Dance Like Nobodys Watching

Thelma and Louise Road Trip

2012-02-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

This is Thelma (Faith)

I am Louise!

(Thelma is a crazy woman driver)

This is the Ludington Lighthouse that we stopped at first.

The Dune grass is so pretty in all seasons! It is so nice to see it the way the wind blows and it flows so gracefully.

We have had such an unusual winter here in Michigan this season. It feels like spring most of the time. As you can see on the above picture there is very little ice built up when normally it is hard to walk on!

Thelma is a bit chilly!

Man that gust of wind was cold!

Louise being her crazy self!

Thelma not driving anymore which is a good thing.

We are on our 1.8 mile walk (one way) to the Big Sable Lighthouse. We did not realize it was tucked way back in. The walk was very nice and good exercise.

This is the Big Sable Lighthouse which is located off of Lake Michigan in Ludington Michigan.

Sure is strange not to see any snow or ice build up along the shoreline in January.

Here's Thelma again. Man that stump is almost taller than her. The funny thing about this stump is that it says, "How old am I?" and points to Thelma. On the other side where Thelma is, it says 127 years. Amazing!

I handed Thelma my camera while I had a potty break and this is what she took.

Great shot Thelma! And that is not a shot with the gun!

In Ludington, while Thelma was trying to find her way out and the way to Pentwater, this is what I spotted. Pretty cool!

In Pentwater, we stopped at the Bitchen Kitchen. This is a cute little store that has all kinds of unique things in it. Mostly things you would want for your kitchen.

So, as you see, Thelma and Louise had a nice day adventure and Thelma did not drive us off of a sand dune and into Lake Michigan. So, we are safe and sound and will probably have to take another adventure some day!

Crystal Bowersox - Up To The Mountain (3rd song) (American Idol 9 - Top ...

2012-01-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

This was one of my favorite performers on American Idol. She has a unique voice that I really enjoy. I like the raspyness. This song is great too! Enjoy!

God's Winter Beauty

2012-01-15T20:52:00.000-08:00

Barns in My Neighborhood

2012-01-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

Last Sunset of 2011

2012-01-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you Lord for a great year and the beautiful Sunset to finish off the year!

Peace on Earth

2011-12-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

Grandma Vandlen's Flying Kitten!

2011-12-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

Meet Miss Minny!

The kids were playing with Miss Minny and you would not believe how she leaped in the air and was practically flying. We were all laughing so hard!

Here she is playing.

Swatting!

Getting warmed up!

I tried to capture it. Caught her almost out of the pic.

Caught her on the way down.

Heading towards her toy.

There she is! Awesome pic right?!!!!

She was really high this time. Did not get all of her in this shot though.

Miss Minny under the Christmas tree.

Animals sure are entertaining!

My Wonderful Present

2011-12-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

I received a wonderful present from my Mother-in-law and Father-in-law.

I have always wanted one of these runner sleds for my porch to decorate at Christmas time.

I bought the arrangement at Hobby Lobby and then I had some ribbon and I made the bow all by myself! Wowser! It actually turned out pretty good.

Thanks Mom and Dad for the sled!

Sleds originally were an important transportation tool that facilitated the movement of goods and people on frozen surfaces where wheels often did not work. Early petitions were made to the British to allow sliding on Beacon Hill. Later, sleds were used to transport heavy cannon in the early years of the Revolution to oust the British from Boston.

Like many work activities, sleds became used for recreational purposes.

The Flexible Flyer Sled, the iconic toy of films such as "A Christmas Story," was the brainchild of a Pennsylvania Quaker farm implements manufacturer named Samuel Leeds Allen. Allen worked with his father, John C. Allen, from a crafts barn on "Ivystone," his working farm. The inspiration for the sled came from his love of sledding and his experiences at Westtown Boarding School and Friends' Select School in the late 1850s. Sledding, or "coasting," was a popular winter pastime during the 1800s. S.L. Allen's children served as testers for each new sled design.

S.L. Allen had a practical reason to design sleds, in that he wanted to provide work for his employees at the manufacturing facility. Farm equipment was a seasonal business: it sold well when farmers were not actively involved in working their farms, during the winter months. The summer and fall months left Allen workers waiting for new projects. He did not want his employees to leave for occupations with a full-year employment.

Allen gave each sled design a unique name, including the sleds that failed to go into widespread production. During the mid-1880s, Allen designed three early sleds, the "Phantom," "Fleetwing" and the "Aeriel." The models, which held six to eight adults, never went into commercial production, but they established the design principles that would guide the creation of the Flexible Flyer.

The "Fairy Coaster" was manufactured in 1888, but not in significant numbers. This sled was offered in two different models, the deluxe and the basic, the difference between the two being the deluxe's fabric padded seat and the selling price of each. The deluxe model "Fairy Coaster" sold for a pricey $50 in 1888.

The "Flexible Flyer" was patented February 14, 1889. Its features included a pair of steel runners with a bendable spot halfway down the slide. The first sleds did not sell well against the competition from the "Swift Glider," "Storm King," "Safety" and the "Lightning Glider" sleds. Allen manufactured no sleds for the next few years. When the "Flyer" was manufactured again, sales figures increased greatly.

Allen felt that sled production during the summer months would provide a "bridge" product to keep his workers busy. His sales force disagreed and, during the first few years of production, they were difficult to sell because salesmen were marketing the sleds in the same manner, and to the same retail farm implement locations, as the company farm machinery. Allen changed that by marketing the sleds to the toy departments of Wanamaker's and R.H. Macy Company department stores. By 1915, nearly 2,000 sleds were sold in one day, with an expected total that year of 120,000.

Sledding experienced a decline in popularity, and in 1968, the Allen Company was sold to Leisure Group of Los Angeles, California, which continued to manufacture the sleds from Medina, Ohio. A group of investors, including some employees, purchased the sled manufacturing operations in 1973 and continued to make the sleds under the "Blazon Flexible Flyer" name. These sleds are still sold today.

http://www.sledworks.com/history/index.html

First Annual Girls Weekend!

2011-12-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

My friends from Cadillac came down for a girls weekend this past weekend! We had so much fun and it is always nice to get together. I love spending time with my friends. The Spoonies are who I went to school with and played softball with. They are family to me. This family is so loving and kind and always accepts anyone. They love you for who you are. Their hearts are so ginormous! Full of compassion, commitment, kind, loving, responsible, funny, the kind of people who will always be there for you!

As you may know in one of my earlier posts, almost two years ago I have reconnected with my Buddy, Sandy. We were in the same grade and were great friends in HS. We also were on the Varsity Softball team our Freshman year together and in our Senior year, we were captains on the team.

I love this family and they mean the world to me!!!!!!

Back to details on the weekend.

Some of you might recognize who this person is. His name is Bill Gaither from the Gaither Vocal Band. My friend Sandy is a great fan and I can see why. I have seen them on TV and have heard them on the radio but it is awesome in person!

Sandy got tickets for her and I to go to this concert in Grand Rapids at the Van Andel Arena. There were several people there. The Martins, Phelps, Lowry, and some others I cannot remember all the names right now. It is always nice to worship God and this was a great concert.

Sandy got the tickets and then we decided to make it a fun girls weekend and you will see in the next few pictures and story of how much fun we had!

We went to Rivertown Crossings Mall in Grandville, MI and had so much fun shopping!

Annie, Janny, and Sandy (The Spoonies) shopping for some shoes.

I wonder if these shoes are comfy?

We went back to the hotel after shopping and relaxed about an hour before we headed out to Kobe Japanese Steakhouse. The Spoonies Cousin (Marsha-the one in gray) lives close to the area we were at, so she happened to stop by and visit and went out to dinner with us.

A few of us rode in a Taxi to Kobe and some rode with Marsha. We divided up because we already called a taxi and thought we better keep it. So, Sandy, Janny and I rode in this taxi and the guy did not know where he was going. So, Shelly (me), aka the GPS had to give directions. LOL

Here are the girls at Kobe before our Chef arrived to entertain us.

Billy, Annie, Janny, Sandy, Marsha

Here I am in the picture now. We had a nice girl from the table next to us take our picture!

We had drinks!

Great Chef with great cooking skills!

The very delicious Shrimp, with veggies and fried rice and noodles.

Mouth watering just looking at it!

Sandy and I

Now the next few pictures are when we were heading back to the hotel. The Spoonies Cousin, Marsha, gave us a ride back in her car. You will see how we actually had one too many passengers but made it and had a blast back to the hotel. Oh the joys!

The Spoonies!

Janny, Annie, Sandy

My Family!

This is one side of the back seat.

Okay, other side of the back seat.

Billy and Janny

Marsha

The awesome driver!

Crazy front passenger-yepper, that is me!

Oh wait! I think I can all you girls in one picture!

Yep!!!! Thanks to Billy scooting in closer. LOL

BTW-I met a couple new people. It was nice to meet Billy and get to know her and also Marsha. These young ladies are a lot of fun too!

Can't wait until we do this again next year!

We had so much fun!

I know I will see them before the next years shopping trip which is great!

Friends come into your life for a reason, and it is either for a moment in time, a season or a lifetime. I am happy to say that these great girls are there for the long haul!

Love ya ladies!

aka-the adopted Sister. :)

Ladies Christmas Brunch

2011-12-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

Amanda and I had a lovely time at the Ladies Christmas Brunch of one of my great friends Church, Karen. She is awesome! Love her!

Here are a few highlights of the fun! We had a nice brunch, played some games, names were drawn for a gift and then there was a little singing and fun.

Kaitlyn and her Mama-Karen

Carol and Karen-Sisters

Both are a lot of fun!

Nicole (aka Colie) and her Mama-Karen

Karen was blessed with twin girls.

Karen and I

Friends since 1982

Friends for 29 years! Wowsah!

I am truly blessed!

Amanda and Colie

We had lots of fun! Very nice thing to do for the ladies.

What fun it was to watch these girls perform. They all blend really well together when they sing.

Jesus is the reason for the season!

Beautiful Fillmore Barn

2011-11-27T06:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say that I am thankful for my family, friends and my life! I am wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and may you be richly blessed with your family and loved ones at this special time of year.

My Family

2011-11-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

My Daughter Amanda and I.

Shawn, Mason, Mitch and I (my boys)

Tom and Amanda

Tom, Shawn, Mason, Mitch

Mason, Mitch, Shawn, Amanda

All in the Family

Tom and I

Would you believe that Tom and I met on Match.com?

Two people fell in love, our kids got along great (and still do)!

Interesting the path of life and where it takes you! I am happy/consider myself truly blessed to have the family that I have.

Rockin' Around!

2011-11-18T12:55:00.000-08:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

The Common Milkweed (Syriaca)

2011-11-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

I took this picture of this milkweed out by our pond. I thought that it looked really cool and would make a great picture. I decided to post it and give you a little info on the milkweed. There are so many different kinds if you just look up images and then try to find what they are good for.

If you want to learn a little something, read up on what I posted below. Pretty interesting!

The Common Milkweed (Syriaca) is generally described as a perennial forb/herb. This is native to the U.S. (United States) .

Uses of : Landscaping, Medicinal, Culinary, etc.

Warning: Milkweed may be toxic when taken internally, without sufficient preparation.

