comes running as soon as I stop the car, no chasing him down for me. I just opened the back door and he jumps in and I take him home and scold Jaeger for not watching over his brother.

Well that was my excitement for yesterday...we'll see what kind of storms are brewing today. Dan just has to come home when there is thunder far off and let the dogs in...or Rhowdie might just find anohter way out.

Oh, yeah, we think he chewed the wood on the fence to get out. He doesn't have hands and there is lots of fur all around the opening where he wiggled out. Must not hurt that bad that he did it again.

Wow! We have smart people in our family!

2009-06-07T19:20:00.000-05:00

Well, now I have a nephew who is great with computers in Germany and I have a cousins son who might be even greater here in the States! Check out this article!

SunJournal.com - Creating artificial intelligence - USM student's AI work wins on world stage

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Happy Birthday Tiffany!!!

2009-05-28T07:29:00.000-05:00

What we did on Sunday!

2009-05-25T15:52:00.000-05:00

First we went to IHOP for breakfast, after all the guys need to eat before they work :-) Then we went a bit shopping (Lowe's because we need tools!) Then the guys got to work:

After this Dan and I went shopping and it started to pour! Yeah, rain! We got what we wanted though, a S-Video cable and an audio y-cable. Then we went home and hooked up the Computer to watch Netflix! What fun is that...
Dirk wanted to watch a Western, well we did..."Outlaw Trail" go and check it out somewhere (but if you ever wanted to know what happened to Butch Cassidy and Sundance kid, look no further!).
Then on we went to "Rob Roy" (Scottish Highlands in the 1700s! with Liam Neeson)...go figure what we were up to last night!

it's time for new pictures...

2009-05-24T08:24:00.000-05:00

...before I get in trouble with my mom!

So the front yard looks a bit better again and I can look out of the windows, well, if they were washed, but now it rains, so I can't get them washed (have to call someone to do this one of these days :-))!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-20T08:51:00.000-05:00

Jason is home!

2009-05-19T06:38:00.000-05:00

Instead of driving down to the Mexican border where he and Tiffany live, Jason decided to drive up to Abilene and spend some time with us. Of course Tiffany isn't at home either so he didn't want to be in an empty apartment. Next week Jason will go to South Dakota for 2 month of training, then he'll head back to the McAllen area and to Tiffany who will be waiting for him then.

(Or so is the plan...their jobs do change their lives for them in a flash!)

Yeah! RAIN!!!

2009-05-16T15:55:00.000-05:00

Abilene gets 2-inch rain

Originally published 02:35 p.m., May 16, 2009
Updated 02:35 p.m., May 16, 2009

Early morning thunderstorms dumped 2.01 inches of rain officially at the Abilene Regional Airport, according to the National Weather Service.
The rain was the biggest since Oct. 13 when it rained 1.97 inches.
The rain brought the year-to-date total to 5.04 inches, still more than an inch below normal for this time of year.
There is a 40 percent chance of more rain throughout the afternoon.
Temperatures will be in the upper 60s today and low 70s on Sunday.

Now this means that those dogs have been in the house all day...Jaeger did step out to do his business, Rhowdie pooped all over the living room floor while we were out for breakfast! Oh, yeah, they had to go out to eat also after breakfast during room cleanup! But ever since they came in we haven't heard from them!

We'll see if we are getting any more rain, it kind of looks dreary right now, so maybe another nap is not far away, and reading a book is always good on days like this! Yeah, we finally had rain and the back yard is flooded!

Wordless Wednesday! (No words from me...)

2009-05-13T06:27:00.000-05:00

2009-05-11T17:58:00.000-05:00

Oh, no...I took a test and here I am... :-)

Take the Quiz here!

You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

I found the link to this test on Meg Cabot's blog...she is Emma!

Now I have to find "Grey Gardens" the original one, as it sounds like an interesting documentary to watch, and then I'll have to see if I can get the new one also...never time for anything :-)

2009-05-10T17:04:00.001-05:00

We have a Star in our midst!

2009-05-10T15:18:00.001-05:00

Well, just checked Sandra's blog and found some interesting tidbits there...so, I'll just copy some of it ;-)

Check out this link to see my favorite brother-in-law :-)

And another picture here! and here and here!

If you haven't eaten his cooking you don't know what you have missed!!! It is good!! He came for my birthday and cooked all weekend...oh, it was soooo good!!!

GO CLAYTON!!!!

Zum Muttertag!

2009-05-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

What a surprise I had today at School!

2009-05-08T21:09:00.001-05:00

So, I am at School working hard, and the secretary walks in. I had just turned around quickly and saw her standing there with some flowers in her hand, as always I said: "oh how nice, are they for me, haha", and looked away as I was talking with a student, when I realized that I had seen my name on the card, so my head flew around again and I said: "oh, they really are for me, who are they from...?" Well, she didn't know of course, but I had a card to unwrap and find the note attached...they were from Jason and Tiffany! Yeah, they did think of me!