Ethnobotanic: People have used milkweed for fiber, food, and medicine all over the United States and southern Canada. Milkweeds supply tough fibers for making cords and ropes, and for weaving a coarse cloth. Milkweed stems are collected after the stalks senesce in late fall-early winter. The dried stalks are split open to release the fibers; milkweed fibers are sometimes mixed with fibers of Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum). The bark is removed and the fibers released by first rubbing between the hands and then drawing the fibers over a hard surface. Twisting the fiber opposite each other and twining them together forms the cord. Often this is accomplished by rolling the fibers on the thigh while twisting them together.

The young shoots, stems, flower buds, immature fruits, and roots of butterfly milkweed were boiled and eaten as a vegetable by various indigenous groups of eastern and mid-western America. The Meskwaki steam the flower buds as a food source; they are nutritious but not considered very flavorful.

The Cherokee drank an infusion of common milkweed root and virgin’s bower (Clematis species) for backaches (Moerman 1986). The Cherokee, Iroquois, and Rappahannock used the sap to remove warts, for ringworm, and for bee stings. The Cherokee used the plant as a laxative, an antidote for gravel and dropsy, and an infusion was given for mastitis. The Cherokee took an infusion of the root for venereal diseases. The Chippewa made a cold decoction of common milkweed root and added it to food to produce postpartum milk flow. The Iroquois took an infusion of milkweed leaves for stomach medicine. A compound decoction of plants was taken to prevent hemorrhage after childbirth by the Iroquois. The Menominee ate the buds or a decoction of the root for chest discomfort. The Ojibwa used the root as a female remedy. The Potawatomi used the root for unspecified ailments.

Common milkweed was used by the Meskwaki as a contraceptive (Kindscher 1992, Erichsen-Brown 1979, De Laszlo and Henshaw 1954). A Mohawk anti-fertility concoction was prepared by boiling a fistful of dried, pulverized milkweed and three jack-in-the-pulpit rhizomes in a pint of water for 20 minutes. The infusion was drunk at the rate of one cup an hour to induce temporary sterility (Kindscher 1992).

Milkweed species as a group are known to contain cardiac glycosides that are poisonous to humans and livestock, as well as other substances that may account for their medicinal effect. Resinoids, glycosides, and a small amount of alkaloids are present in all parts of the plant. Symptoms of poisoning by the cardiac glycosides include dullness, weakness, bloating, inability to stand or walk, high body temperature, rapid and weak pulse, difficulty breathing, dilated pupils, spasms, and coma.

Wildlife: The cardiac glycoside in milkweed has also been useful as a chemical defense for monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Chemicals from the milkweed plant make the monarch caterpillar's flesh distasteful to most predators. Monarch butterflies are specific to milkweed plants; this is the only type of plant on which the eggs are laid and the larvae will feed and matures into a chrysalis. Eggs are laid on the underside of young, healthy leaves. Monarch, Queen, and Viceroy butterflies are Müllerian mimics; all are toxic, and have co-evolved similar warning patterns to avoid predation. Milkweed species are attractive to many insect species, including the large milkweed bug, common milkweed bug, red milkweed beetle, blue milkweed beetle, and bees. Accordingly, this is a wonderful horticultural plant for landscaping to attract butterflies (particularly monarchs), whose numbers are declining and migratory routes changing due to lack of appropriate habitat.

General Characteristics

General: Milkweed Family (Asclepiadaceae). Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a perennial herb growing from a deep rhizome. The hairy stems are usually solitary from a simple to branched and thickened base, and are 6-20 dm (1.9-6.5 ft) tall. The opposite leaves have broadly ovate to elliptic blades that are 10-20 cm (3.9-7.9 in) long and 5-11 cm (1.9-4.3 in) wide. The leaves are sparsely hairy above and densely hairy below, and the petiole is 0.2-1.4 cm (0.08-0.77 in) long. The inflorescence occurs in the upper leaf axils, and there are 20-130 flowers per inflorescence. The flowers are small, 11-17 mm (0.4-0.7 in), and bloom from May to August. The five petals are green to purple-tinged, and are topped by a crown of five erect lobes that are rose to purple, rarely white. The fruits are spindle-shaped follicles covered with soft hairs. The small, round, hairy seeds are 6-8 mm (0.2-0.3 in) in diameter.

Required Growing Conditions

For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. This plant grows throughout the Great Plains ecoregion from southern Canada south to NE Oklahoma, NW Georgia, and Texas, and east from North Carolina to Maine.

Cultivation and Care

Adaptation: Common milkweed grows in sandy, clayey, or rocky calcareous soils. It occurs along the banks or flood plains of lakes, ponds, and waterways, in prairies, forest margins, roadsides, and waste places. This species hybridizes with showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa).

Common milkweed is easily propagated by both seed and rhizome cuttings. Both seedlings and cuttings will usually bloom in their second year, although cuttings will occasionally bloom during their first year. Seeds and plants are available from many nurseries. Common milkweed increases by underground shoots and can be invasive. It is ideal in semi-dry places where it can spread without presenting problems for other ornamental species.

Propagation from Cuttings: Propagation by cuttings of the tuberous rhizome is easy and reliable. The cuttings should be made when the plant is dormant. Each piece of the rhizome should have at least one bud (they are about two inches apart). Timing of propagation is important. Harvest or divide plants and get the plants in the ground by late fall so they can develop enough root growth to survive the winter. Irrigation the first year will improve survival, and by the second year the root system should be well enough established so plants will survive on their own.

Both seedlings and cuttings will usually bloom in their second year, although cuttings will occasionally bloom during their first year (Kindscher 1992).

Propagation from Seed: Common milkweed is easily propagated from seed. Process as follows: 1) Collect seeds after the pods have ripened, but before they have split open. The seeds are wind dispersed, so be careful when gathering to place in a paper or burlap bag to avoid losing them. 2) Eliminate weeds before planting. Strip off any sod. Cultivate the soil to a fine tilth, firm the soil by treading or rolling, and rake lightly. 3) Seeds can be directly sewn into the ground in the fall. Sow the seed mixture (with fine sand for even distribution) at a rate of 1/8 oz per sq. yd (4 g per sq. meter) or as advised. 4) If planting in flats or in a greenhouse, common milkweed seeds should be cold-treated for three months. 5) The seed is very viable. It is not certain how long you can store the seeds and maintain their viability. 6) During the first summer, weed invasive plants and water as needed.

General Upkeep and Control

Milkweed is burned in the fall to eliminate dead stalks and stimulate new growth. Burning causes new growth to have taller straighter stems (with longer fibers). It also stimulates flower and seed production.

When used for fiber, milkweed is collected in the autumn after the leaves have begun to fall off, the stalks turn gray or tan, and the plant dries up. If the milkweed stems will break off at the ground it's time to harvest. Breaking off as many stalks as possible encourages resprouting in the spring. The dried stalks are then split open and the fibers are twisted into string. Vast quantities of fiber plants are required for nets, regalia, and cordage

Look Beyond!

2011-10-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

LOOK BEYOND

Photo by Shelly Vandlen

As I took this picture I thought about focusing on the tree. As I focused on the tree and take the picture, it makes you also look beyond to see the beauty beyond the tree.

Do we do that as humans? When we see someone do we judge them by how they look right away or do we look beyond? I know for a fact that when I look at someone at first you see the outward appearance. Then when you start to get to know them, you are able to see more of who they are. Their personality, the troubles that they may be dealing with and just really getting to know that person.

I know that there are certain people that just don't mesh with everyone, but that does not mean we can't be kind and courteous to one another.

Photo by Shelly Vandlen

As you see in this picture. I focused more on the leaves and looked beyond the tree.

You can definitely see the beauty there!

When I look at people, I try to see the whole person.

We are very lucky that God does not look at just the outward appearance. He loves each and every one of us for who we are-inside and out!

The Country Mill

2011-10-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday we had a terrific time meeting up with some great friends and my daughter and her two friends at The Country Mill in Charlotte Michigan. The weather was gorgeous! I cannot believe we are still able to wear short and sandals in October. We must be having our Indian Summer. I am enjoying every minute of it too.

We got on the "farm train" and headed out to the end of the apple orchard.

This is Matt, Amanda, Lea and Mason

This is Mason, Shawn and Mitch.

This is Me, Wendy, Brittany and Cierra.

We made it out to the end of the apple orchard to go pick a variety of apples. The trees seemed like they were picked over pretty good but we did manage to get some, eat some as we picked and throw some at each other.

Cierra

Brittany

Most of us in one of the apple tree rows.

Matt and Amanda

There was a haunted maze area that the kids went into and had fun in there. Some said they were scared and some mentioned that Lea was pushing her way out. LOL

There was a corn maze that the kids could do and a crossbow shoot off. Where you had five shots to shoot at five apples. If hit all five, then put name in twice for a raffle off of a crossbow. All the kids did great on this!

We were able to enjoy an apple cider slushy. Well, the kids all got an apple cider slushy, I got an cider float. That was yummy too. They also got some chips and cheese or a donut.

This is a neat little cider mill to go to.

The kids also got to go out and pick their pumpkins that they want to carve this year.

We had another great adventure with friends and family.

Friends like these makes ya wish they weren't a couple hours away.

Thanks for the fun!

The Birthday Boy!

2011-09-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

Today is Mason's Birthday! He is the big 11 now. I cannot believe how fast these kids grow up. I have been running across pictures just from two years ago and their facial features change so much.

Mason has a wonderful smile and is a great young man. I am proud to be able to call him Son.
He has a lot of traits like his Daddy. He tends to follow him around and learn from him, which is wonderful.

Happy Birthday!

New Idea

2011-09-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

We have a new idea! After I made a post on Facebook, one of my cousins made a comment and said that I should start a page on Facebook for just Suzie. Kinda like Marley and Me movie. Well, not only should I do that on Facebook, I thought that I should make Suzie a blog also.

I think this could be fun! She is such a character and I could end up telling so many funny stories.

Now to think of a name.

Summer fun with long time friends

2011-09-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Wendy and I

Friends since 1998

Holly the super dog.

Brittany and Holly

Cierra diving off the floating pontoon dock.

Brittany and Courtney

Brittany is showing her diving skills.

Mitch doing a flip.

Shawn doing a flip.

Mason enjoyed Kayaking.

Holly the Super Dog! Flying off the dock after a stick!

Cierra and her friend Rachel

Out for Ice cream and we had a fun time shopping in the candy factory store in Pentwater.

The boys got a bunch of sour candy and some of the faces that they made was hilarious!

Below is Brittany and her friend Courtney.
Big Shaved Ice.

Shawn, Mitch, Mason, Cierra and Rachel--fun at Lake Michigan in Pentwater. Charles Mears State Park.

Britt-A-NEE-AH walking on the rocks by the pier.

My friend Wendy! She sure is a wonderful person. Beautiful inside and out!

Friendship is not just an acquaintance. Friendship will last and be strong as long as you put an effort into the relationship.

God brought people into our lives for a reason. I am thankful for this valued friendship too.

Love ya Wen!

You make me laugh
You make my heart smile
Everything you do
Makes life worthwhile
You give lovingly
You always have cheer
Everything you are
I hold dear
You are so sweet
You are so very kind
Everything I cherish
In you I find
You are a blessing
You are an angel I see
Everything about you
is Gods gift to me
Source: God's Gift To Me, Special Friend Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/gods-gift-to-me#ixzz1WzuGFFU8
Family Friend Poems

Our New Puppy Suzie Q

2011-08-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Suzie is a Borador

A Borador is party border collie and part labrador. Her Daddy was a chocolate lab (huge) and her mommy was a border collie.

We are so happy to have added this cutie to our home. She sure is a bundle of joy!

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

2011-08-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

2 Cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 cup chopped almonds-toasted
1 TBSP sugar
9 inch Graham cracker crust-(made my own)
1 (8oz.) package cream cheese softened
2 cups cold milk, divided
1 (3.4oz.) package instant vanilla pudding (I used french vanilla)
In a bowl, combine strawberries, almonds and sugar. Pour into prepared crust. In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth; gradually add 1/2 cup milk. Add pudding mix (dry powder) and remaining milk. Beat for one minute or until blended; pour over strawberries, cover and refrigerate 2 hours or until set.
I added strawberries on top for decoration.

Family Ties

2011-08-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

On Monday I had the privilege to head up to Cadillac to visit with a couple of Aunts of mine in between yard work at two houses that we are trying to sell of my Mom's estate.

My Aunt Carol (Sis) is in town from Arizona for a couple months and I have not seen her in quite a while. We met up at my Aunt Jan's house and we went out to lunch, for a drive and they showed me where they grew up and then went out for ice cream. After that, we headed back to Aunt Jan's house and sat outside in the yard and had a great time catching up. Good memories and lots of laughs.

Aunt Jan and I were sitting on her swing and I noticed Aunt Sis trying to take a picture of us. Aunt Jan was crazy in a story and I leaned into her shoulder for the picture and Aunt Jan looked at me like , what the heck-did she pass out? So, there was a bunch of laughs about that too.

Aunt Sis, Aunt Jan and Me

When I look at these lovely ladies, I see Grandma Myrt and Mom in them. I can see how very much there are similarities of everyone. Facial expressions, looks, voices and yet all are different in their own way.

It was nice to hear how they grew up and life happened. How we all got to where we are today and the paths that came our way and how we adapted to and grabbed hold of life.

No matter what road we choose, no matter who our family and friends are, it is all there because of God and we have a great life. Sometimes we wish things were different and maybe easier, but no one would be where they are today if they didn't choose the path that they took. I am thankful for my life and all who are in it.

Sadie Girl

2011-08-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

My beautiful Sadie Girl!

May 2006-August 8, 2011

Sadie was such a big part of the family. I remember picking her up when she was just a few months old and I picked her because she was a girl and because she was so playful. She was such a cutie!

Here she is with Amanda and Shawn.

Sadie loved it when I would turn on the hose and she would come and drink out of it like biting at it. It was so cute! Then when we moved into the house we are now, she use to drink from the underground sprinkler system. She would even bite off the tops of the sprinkler and Tom would have to fix them.

Sadie could not have any plastic (like a Frisbee) because she would just tare it apart.

Sadie has always been fascinated with sticks. She would go get them and just tare to pieces. It was funny watching her do this because she would bite it or tare it off and then spit it out and then we had little shredded pieces of sticks or wood to clean up. One time Tom was piling up some firewood for our bonfire and Sadie would go sneak over to the stacked pile when Tom went for more and would take a piece of wood and go off to her spot. This was hilarious! When I would trim the bushes or trees, Sadie couldn't even wait for me to throw the branch out, she would pull it out for me. So darn cute she was!

Sadie loved all of us but she followed me all over the place. If I was sitting in my chair relaxing she would sit by me or put her head on my lap. Tom would call her to get her toy squirrel and then Sadie would bring it to me. Before Tom went to bed, Sadie would want to run around the house keeping her squirrel away from Tom.

I was at a horse show earlier and was cold, so I lay down to take a nap and this photo was taken by Tom. I fell asleep and Sadie put her toy next to me and lyed down next to me. Gotta love her!

Sadie loved it when I was mowing the yard. She would follow me or run along side of me while I mowed and then sometimes she would just sit and watch. She always had her eyes on me and watched every move I made.

Sadie did not like things in her yard. She would make sure that there weren't any critters, moths, carry toads out of the garage and set them in the grass. Anything out of place, she would put it in place.

She loved to go for rides, camping, swimming. While she swam she would go get the stick and drop it in front of us to throw again, but if we were in the yard with a stick, she played keep away.

She loved all the kids and would protect them if we were just horsing around with them. Sadie would step in between us and sometimes would just put her teeth on our arm just to let us know to be good. She never would bite down she just would put her mouth on us. Love her!

We all will miss you Sadie! You warmed our hearts with so much love and devotion. You will never be replaced. You were one of a kind!

Memories Made With A Friend

2011-08-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Isn't it exciting to spend time with a great friend?This is Sandy and I. We have been friends since freshman year in HS. A lot of great memories!

Sandy was able to come down and spend the day and next morning with me. It is always nice to see her and spend some great quality time together.

We started off at my house and then ventured off to a huge greenhouse in my town. Just down the road from me is a place called Countryside Greenhouse. They actually still have a lot of flowers and plants in there right now. We were lucky to scope out what they had, see the awesome deals we were going to get and chit chat! Nothing better than chit chatting!

Then we went to the mall in Grandville (Rivertown Crossings) and shopped for quite a while. I was not lucky in finding any sandals or flip flops. My last pair broke and I miss them. Sandy, on the other hand, got several great deals. It is nice to get a deal or two or three or four!!!

Then we went out to lunch at Applebees and had fun with that and Yummy food! Once we finished there, we headed back to my house and waited til we went out to Grand Haven Michigan to enjoy some of the festivities at the Coast Guard Festival. We did a little more shopping there and then watched a water ski show. The skiers were great but the MC's-they could have used a little help in the humor department. Then we enjoyed walking the pier and meeting up with my family out there.

This little shop had some funny clothing ideas in it. One pair of boxer shorts that we thought was a hoot, had three ducks on the back and it said-'butt quack'. Pretty funny!

Time was well spent and went way too fast! A lot of laughs and great conversation!

The next morning we took my dog to the vet because she is not feeling well lately. They think she is anemic so have to get her checked and see how she adapting to the pills she is being put on.

After that we decided to go to a store in town and got a few more great deals and then back to the greenhouse to get all the perennials for Sandy, well, NOT ALL, but she got more so she could plant in her pretty flower beds.

I am so happy that Sandy is in my life! There's just something about a special bond with a friend.

So, as you can see, we had a wonderful time making more memories. Thanks for the great time Sandy!

You know, life is interesting! Why does God bring certain people in our lives? Are the people there for a moment, hours, a day, week, month, year? Are some of your friends more like acquaintances or are there more that are like long lasting friendships?

We all need friends, companions, best buds. Treasure the friends that you have because you never know how long they will be in your life. A great friend is one that you have not seen in a while or years and you can pick up right where you left off.

Stop and think about when you just go to the store. At the checkout, are you friendly and say hello and talk to that person? Or do you wish they would hurry up and get done so you can be on your quick way? Take time out people-that person-you could have made their day just by taking the time to say hello.

To all my friends out there-I do treasure our friendships. Whether it be an acquaintance and we just stay in touch, chat on Facebook, or whatever the case may be. You are part of my life for a reason-so DEAL WITH IT!!!!

HA HA HA HA HA HA

I just wish there was more time to get together more often.

Fresh Raspberry Bars

2011-07-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

FRESH RASPBERRY BARS
1 cup unsalted butter
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Softened butter for brushing sides of foil
¾ cup seedless raspberry jam or preserves
1 pint (2 cups) fresh raspberries
8 oz. package cream cheese softened (the recipe said ½- 8 0z pkg.)
4 oz. goat cheese or 4 oz. cream cheese
½ cup granulated sugar
1 TBSP. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 TBSP. finely shredded lemon peel (zest)
2 TBSP. freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp. vanilla
Powdered Sugar (if desire)

*Preheat oven to 350` F. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with a 24-inch long sheet of aluminum foil, leaving extra foil over ends for easier removal of bars later. Set aside. In a large bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until it just begins to blend and soften slightly, about 30 seconds.
*Add Brown sugar and salt; beat on low speed until incorporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute. “You’re not trying to cream it; you’re just mixing it in.” With mixer off, add 2 cups of flour. Beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase speed to medium, mix until ingredients from an even, cohesive dough. Don’t under mix as this will make it too crumbly. You can never over mix it. Has to be able to stick and hold together.
*Break dough into small chunks and distribute in prepared pan; with your fingers press dough into an even layer. Bake 20 minutes or until dough has begun to puff and is just set. Cool on wire rack 5 minutes.
*Lightly brush exposed sides of foil with softened butter to keep filling from sticking. Spread jam evenly over crust. (Now, I skipped the foil and this process. I just baked in a glass dish without foil-did spread the jam).
*Sprinkle evenly with fresh raspberries.
*With a lemon zester, remove peel from lemon, making sure to avoid bitter white pith. (For the most flavor, you will want to do this right before baking.
*In a large bowl beat cream cheese and goat cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high for 30 seconds. Mix in granulated sugar and 1 TBSP flour until blended. With mixer running, add egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
*Pour custard batter evenly over berries. Tilt pan back and forth to distribute evenly. Bake at 350` for 25-30 minutes or until barely set. Transfer to wire rack until completely cool, about 1 hour; cover and transfer to refrigerator. Chill 2 hours. Top will crack slightly as it cools.
*If foiled pan, use foil to lift the bars from the pan. With a knife or metal spatula, support the sides of the bars while you gently peel the foil downward and away from sides of bars.
*Cut into bars, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desire. These bars are good without the powdered sugar.

Fun at Ted and Faith's

2011-07-17T09:02:00.001-07:00

Kara sitting by the pool.
Mitch in the pool.

Shawn under the boat in the pool.

Faith's fountain spraying in the pool.

Harley keeping an eye on the kids in the pool.

Tom helping hook up Tv for watching by the pool.

Ted playing with the torpedo with Shawn in the pool.

The kids went and found a frog over by our old house-by the creek.

There's a frog in the bucket dear Liza, dear Liza. There's a frog in the bucket and really wants out!

I think you can get the idea of what went on over at Faith and Ted's house by what I posted under the pictures. LOL

There was a lot of pool time. Weather is perfect for it.

We cooked out and had burgers and hot dogs on the grill, and other yummy food.

The TV was the hit of the night for Faith. Cracked us up. She would not give up the remote!

We had a great time visiting with friends.

Pure Michigan: Mackinac Island

2011-07-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

This is so funny!

Around here we have Pure Michigan billboards. Pure Michigan State signs. Pure Michigan radio commercials with the voice of Tim Allen as the narrator. I love those commercials and signs.

Well, I came across this on YouTube and it cracked me up so I thought I would share!

Enjoy!

Beach Time

2011-07-07T11:33:00.001-07:00

Wednesday we ventured over to Grand Haven Michigan to have a little beach time. There was a lot of people there but it did not seem over crowded.

As we arrived you could see a fog up the channel out towards the lighthouse.

After an hour or so of being out there the fog dissipated.

The fog looked really cool coming off the shore.

My lovely kiddos!
Mason, Mitch, Shawn, and Amanda

Mitch getting buried and Mason looking on.

Amanda burring Mitch.

Amanda played a joke on Mitch and it was so funny!

All of us have such a great sense of humor.

I buried Shawn while the other boys were in the water. This is him getting out of it.

What a nice relaxing time at the beach. Fun had by all!

Fun times

2011-07-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

Our July 4Th party was a big hit. Everyone that came had a great time and everyone mingled amongst each other pretty good. Was a great group of people.

I like to hold this party every year. The little kids look forward to it and so do the big kids. :)

We had games in the yard, food, swimming, badminton, and we didn't get to the volleyball time.

Everyone brought a dish that they like to make and all of it was so yummy!

It is nice that Tom's whole Coast Guard shop came too. Sad part is that we get to know these people for a year to four years and then they leave. But on a good note, it gives them a place to go when they are far away from family and friends. It is nice getting to know new people.

Hope you all had a great July 4Th. I know we did!

My Daughter is growing up!

2011-06-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

Happy 20th Birthday Mander Pander!

Love you very much!

Leelanau Camping trip Memorial Day Weekend 2011

2011-06-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

We Stayed at Lake Leelanau RV Resort This is the view from our campsite. It was really nice having this site as we could watch everyone pulling their boats in and out. We could also let the kids fish off the doc without any worries and we could relax.

The weekend was kind of cool. We had to wear sweatshirts most of the time. But, that is okay, we had a blast. Too bad Amanda had to work or she could have went too.
On Sunday we rented a pontoon boat. A pontoon boat is something we would like to invest in some day. Maybe someday! We had so much fun on it. The boys and Tom fished when we stopped and I would drive us all over. I even parked it without hitting the doc. Pretty good for the first time. This day was so much fun.

Yep, there I am!

Shawn and Tom

Mason being silly with all the life vests!

I will publish other post as to what we did over the weekend. If you know me on facebook, you probably have seen the pictures. I write this blog so my kids and family and friends have something to look at and know what is going on. Also, some day everyone will be happy that I did this after I have gone to heaven then they will have something to go to so they can reflect on the memories.

Michigan Donor Family Ceremony Spring 2011.wmv

2011-05-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

Become a donor!

Fishing and Exploring

2011-05-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

Shawn wanted to go fishing last night so I took him over to the gravel pits that is located by our house. Not sure how long ago it was a gravel pit, but now it is a nice little lake area that runs into the Grand River which runs into Lake Michigan eventually.

Shawn decided to take his shoes and socks off so he could go into the water. It was cold he said.

A lot of people will take their boats out there and go fishing, boating, ski-dooing, water skiing and sometimes we take our lab over there so she can play in the water and fetch sticks that we throw out for her.

My handsome boy!

No luck catching any fish last night but it was a very nice time out by the water feeling the gentle breeze and watching the water move. The birds were out flying around and chirping. Geese flying overhead.

Nothing like nature and being able to enjoy it!

There was a frog in an area where the water puddled up in deep crevice areas and every time we walked by it would jump in the water or dive down in the water. Shawn decided that he wanted to try to catch it.

Twenty minutes later of exploring and and did not catch the frog, but he sure did have fun trying to catch it.

Here is the frog that Shawn could not catch. It was peeking up out of the water.

Even though Shawn did not catch any fish or frogs, he was able to have a good time.

God Bless The Broken Road

2011-05-18T05:50:00.000-07:00

I have watched these two beautiful young ladies grow up over the years. I have known them since before they were born. Their Mama (a great friend of mine) was pregnant with them at my first wedding. I call them my twin nieces. Even though we are not blood related there is a special bond with them and the family. I love these two girls and just wanted to share something that they put together and hope that you may enjoy it too.

A little Fun~Tom sure can shake it!

2011-05-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

The baby Robins are doing great!

2011-05-11T09:51:00.001-07:00

There are four of them. If you like the pictures you can see a few different ones on my other blog Shelly Vandlen Photography.

Or you can go to my Facebook page.
I am having fun watching these little ones develop every day!

A Great Woman!

2011-05-10T10:02:00.001-07:00

Great Grandma Odette

She was cute, short, funny.

I remember always going to her house and she always had a puzzle set up so we could all help put it together when we stopped by. She made homemade rugs out of like what people make quilts with I believe.

One time we went for supper and she had made pea soup. Boy, did I not want to eat. We sat at the table and Mom made me eat the soup. At that time, I hated peas. Well, every time G. Grandma and Mom went to the kitchen as they cleaned up, I would hide the peas under the table cloth. Yes, Grandma made her soup with a cream and whole peas. It wasn't all mushed up like I see down here. Well, I really got the look from Mom when she went to clear off the table cloth. Oh well, fun times!

This is Great Grandma with her son Philip Odette. He was my Mom's Dad. Grandpa and I shared the exact same birthday. Doesn't Granny look so cute with her little chunky cheeks sticking out in this picture?

Here's a picture of my cousins with Great Grandma O.
Johnny, Tina, Sheila and Great Grandma.

I remember that tree in Great Grandma's yard. You can see it in the background of this picture.
We use to hang on it and swing from it!
Granny had a bird in a cage at her house too. I little parakeet and she would let the door open on its cage. That bird would get out and fly around. I sure did not like that. I didn't like it flying past my head. Oh what memories!

The house that Granny lived at is not there anymore. It was taken down for a business to go up.
Loved that old Mustard color house!

Mother's Day

2011-05-04T08:47:00.001-07:00

If Roses grow in Heaven,

Lord please pick a bunch for me,

Place them in my Mother's arms

And tell her they're from me.

Tell her I love and miss her,

and when she turns to smile,

place a kiss upon her cheek

and hold her for a while.

Because remembering her is easy,

I do it every day,

but there's an ache within my heart

that will never go away.

I know Mom is not here on this earth to celebrate Mother's day this year. She is rejoicing in Heaven with our heavenly Father. Thank you Jesus!

I couple weeks ago, I noticed that the Mother's day cards were starting to get on display for everyone to look and purchase for their Mom. I thought, oh, have to get one for Mom, then, I am like, wait a minute-Minus one this year. That is okay because I know where she is. I know that her life is better now and that she is living in Glory Land.

Mom's song!

6TH Grade Chicago Trip, May 3, 2011

2011-05-04T07:34:00.001-07:00

Chicago view from the bus.
Statue by the Science Museum.

Waiting to get into the Museum.

A little excited to get out of the bus!

US 505 Submarine

They had to build around this to get it to be part of the museum.

Old Horse drawn Fire Engine.

Tornado

View from Lincoln Park Zoo

Shawn and Alan

After our DQ stop in Indiana on way home.

This is our whole group that stayed together during the trip.

Everyone was good and we all had a great time.

Spencer, Ivan, Sue

Alan, Andrew, Shawn and Me.

Funny how Shawn and I almost have the same look.

This Chicago trip was really nice. We had four Charter buses to take us there and back. The ride was nice, the driver was excellent. Wish we had time to see a few more things at the museum and the Zoo was nice to be outside. Wish the Zoo had some more animals, but maybe it was too early yet.

Years ago, when I went with Amanda's class, there were Polar bears and other animals. Only a select few animals this year. Still was a nice trip though.

Shelly's Annual Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-25T09:15:00.001-07:00

This is me and how I prepare the eggs. LOL
I found some! They are so cute when they get all excited and hunt for the eggs!

This group finished hunting the eggs and are now waiting to find the golden eggs that have 5 bucks in them. I made them keep waiting a bit because they are so anxious. I love torturing them that way. Little bit excited for the egg!

Searching for the goldens!

Lining up for the egg toss. Whoa! I am not catching that one! It landed and didn't even break.

Renee got yoked. Guess the yoke is on her. Good job Rick!

All tied up for the leg race.

Waiting to start the leg race.

They're off!

Have you know that Renee and I won again this year! HA! HA!

To end the day off sitting around the fire pit with friends.

We had a beautiful fire going.

The whole day was a blast! Everyone had a good time. The hunt was good, food and beverages were good, time with friends and family was great!

My Two Favorite Aunts!

2011-04-14T15:29:00.001-07:00

Aunt Jan, Mom (Kathy-RIP), Aunt Carol (Sis)

June 1962 Aunt Jan and Aunt Sis April 2011 When I look back and reflect on people in my life and I think of my two Aunts. I have a lot of great stories to tell. There were a lot of great times with my Aunts and my cousins. We have a lot of good memories. There are some funny things that you don't want to mention in public. Then there are times that you could go on and on. Times that Aunt Sis had a restaurant in Mesick Michigan. Good times going up there too. One time my cousins put Tabasco sauce in my coke while I was using the restroom. When I came back to take a drink, sucking it down really fast, then I was like, WHOA!!!! All of the cousins laughed their fool heads off. I ran to the kitchen and Aunt Sis was like, what is going on Hun? I said, I need water, quick! LOL We spent many times going out to both of my Aunt's houses and having fun. One time we all went out to Long Lake to go camping with Grandma and the clan. While we were swimming Aunt Jan was coming to shore and something was out of it's place and I yelled to Auntie and she looked down, and shoved it back in. So funny! I will never forget these fun times spent with family. Love you all!

2011-04-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Sweet gum is the second in production only among oaks in hardwoods. The wood is used for flooring, furniture, veneers, home interiors and other lumber applications. The wood is also used as paper gulp in making baskets. Pioneers once pulled back the bark and stripped it of the gum like resin and used it as chewing gum.

Sweet gum is a favorite landscape tree. It provides beautiful color in the fall and a wonderful shade tree. It is easily recognized by its star-shaped leaves and its woody spiny like wooden fruit.

This is the seed pod that I took a picture of and thought it looked really cool. So, now I had to research it since I had no clue as to what it was.

You know, people collect these pods and make several crafts with them. They also can coat them in peanut butter and bird seeds and hang them in the yard for the birds.

Day at Mom and Dad Vandlens

2011-04-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

It is so nice to see old barns when out on a drive. Plus, it is nice to see the green coming in really good now.

Went down to Battle Creek to spend some time with the family and to celebrate Sara's birthday. We had a lot of fun. Wonderful meal that Mom prepared and had a nice walk out on the wooded trails and nice time spend with family.

Mason on his quad

Brandon

Shawn

Mitch driving and Connor in the gator!

Ma and Dad Vandlen

Sara and Mike

Beautiful view from the bridge of the creek.

The weather was perfect today. We had 80 degree weather and there was a nice gentle breeze. Kids had a blast riding their quads and the gator. We all had a nice walk and visit with the family.

Happy Birthday Sara!

nature

2011-04-09T11:38:00.001-07:00

Blue Jay in my yard today. I happened to take the picture from inside my house at my desk. If I go outside, then they fly away. I took the picture then zoomed in on my camera to trim. The markings on the BJ are very pretty and unique. Are you looking at me? Find something to do! Again, trimmed from Camera. The quality isn't as good as if were outside taking the pictures or had an even bigger zoom lens. :) This was last nights sunset. Shawn spotted it while we were in our living room watching some TV and he said, Mom look-so pretty! So, I got up, looked, grabbed camera and took a picture. Love the beauty that God has given us the privilege to look at every day!

Government Shutdown?

2011-04-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

Will the Government Shut down?

What does that mean for some?

If the Government shuts down this is what I see-All the hard service men and women fighting for our country or serving their country in some way shape or form and there is a hold on their pay. What happens to these wonderful men and women? Do they lose their homes because they cannot make a house payment? Does their family end up living on the street because they no longer have an income to provide for their family?

What is the point of a shutdown? You don't see the people in congress, senate, president taking a hold on their income.

If you shut down and say, don't worry, they will back pay you from the time of the shutdown to the time it isn't shut down. I say, Then what is the point? Going to pay them eventually anyway and it does not help save any money or help the budget. It just makes things worse for the American people who are trying to survive. Some people live week by week trying to support their family and to live a decent life.

I am one that is getting a little nervous about this as I am a stay at home Mom and my husband is the worker. He works for the government in the USCG. I pray that there is not a hold on his paycheck as he pays all the bills.

This above picture sure does explain a lot. This is what it would feel like for all the people who get shut down. You would feel like you are buried and can't do anything about it but hope for someone to dig you out of a hole. Interesting comic don't ya think? Where is the best interest at?

Don't ya wish there was an easy button for this?

That's a Wrap!

2011-04-05T21:47:00.001-07:00

A long time friend of mine, Janice, and her family wanted me to take some family pictures of them. I am working on taking the garage background out of the pictures and adding various different backgrounds. This is very interesting on how this all has to be done.

First, make a copy, then erase the whole background and that takes a little time as when you are close to what you want to save in the picture, you don't want to mess up and take too much or too little.

I am so excited as I have learned a new thing to do on photoshop. I bought a book a while ago and it will show you step by step to a certain point. Can you say AWESOME?

This picture of my friends is so funny. There is a reason for them to all show their fist and the comment 'That's a wrap!' Janice was saying something to her family one time and it is a hidden joke between them. She made a hand motion (which she says she never talks with her hands, but we know she does) and said, 'That's a Wrap!' When they all explained it to me, they were all laughing so hard and so we had to get a picture of them doing that. I look at the picture and I can

actually still hear them laughing every time I look at this picture!

Ever think about how life can be so much fun and more interesting with the little "inside" jokes that we have amongst certain family members or friends? Sure does make life more enjoyable!

I have known Janice and her family since 1989 and I appreciate the friendship that we have.

God brings certain people in our lives for our own benefits of enjoyment of friendship. Imagine a life without any friends-life would be a little boring. I thank my God every time I think of you!

Life passes by so quickly! I remember when Janice and I were pregnant at the same time with our girls. The girls are going to be 20 this year. Holy Cow! Where does the time go?

Love to all!

Chicken Extravaganza

2011-03-31T21:18:00.001-07:00

Today was an interesting day! I was able to get a lot of spring cleaning started in the house today. I opened some of the windows a bit to let some fresh air in while I worked. That was so nice! Not the working part-lol-but the being able to open the window part. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. A nice gentle breeze came inside and eventually dried my floors after they were mopped. As I went outside to take some trash out, the chickens were in my flower bed by the house. UGH! They were scratching away and knocking the bark and dirt up onto the driveway. I clapped my hands to get them out of there and they looked at me like I was crazy. Well, I am, but that doesn't mean that they can't listen to me. LOL So, they got out, I took the trash out and got the broom to sweep. Here they come! I had to shoo them away so I could sweep up the mess they created. I text Tom and said this is the last time I am letting the chickens out into the yard. We liked letting them out to let them roam around a bit. They usually scratch under the big pine trees where all the dead leaves are laying under. Not today! After I got that mess cleaned up, I went back inside to finish up some of the work I have been doing inside. Time to go out and get the rug that I had hanging on the railing that I had to hit the dirt out of. What to my wandering eyes did I see? Yepper--Chickens in my flower bed again! This time I got the broom and tried to scoot them out of the way. They moved away and cackled at me. I just cackled back at them. I am the boss of this house. LOL So, I think my new adventure will be to make a bigger outdoor pen area so they can wander around more. They are pretty entertaining animals. If the neighbors could have seen me, they would have thought that I was the entertaining one and that the chickens are winning. Kinda like Charlie S--winning! The only crack that is happening here is the fact that the chickens 'crack me up.' I guess I will forgive them since they provide us with such yummy eggs to eat.

Hope you enjoyed my little adventure with the chickens today. I know I did. :)

Family Griffen's Hockey night

2011-03-20T19:00:00.001-07:00

We had a great time going to the Grand Rapids Griffen's Hockey game Saturday night. We took a couple friends with us and the night was a blast. We went to the game, then afterwards we went to a new restaurant in the Grand Rapids area. It is called Quaker Steak and Lube. The one on the way to Chicago is cooler than this one. That one actually looks like an oil change place from the outside. This one looks good on the inside and had a live three man band while we were there and they did a really good job.

Here are my handsome boys! All excited to go to the hockey game and to too their horns!

Here we are all waiting for the game to start!

We actually got some pretty good seats. There was a group of people that showed up and the lady by Mitch was grumpy all night. She did not look happy when she got there and then looked really ornery when they would toot their horns or everyone around would sing or have fun. That's what the games are about, otherwise they would not sell those horns or any noise maker at the game or have lit up signs that say "MAKE SOME NOISE" ! LOL

The Grand Rapids Griffen's are in red and they are playing the Americans and I am not sure where they were from. Griffen's won 3-1. Woo-Hoo!

Amanda and Matt

Shawn and I.

We had a really good and fun night!

First Time Ever in CHS History

2011-03-17T06:18:00.001-07:00

First time EVER in Cadillac High School history for the Varsity boys Basketball team to become Regional Champs! Way to go Caddy! A lot of hard work definitely pays off.

I will be heading North Tuesday to sit with my friends from High School to cheer on the Mighty Vikes in another Victory. The will be playing Muskegon Heights I believe it is the quarter finals.

This will be a very good game!

My New Finds Today

2011-03-16T13:44:00.001-07:00

I found this vintage camera with a wooden tripod. I thought it was really cool so I can display it in my house along with my other camera's that I have to figure out how I am going to display all of them. My next project is to find what year is was and how much it is really worth.
My Dad loves Motorcycles and old cars. When I was out to his house last summer painting it, we painted one room Harley colors that way he could have a really cool room. He has a Harley and loves to ride. So, I saw this sign and thought I would get it for him and send it out to him this week. He will be able to display it in his workshop.

Shawn's First Hunt

2011-03-12T08:23:00.001-08:00

My boy Shawn took his hunter's safety class in February and completed that and did very well in it. Ever since then he has been wanting to go hunting or shoot some kind of animal.

Friday was the day for that!

From inside the house our dog Sadie noticed a rabbit outside the window. Shawn went and got his 22 that Grandpa Lehr bought for him and we went out on the back deck to see if he could get the rabbit. The rabbit took off into the woods a little ways. Shawn followed it through his scope and then he got it. The rabbit ran a little ways then paused. Shawn went to get another bullet and then we found it again and completed the task. Such excitement for the little man. Here is Shawn with his very first animal that he was able to hunt down.

We had to learn how to skin it and all of that other good stuff. It is pretty tricky as we got some of it but then we called our friend Aaron to help and show Shawn how to do it. Now, we have three rabbit's feet curing and the meat is in the freezer. I will find a good recipe and make it for him someday.

Way to Go Shawn! Job well done!

CATCHING UP TO DO

2011-03-10T10:35:00.001-08:00

WOW! Just noticed that several people have new posts and that means I have some catching up to do.

Right now, it is out the door and off to the eye doctor for me. Yippee!

Take care!

Having fun

2011-03-06T06:17:00.000-08:00

The other day my friend Wendy was saying that she wanted a new hairstyle. She was asking friends on Facebook about where to go and whatnot, so I took the challenge and started to mess around with her. I posted a couple funny hairstyle pictures that usually just models doing a wild and wacky hairdo would do for a photo shoot.

I was having so much fun playing with the photos and getting a chuckle back out of Wendy. It is great to have friends that love to joke around. Those that can take it make it so much more fun and worth the laugh.

You can see in the picture below how much fun I was having with the last picture that I posted on her wall.

Love ya Wendy!

XOXOXO

Out of Sorts

2011-03-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

Wow! Have I been knocked down for a few days. I have had this cold and I think being stuffy to where you can't hardly breathe is the worse. Feeling no energy whatsoever is awful too. I have not ever layed down this much. Shoot, I am lucky if I sleep 5 hours a night. I think I have had more sleep the last few days than I have had in a whole week.

I am doing better than I was a couple days ago. But, still not up to full Shellyness!

Ever wonder if you could take something and shoot bigger holes through your nostrils just so you can breathe? Then maybe the mouth would not feel like a big cotton ball. :)

I know this is going around and anyone who gets it, I feel for ya! I know your pain! LOL

Well, I will write again when the Shelmeister is back to a full recovery.
TTFN

Had a little fun!

2011-02-25T18:28:00.000-08:00

I had a challenge on Facebook by my friend Sandy's brother Steve.

That challenge happened to be with a photo that I had taken of her out at the pier when she came down for a visit. That was a lot of fun too! Anyway, the challenge was to photoshop a shark into a picture and that would make the photo really funny.

Sandy made a comment on the facebook too and said that if anyone could do it, Shelly could. I had to laugh. I was thinking, seriously? Can I really do it? HMMMM

Well, Shelly is always up for a challenge. I try not to let anything beat me. LOL

So, below was what the end result was. Kinda funny if you ask me. Every time I look at it, I start to giggle.

Morning drive

2011-02-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

Saturday I was on my way home from Grocery shopping and noticed some ice formed on some trees on the Bass River. I thought to myself, you know, that would be neat to go take some pictures of that. That is a busy part of the road and not much of a place to park there to be out of the way.

Sunday--I got up out of bed and thought, I am going to try to go get some pictures before the weather hits. So, I went out and got a few pictures. The above picture is one of them and then there are more on my photo blog if you want to go and take a look at that. http://shellyvandlenphotography.blogspot.com

I had a nice drive by myself. Driving really slow to see if anything would catch my eye. Well, there were a few neat things and I am happy with the results that I found.

Now that it is after midnight-that makes it Monday. Presidents day! My husband has the day off and has had a little bit of a sore throat so he has been kinda under the weather. I think I will wake up before him-as I usually do-and plow the driveway for him. I will drive our lawn tractor/snow blower. The snow and ice that we have is pretty wet so I don't think the big tractor will move it very well. That just has a back blade on it and that is Tommy's baby.

May you all have a great day!

AMS BAND CONCERT

2011-02-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

Last night we were able to go and watch two of my boys and a friends of mines young lady perform in their band performance. The 6TH grade band had Shawn in it and he just switched to the saxophone and did and awesome job. Mitch and Kara are in the 7TH grade-- and Mitch plays the trumpet and actually played the base drum on the last song, and Kara plays the clarinet and they also did an awesome job.

It is amazing to hear how they just start out and how quickly they become little musicians. Their talent is rewarding in so many ways.

Allendale even got an award or recognition for being one of the best in the State of Michigan. Not sure what it is as I was half listening at the time. LOL But, Congrats to all the Allendale School Band performers.

The teachers that teach them are very good with the kids and you can tell that they really enjoy their job.

Anyway, Great job kids!
Love you all!

Isaiah 40:31

2011-02-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 40:31 But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

That was Randy's favorite verse. Randy was my first husband and he passed away from Lou Gehrig's Disease in 2003. Today it has been 8 years exactly. He is missed and we will always remember him.

So, I thought it was kind of ironic that my husband Tom calls me to tell me there are eagles flying around the channel in Grand Haven today. So, I grabbed my camera and went out there to take a few shots. The wind sure was cold on the hands, but I ended up getting a few. You can see some on my photo blog or on facebook.

I am only going to post one here in honor of Randy today. I am thankful to have had a life with Randy and to have two beautiful kids with him. I am thankful that there is a Father in Heaven that is full of grace and mercy.

We don't always know the road that is ahead of us, but after we have been down the road a ways, we tend to understand why God brought us the way we came and look forward to the way that we are going.

I also want to thank my husband Tom for being understanding and for the life that we have together now.

God bless everyone!

Have a Photography blog!

2011-02-03T10:09:00.000-08:00

Come and check out the new blog! I bet you can get to it from my this blog too.

http://shellyvandlenphotography.blogspot.com/

Okie dokey

2011-02-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hope I did not screw up my original blog. I signed up for another blog for my photography but it is all under my same gmail account just different password. Now I just typed a whole new post and it went to my other account. Ugh.

As I was saying we are in for some snow. They say we are going to get hammered. Well, right now a few snow flakes are drifting down ever so gently from the sky. I am able to count each and every one right now. We will see how bad it gets. Oh, wind picking up as we speak. They said it was going to try to start around 4pm and it is. Major stuff tonight.

My deck is 1/3 full of snow and I am looking forward to seeing the rest pile up on there.

Hopefully I am working on making another blog and then I will have two. Any tips from fellow bloggers is well appreciated.

Thanks!

What Is Your Purpose?

2011-01-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

What is your purpose? Have you ever thought about what YOUR purpose in life is? I have. We had an awesome message in church today that brought this question up. There was a little video that was shown interviewing people out in the city. The interviewer would ask several people what their purpose was. Some of the people did not have an answer and some did. Some of the answers were to have fun, be there for their family and friends, party it up, live every day in the present, plan for their financial future, etc. Some of these answers are still nice answers. We do need to be kind and courteous and love one another as Christ has loved us.

One question in church was-"what do the people in the video have in common with the man who shot the people in Tucson several weeks ago"? The answer: They don't have a purpose for their life!

God has chosen for Himself a "people" who will live to glorify and enjoy Him, as they live to tell the world who He is!

Genesis 12, 15, 17

Some people might go to church just to go, some might go to worship their heavenly Father, some might think that there are a bunch of hypocrites in church and that might keep them from going. What is the "True Church"? The true church are those that have put their trust in God as their personal Saviour.

I want to live every day to its fullest, be there for my family and friends, show love to one another and hopefully plan for a better future. BUT, the ultimate reason we have purpose is that we have a Christ who gave us the gift of salvation. We have a choice to make. I have made that choice when I was 18 years old. I had some great friends show me the way to a better life. A richer and fuller life. There is not a great life than that with our Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for these friends of mine that helped me. Now, because of them and their purpose in life is why I will be spending eternity in heaven instead of burning in Hell. How many of you have made the choice to have Christ in your life? Are you living life with the purpose to fulfill what God wants you to do or has planned for you? What kind of talent or talents, gifts has God given you to share with others?

The basic purpose in life is to accept Christ as your personal Saviour and to live life according to the way that Christ would want you to live.

So my friends, I wish you the best in life and may you have a life of knowing that someday you will have eternity in heaven with our lovingly Father. Let the Spirit of God work in you fulfilling His purpose IN us and THROUGH us.

De Quervain's Tenosynovitis

2011-01-26T10:33:00.000-08:00

This is the picture of the left hand. My pain is in my Right hand.

So, I went to the doctor because my hand was not getting better. There is a constant pain at the base of my thumb which is towards the wrist. The pain goes up and will be really painful when I over use it. Sometimes that just consist of doing things around the house.

Now I will give you a lesson as to what this really is.

De Quervain's Tenosynovitis is a painful condition affecting the tendons located on the thumb side of your wrist. A tendon is a strong band of tissue that attaches muscle to bone. A sheath, or covering, surrounds the tendons that go to your thumb. Tenosynovitis is an irritation of this sheath.

How does this occur you might ask?

Usually occurs from overusing your thumb or wrist, especially in activities that move your thumb directly away from your wrist such as skiing or hammering. And No, I have not been hammering the kids! LOL

How do I get this to get better you might ask?

Sometimes they put a splint on it. The Doctor did not see that I really needed one yet. So, I have to ice it for 20-30 minutes every 3-4 hours until the pain goes away. Wow! I think my hand might be frozen and then for sure I won't feel any pain. Just cold! LOL

After ice, massage the area for 5-10 minutes several times a day.

Take an anti-inflammatory med.

Last resort is to get cortisone injection.

When can I get back to normal activity?

As soon as my wrist recovers. If attempt too soon, this will create permanent damage.

Zoiks!!!!

Guess I better behave.

Think I might be going to the drug store to get my a splint so I don't overuse or twist and turn it when not suppose to.

On another note-I hate the fact that I have Type 2 Diabetes. So, I have to really behave now. I hate buying tons of fruit because it can be so expensive. But, to be healthy I have to pay the price. Not sure if I can eat fruit three times a day and veggies three times a day. But, I do know that I can try. I am such a carb eater that it isn't funny. I don't eat a lot of sweets, but those carbs sure do turn into sugar eventually. Sucks! Anyway, I told my husband today--who loves carbs, pastas, etc, that he and the rest of the family is going to have to go on this journey with me. Not saying we can't have that stuff once in a while, but it is good to eat differently anyway. Maybe I can find some fun and Yummy recipes.

I am lucky that I can take a pill and not have insulin. So that is a bonus. I wonder if I will ever be free from this? Going to try. It does not help that family had Diabetes. My Grandpa Odette had Diabetes 1 so he had to take insulin. That was not fun for him. Was not fun watching his legs blister up either. God rest his soul.

So, what do I have to do now? I have to make an eye apt. Have to get that checked every year. Eat healthier and exercise. I have not been one to just lay around, but this will push me to get to my cardio stuff. Now that I am not working, I have more time so I don't have any excuses.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Birthday to Two 13 year olds!

2011-01-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

Around our house we have two boys that have birthdays close to each other. Mitch is in January and Shawn in in May. Two Thirteen year old kids in the house after May. Look out when they both start driving at the same time. I think I need to get a job!

Our friends, The Parrish Family have a nice, sweet young lady that is now 13 too. Her name is Kara. Mitch's Birthday is the day before Kara's. We like to have supper together and go out bowling afterwards to celebrate Mitch and Kara's Birthday. Here are a few pictures of our fun night. Mitch and his bowl of dirt cake.
Kara and her bowl of dirt cake.
Went bowling and had a lot of fun.
This is Mitch and Shawn.

Here we have, Brittnay, Kara, Amanda and Mason.
Here is Brittnay, Amanda and Kara.
I am really not sure about the young lady in the middle. Looks a little crazy to me. LOL

I cannot believe how quick the years go by. At first you want them to talk, then walk, etc and now you want them to be still and listen. LOL
Nah, they are great kids. These next years will go by so fast and I am sure that we will treasure every year.

Memory lane with the Family

2011-01-12T09:43:00.001-08:00

I am going to go down memory lane for a little bit.

I have to find more pictures from some family members. As I do not have very many from the past and sure would like to have some copy's of some. These pictures were from my childhood.

My cousin Andy

This is Laurie.

This is Jonna.

The above three kids belong to my Auntie Jan (my Mom's sister) and Uncle John

This is Sheila and Grandma Myrt
We like to call Grandma Myrt--Grandma Myrtle the Turtle when she was still with us here on earth. This is John

This is Tina Ree
The above three kids belong to Mom's brother Phil. I don't remember Sheila's Mom's name. John and Tina's Mom is Chris or we called her Aunt Tina.

This family is Mom's sister Carol or we like to call her Aunt Sis.

Grandma Myrt, Kim, Uncle Bob, Chris, Mike, Leslie, Aunt Sis

This is a picture of me!

Yep that is me!

Was cute then, what happened? LOL

I will try to find some more old pictures to share. I only have a few of what my Dad gave to me.

Shelly's Winter Photoshoot Jan 10, 2011

2011-01-11T08:30:00.001-08:00

Sadie and I went out for a walk around our yard and I was enjoying taking pictures as she was enjoying sniffing around and playing in the snow. By my previous post you noticed some pictures that I had taken yesterday too. The hoarfrost was amazing. Sure does make everything look different. After taking pictures around the house, I decided to head out to Grand Haven Michigan to get some photo shots out on the lake shore of Lake Michigan.

This is the ice building up on the shoreline. You see this right when you get out to the pier.

The above picture is of ice build up on the lighthouse at the end of the pier.

When you are walking out to the pier this is the little light on the North side of the pier when you enter the channel.

This tree seems very lonely. Even though there are many branches to keep it company, it still stands alone. Actually, this is not far from the beach house/restroom. I thought the tree was pretty. Sometimes I feel alone, but then there are so many people in my life that are important and make things all better. Just like that tree. The trunk is the strong part--could be God, the tree grows and has many branches. God put these branches in our lives. He made it so we had many paths to take and many people to cross our paths. Thanks be to God for all He has provided.
This is a beautiful duck. There were several out on the lake. This one was in the channel with a few other ducks.

On the boardwalk out to the pier you notice this building that hold boats--I believe.

Check out that ice build up on it! Isn't that awesome!

Again a picture of the little light on the N side. I thought I would be tricky and take this picture through a life ring. The life rings are located all along the pier to use when someone is in need of help or in danger. Once you pull the ring off, a little blue light will light up and will call our wonderful USCG (United States Coast Guard--as we like to call Coasties!)

It is not good when they have to go out to save someone, but we are all grateful that they are ready and available when someone needs them. It is amazing watching them in action too.

The ice looked like broken glass!
The sound of this crashing against the other ice pieces was a neat sound.

Well, I made it out to the end of the pier with careful footsteps. There was a lot of ice built up on the pier and with just a dusting of snow cover. At times there were chunks of ice or really big ice balls. So, just have to maneuver slowly and cautiously. Then the next things that you would see is what I am about to show you.
The above picture has the amazing big rock boulders at the West edge of the pier.
This ice build up is on the lighthouse itself. It attached itself to the railing and made such beautiful formations.

This is the Grand Haven, MI Lighthouse.

This is what you see when you make it all the way to the end. It is a nice walk out to this spot. When the lake is calm, like it was yesterday, it is a very pretty site. On windy and high wave occasions, it is most likely that you will not get to the end unless you want to get soaked. The waves crash against this area so hard at times.

This is the view that the lighthouse always gets to see. How beautiful!

Kinda like going to the ocean except for a few things. Not salt water is one. We are privileged to view this and look so far that it seems like there is not an ending. Like it goes on forever!

This is so cool! I am so glad that I was able to make it out there.

Another bonus, nobody was in the picture except for what I wanted in the picture.

OH WAIT!!!

WHO IS THAT?

OH, THAT IS ME!!!! LOL

I set my camera up on an ice ball and walked carefully over to get in the picture. Good thing I had it set on Ten seconds. HA HA HA HA

This is the light on the way back from the house!

Hope you all enjoyed a look at my pictures and me rambling on. It was such a nice day, that I had to take advantage of taking some photos!

Hoarfrost

2011-01-11T04:39:00.001-08:00

Ever hear of Hoarfrost?

It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled below the dew point of the adjacent air as well as below the freezing point of water.
There are not many opportunities to take pictures of this because it only happens once in a while. So, The last two days it has been pretty out in the morning with all this frost.
I heard from my husband Tom that our weather man that he listens to and reads his blog, stated that this was hoarfrost and all should get out and take pictures. My husband was pretty impressed with the pictures. Thanks Honey!

All of these picutures were taken in my yard or from my driveway. I have more but only selected a few to share. I am happy with how they all turned out.

SMILE -- GOD LOVES YOU!!!!

Snow, snow, and more snow!

2011-01-07T11:03:00.001-08:00

This was Thursday during the day. Today we are suppose to get a good amount of snow. I have only seen a few flakes falling at times today. Kinda like yesterday, where it would snow really hard, then let up, snow lightly and then snow really hard again. We must have got around 4 inches of snow yesterday.

Last night I was able to hook up three sleds to my quad and pull the kids up and down the driveway trying to tip them over. All four kids had so much fun. I did too! There were times when I was laughing so hard!

It was fun to try and spill the kid on the third (last) sled. That one has the most fun! I make them go back and forth/side to side and then we went through the yard and tried to hit the high bank of the garden area. The garden area in the summer was not a garden but a turn around and "make donuts" for the quads. So, there was a pretty high bank from the dirt being pushed up from doing that all summer. The kids were like 'yeah' then 'oh no' then 'wow-that was fun'.

It is hard to get a close up of a snow flake. The snow was coming down so fast when I tried. As you can see there were a few big flakes. Some of my friends my think I am a big flake. LOL

This is Sadie and Calie sharing Sadie's bed. Or should I say mainly Calie's bed. Sadie will always let Calie take over. It is cute watching. Sadie will be on the bed already and Calie does this thing with her feet to make the spot comfy. Then she lays down. They are such good friends!

In the winter Sadie does not like to be out in the snow and cold very much. She would rather be inside. Unless, we are outside too. For example, when I ride my quad, she likes to chase me and bark along the side at times. She thinks it is a game. I am the only one she does this with. So, last night when I pulled the kids on the sleds with my quad, she would run up and down along the side like she was a big part of all the fun too. We have a pretty long driveway and good size yard, but, she kept right up. Then later that night, she did crash out!

Looking forward to see how much snow we might get today. As it looks right now, not very prosperous!

She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy!

2011-01-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

Winter finally arrived here in Allendale.

Tom is out plowing with the tractor that my Dad gave to us. As you can see Tom loves it and it does a great job!
One of these days I will try to work it!

The beautiful tree! We cleared out trees around this birch tree so I could enjoy it better. Tom's Dad came to help clear out around it.
Just a little bit of snow!

Looks so pretty the way it lays on the trees.

The sun is out today and the sky is blue. I think I should go out and go for a walk and take some more pictures. See what I can find that is interesting.

A GLANCE BACK AT 2010

2010-12-31T14:44:00.001-08:00

Taking a glance back at 2010 can be very interesting. I just thought that I would like to share with you some highlights of my last year. These photos are not in any particular order. Just wanted to touch on the highlights.

First off, I have had quite the interesting year! In March, I no longer work at the Day Center that I enjoyed working at. There were issues with a certain employee that did not know to leave well enough alone. That is why I decided to not work there any longer as it was making me uptight I guess you could say. I was really stressed. I loved the job, just not one particular person. I decided to leave to make it better for me. I am glad I did and so is my husband. LOL He noticed right away how different that I was after I quit.

Getting use to being at home full time is quite the chore! More ways than one. LOL I have always worked all my adult life and to me it is hard not to have the social life that I had while working and it gave me something to chat about and feel like that I was really worth something and meant something to people.

Not working as also gave me a lot of opportunities to take that I would not have been able to while working full time. I was able to go to Millersburg, OH and meet my Sister Gina (from WV) out there so we could have the first Sister weekend. We had a really good time going through the cheese factory and site seeing and who knows what else. It was a lot of fun and I will always remember that.

Then once summer came along, I was able to go out to WV to help my Dad move. He was getting rid of his old place and wanted to just rent somewhere so that would give him more freedom to do whatever he wanted. Mainly what he wants to do is ride his Harley. He loves that! While I was out there, I was able to help get his rental house ready to move in. We plastered, stucko'd (not sure how to spell that-lol), cleaned, painted.

Then I met my family up in Pennsylvania as we were going to go camping with the Burgdorfer clan. We had a really nice time there and was able to do a lot of site seeing, camping, just good quality family time. Then after that, headed back down to WV to see my Dad and Sister and her family. This time we were able to help Dad move his belongings to the new place. Tom did that as I had a little more painting to finish up. We had a nice time helping Dad move. We had our camper out there so we were able to just stay in that. Had it parked at my Sister's house.

Came back home and then a week or two later, Tom and I went back out by ourselves as we had to haul back the tractor that my Dad gave to us. Tom is so excited about that. You know, once we got it there has not been a lot of snow for him to actually use it. Kinda funny!

Then a couple more weeks went by and I took two boys out with me to spend some time out there and just vacation. While I was out there, after one week, found out via facebook that my Mom passed away. Was kinda shocked about how all that happened. Then my Sister and my nephew came back with the two boys and I. Then had to make arrangements for all of that. Quite stressful. I was really happy to have a couple friends show up to the memorial service that I was not expecting at all. That meant the world to me! After all of that was settled headed back out to WV to finish our vacation and we had to bring the camper back.

Maybe I will write a little something at some of the pictures to highlight the rest of the year.
All in all, it has been a really good year for me.

This is Faith and I ringing in the year of 2010.

We made fondue!

Crazy in your hats!

Wendy gave me a shout out on Facebook to say she was coming over my way for a visit and wanted to stop in. That made me happy. I have not seen Wendy and the girls since 2003 when Randy passed away. It was great to see her and laugh with her again.

Tom is in the middle and Jordan on the left and Mike on the right (when you look at the pic). Tom always have fun going quading with his Coasties. Mike and Jordan moved away this year due to it was time to transfer with their jobs in the USCG.

Sandy and I

We go WAY back! We were friends in HS as I have posted before. It was so nice to reconnect with her this year and the family.

Buds forever!

This was Christmas 2009

The reason I am posting this is because it was the last Christmas that my Mom was able to spend Christmas with us. I miss her!

Mom is the one with her hand by her mouth. Left side!

The next couple pictures will be in honor of my Mom.

In this picture my Mom is the one in Blue and blue jeans.

Here is the order it goes from left to right.

Aunt Sis (Carol), Mom (Kathy), Grandma Myrt (their Mom), Uncle Phil and Auntie Janny!
This is my Mom in the red and my Dad (Terry Lehr) and he is holding me. The girl below is my cousin Sheila. Why is it that when I look at these while I am posting it brings a tear to my eye? Oh well, Life is good!

This is the Pennsylvania family.

We had a lot of fun camping out there and spending time with everyone.

This is Shawn with the fish that he caught while camping in PA.

This is Tom

He made waders out of garbage bags so he would not get wet while fixing the pool. Yeah, you do what ya have to to make it work--no matter how redneck it is. LOL

We had a small hole in our pool and Tom had to patch it because we did not want to pay for another liner when that one was only used once as it was.

Matt and Amanda

I love them both very much!

Renee and Cameron

Renee and I met back in 1997 and I am so thankful for and treasure our friendship.This is the whole gang!

When I go up to Cadillac (Caddy) to visit friends and family this is one of the bunches that I see.

We have lots of fun!

This is my Dad

He is awesome!

I made one more trip to WV to see him in November as I got a call from my sister that he did not feel good. So, I ventured out to WV to be with my Dad. He had to have a pacemaker/defibrillator put in. He is doing really well now. I am so glad that I made that trip. I was able to spend some extra quality time with him.

This is me!

While I was in WV~~I was able to go and take some pictures and just have some good quiet time to myself. Everyone needs that once in a while.

Had a great Halloween!

Tom surprised me with tickets to go see my favorite group!

Lady Antebellum
I like to take pictures and this is how beautiful Fall was at our house.

Amand and one of the baby chicks this year.

We like to raise chickens! Thinking about a pig next year!

Took the kids to Fallasburg Park in Lowell to get their pictures taken.

Me, Sandy, and Stacey

Big year of reconnections this year!

So Happy!

Mason playing football for the first time.
Mitch playing soccer on the 7th grade team.
Windy Grand Haven

WE had a great quading trip as a family.

Looking forward to many more times of that.

Well, that is a look back at my year! I am hoping that all of you have a wonderful New Year! I hope and pray that 2011 will be a wonderful year for you!

Happy Birthday Jesus-Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

What a nice day with the family. So relaxing!

Tom's parents and sister came over and we had a nice meal and good quality family time.

What is it about Christmas day that is tiring?

I hope that all of you had a great Christmas! I pray that you all know and love the Lord!
God is mighty! Thank God for the Saviour Jesus that He sent to us so that we have the opportunity to have eternal life.

What a mighty God we serve
What a mighty God we serve
Heaven and Earth adore Him
Angels bow before Him
What a mighty God we serve!

Merry Christmas!

Vandlen Christmas in Battle Creek

2010-12-20T07:16:00.000-08:00

Oh Christmas Tree-Oh Christmas Tree

How lovely are thy branches!
Dave and Jan Vandlen (aka-Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma)
Mitch, Shawn, Connor, Mason, Amanda

Uncle Louie having a good time with the family and opening his presents.
He is a great man!

The boys got some snuggies from Grandma and Grandpa.

They love them!

Connor and Mason wanted their picture taken with their snuggies!

Sara (Tom's sister) with her cousin Bryan.

Sadie had a great time opening her present that Gramps and Gram got her!

Amanda loves opening things! Ever since she was a baby, she was always wanting to know what was in a package or bag. So curious and still is!

Mason, Connor, Mitch and Shawn

These boys get along great!

This is all of us!

Enchilada Night!

2010-12-20T07:04:00.000-08:00

Playing a board game that John brought. He is the one in the blue! He looks like he knows what he is talking about. That game was pretty cool. Something called IDK battle of the sexes or something along that line. It is a trivia game. The girls would pretty much know all the questions they ask the guys and the guys would know probably all the questions that they ask the girls. Guys won!

Renee and Rick brought over a yummy dessert! Ludwig's sour cream donuts, warm it up, cut in half and then put vanilla ice cream on top and drizzle with homemade fudge sauce. So delicious.
The kids were having fun playing!

Case trying to kick the basketball to mess with Shawn.

Case and Cameron loved the matchbox cars that Auntie Shelly got them!

Renee and Cameron

The night was wonderful having friends over for Tom's famous Chicken Enchiladas! We had that and some chips with salsa and a cheese dip that Faith made.

Great laughs and fun had by all!

Winter in Caddy!

2010-12-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

Headed up to Cadillac today with Faith and my daughter Amanda. We had to do a few things at my Mom's house and pick up a few things. While we were there we had lots of snow to shovel without a shovel. We ended up using a broom and a dust pan. We thought it was really funny while we had fun using those two items. Then I broke the broom. If you happen to check out my facebook there are pictures on there too.

The above picture is on the way to Cadillac (Caddy) taking 131 North.

There was a little frost on the trees and some on just the tree tops.

Very pretty!

Don't ya just love the look of the snow on the bushes and trees?

I really enjoy the looks of it and the wonderful winter land that it shows. Amazing how God can make something that seems so miserable to some so pretty! What an awesome God we serve!

This is on the drive around Lake Cadillac. We were heading over to my Auntie Janny and Uncle John's house. We had an awesome visit and so much laughter and reminiscing. Thank you very much! Faith says that she now understand where my humor comes from. HMMMM Yepper! Shoot-I even started getting gray hair early and on the sides just like Aunt Janny did! LOL Good thing there are salons out there and good hair color! :)

Amazing choir (Perpetuum Jazzile) uses their hands to simulate storm

2010-12-16T18:40:00.000-08:00

I love this! I really enjoy acapella music. To listen to this group and how they make the sounds of the rain and everything without musical instruments.

I hope that you enjoy it as well.

My Brother From Another Mother

2010-12-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

This is Teddy! He is my BFAM--Brother From Another Mother!

He can be so crazy! He is a lot of fun too!

I bet he misses that brown poopy truck!

Looks like he has too much dirt in that bed because the tires look like they are going flat!

Love the boots with the socks and shorts Teddy.

Sound of Music | Central Station Antwerp (Belgium)

2010-12-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

I love this song and movie! It would be so much fun to get out there and dance with everyone and have a great time.

2010-12-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

I had some fun making this video. My friends that are in it our Sandy, Janny, Annie and Sherry. They are a lot of fun! I did this just to get a little chuckle out of them.

Does anyone remember wearing clothes like that? I do remember having some striped pants. Boy am I glad that I don't have any clothes like that now!!!!

Enjoy the video!

Toys For Tots

2010-12-05T09:06:00.001-08:00

What a great organization!

I was able to go out and take a few pictures of the Marines and the Coast Guard guys volunteering to collect toys for the little kids. On Friday I went around Noon and there were not many people delivering packages. I was going to be busy later that night at the local nursing home volunteering and would not be able to get some shots for when people were out of work.

I decided to head out Saturday after Shawn's basketball practice and it was really steady. It is great to see smiling faces when they drop off the toys. That is what Christmas is all about, giving and not expecting anything back. We don't always have to give in money, or spend a lot on gifts. It is just nice to have family together during the holiday and spend quality time with friends and family.

One thing that happened to me this week is that a friend of mine, Sherry, decided to drop of some goodies that she made. I had a couple. The caramels taste like a slow poke sucker and the kids ate all the rest of the goodies. Thanks Sherry.

Want to cheer someone, make some yummy treats and send it their way without them expecting it. That is the best!!!!

Those not left behind

2010-11-30T07:52:00.000-08:00

Okay Teddy, here are some more Thanksgiving pictures. I did not leave you our purposely so here are a few.

Aaron does not usually get in the pictures or will always turn away when I am taking the picture. Darn kid!
This one is of Faith--aka--Faithers, little woman, blondie!

This is goofy Teddy! He is so funny!

Not sure what Faith is laughing at, maybe she sees something funny on the ceiling! Faith, you are sitting in my chair that I want delivered to my house on Christmas day!

We had a great Thanksgiving with y'all there! Many more times to come!

Beautiful Sky

2010-11-29T07:35:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful sunrise this morning!

This morning around 7:50am I was getting Mason on the bus. We noticed how beautiful the sky was at the end of the driveway. While I was on my way back to the garage to park, I noticed the beautiful sky out back. So, I ventured into the house to grab my camera and this is a couple pictures of what I got.

The colors were amazing! The clouds were very beautiful!

Thank you lord for the wonderful portrait this morning!

May you be blessed today as I was this morning!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T06:43:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving! It is a special time of caring and sharing, remembering the best and being grateful!

We had a great Thanksgiving and I hope that all of you have too. What is Thanksgiving about? Why do retailers want to rush us through this special holiday? I know it is about making money for them but I like to treasure Thanksgiving! Why? There are so many things to be grateful for--family and friends, the life we have to live, the beauty of all of creation!

There is a lot of preparation that goes into Thanksgiving to make the day a wonderful memorable day. Looking up menus, planning the dinner, decorating, calling all family members and friends to see if they will bring their special yummy dish that they make so well. Then once that is done, heading out to the stores to get all the ingredients that you need to make those special dishes.

Then it was off to Grandmother's house we go. We hopped in our vehicles and off we were!
We headed down to Battle Creek to where my husband Tom's parents live. Mom loves to have people over and spoil them with all of her awesome cooking. She is such a party planner. I love that!

As you see in some of the pictures there is a time and place for everything. Kids playing on Grandma's organ. Now the kids just make noise, but Grandma is awesome!

The family pets even get to share in the event of our Thanksgiving. Granny even has treats for the dogs. They love Grandma--even if she sneaks in a piece of Turkey to them. LOL

There is a time for relaxation before and after the meal. A time for sharing what is on our minds. Old memories of what we use to do as kids. Laughing about a lot of situations like that and harassing each other with all of the stories.

Had a nice walk on the Vandlen trail in the back woods. We actually got the walk in before it started to rain. It is so nice to breathe in the fresh air and to take in nature.

Gotta love family! There is a special bond that is created with family. We will always stick by each other no matter what happens.

There is a time to take pictures so we can look back on all of the things that we have done on Turkey day!

A time to be silly!

I am thankful for the wonderful day that we had.

Looking forward to many more Thanksgivings together!

Eat, enjoy and be Thankful!

I hope that all of you have had a wonderful day as well.

Now, off to the next holiday! Christmas! Can you believe how fast time goes when you get older?

Today I will be decorating for Christmas as well as many of you are I am sure. Have a wonderful day and SMILE!!!! SING TO YOUR CHRISTMAS MUSIC! FA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA

TIME WITH GREAT FRIENDS

2010-11-24T21:50:00.000-08:00

Headed up to Cadillac Tuesday! We like to call it Caddy!

I went there to spend some time with some great friends. Friends from High School and made some new friends. It sure is fun spending time with friends from old and new. What a great gift to us to have friends and family to make wonderful memories.

The 'Spoonies' are the girls that I played ball with in HS. We were awesome and probably still are! Teamwork was what we did!

We were all getting together before Thanksgiving to watch the Drinking Team bowl, celebrate Sherry's birthday and to just have fun hanging out with each other.

You know you have great friends when you might not see them for a period of time and when you get back together it is like there wasn't any time missed.

This is Janny! She is looking like she is up to something!

This is Janny and Ma Spoon!
Annie and Jannie 'Spoon'

Sherry is the Birthday girl.

She is kinda like Malcolm--IN THE MIDDLE!
Sherry is Awesome! She is so fun and bubbly! Never a dull moment with her around either.

It is great getting to know you Sherry!

Getting ready to blow out all the candles!

Sherry and Sandy

Woot! Woot! Woot!

Sandy and I

Friends for a lifetime!

There will always be changes in our lives.

The lifetime of changes, will not change the lifetime of friendship!

Commitment-Dedication-Devotion-Respect-Caring-Compassion-Giving-Love

This is the whole gang!

We had so much fun!

I enjoyed spending time with my Spoonie Family and getting to know new people.

Philippians 1:3--Thank my God every time I remember you.

Ever wonder what has happened to someone you knew very well? What have they been up to for days, months or years? Where has life taken them?

Stop and take time to reconnect if you can. There is so much that life has to offer and friendship is a treasure sent from God. He did not want us to be lonely. He provided people here for us to enjoy life. Sure there may be struggles in life, but is is not anything that we cannot handle! There may be people that we can't "handle" but there are those great friends that were meant to be in our lives. There is a reason that someone has came into our lives. Whether it be but a moment or a lifetime!

John 15:12,13,17-- My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13-Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 17-This is my command: Love each other.

Windy Grand Haven and Adventure On Way Home

2010-10-27T09:43:00.001-07:00

Amanda and I headed out to Grand Haven, Michigan today.
We knew that the winds were high and so must the waves be. Reports have been up to 26ft high waves. As we got out of my vehicle, we knew we were in for it by getting blasted with sand as we started to take off walking down the pier.

As you start off in this one area we noticed a new sculpture. I thought that it was pretty cool. The other side has fish on it. Which I did not get a picture of that side.

We felt the sand whipping at our faces-felt like a facial scrub at some points. Good thing I had my sunglasses on because that kept the sand out of my eyes. Amanda had to walk backwards at certain points. Sand even got in our mouths and you could just feel it when you bit down. Grind grind!!!! Amanda was chewing gum and it got in that too. LOL

By the time we got finished out at the beach there was at least a cup of sand in my shoes. When I got home I could feel it in my socks. Yepper--a foot scrub!!!!

There are so many things to take pictures of, just have to be creative and have a steady hand. The tripod did help on this trip.

Holy Cow! There were times when I thought the camera and tripod were going to blow away. Even when we were walking back from the beach there was a few gust of wind that blew us forward a few steps. We laughed so hard!

The mighty waves are just a churning!

The next few pictures will be of the lighthouse as the waves crash against it.

This is great with the seagull trying to fly against the wind!

We did happen to see a few dozers and trucks out to get the sand out of the street. One side of the road was covered and there was the middle turning lane and the NW side was clear.

You can see in some of the pics the sand just a whipping! There was so much blowing that I had sand in my pockets!

On our way home I decided to pull over and try to get a shot of this next picture (Mugs). I wanted to get this because a good friend of mines Mom was called this nickname in school. So, thought it would be great to capture and tag her in Facebook.

Well, as I was pulling over to the side of the road I hear this thunk. Then we stopped. I got out and heard my back passenger side tire making a hissing sound. Thought to myself and told Amanda, lets go over into this little store area to park and call Tom. Amanda calls Tom while I go to the parking area instead of on 31 with all the busy traffic. I thought it would be more safe to change the tire there. We thunked our way over there and I got out and the tire was totally flat. Then Amanda says, 'now what'? Well, I have to get the spare tire out, but where is it on my Santa Fe???? I got the tools and the jack out, then looked in the handy dandy car manual. Take a coin or screwdriver to this one little area to get the spare tire. Good thing I had some spare change. I never carry a screwdriver in the car plus it is a good thing that I had some spare change. LOL I used the coin, then there was a bolt. Got the Tire wrench to get that bolt loose. Kept unwinding and unwinding but the bolt does not come out. Then thought, well, how do you lift this little plastic area to get the tire???? How could they fit a tire in the back of the Santa Fe? HMMMM??? Looked under car and the tire was laying on the pavement with the cable that I must have loosened. Funny! We laughed and laughed! Then got the tire off the cable, then a few seconds later.

Tom shows up. Thank goodness! Those bolts were really tight and normally I would be able to do it, but the little wrench thingy that came with the car was so small that you could not get leverage on it. Plus those mechanics have those power tools that make it so hard to get the tire off in the first place.

Tom struggled a little. Got out his handy dandy tools from the truck--the jack wrench with extension---must be nice to have one with an extension!---and the WD40 because the aluminum tires tend to tighten up and need heat to make them loose to get off. We thought, crap, cannot get this tire off. Well, I will call my handy dandy roadside assistance. 'I GOT IT', Tom said! So, I hung up my phone and went to help him do the rest of the work of putting on the donut-aka spare tire.

So, it was not a nail, guess what it was? In the next picture you see this huge medal thingy sticking out of the tire!

OH MY WORD!!!!!!!!!
Can you believe it???????????????

So, to end the adventure, we came home with sand in our hair, ears, nose, shoes, and a medal thingy in the tire, a donut on the Santa Fe and not one that you would want to take a bite out of.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

2010-10-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

Winds Soon to Whip West Michigan

2010-10-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday October 26TH, 2010 the wins will whip through West Michigan.

On Tuesday a cold front will likely bring strong thunderstorms and winds may gust higher than 60MPH along West Michigan shore.

The waves could possibly reach up to 30 feet. They say this storm reminds them back in 1975 of the Edmund Fitzgerald. One of the most famous Shipwrecks in the Great Lakes history.

The Edmund FitzgeraldNovember 10, 1975

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank on Lake Superior During a heavy storm.

The Captain and 28 crew members were never to be found.

No one knows why the ship sank or why the Captain never sent out a distress call. Many years have passed since the incident and the mystery still surrounds the sinking.

Some wonder if the ship split by hitting the lake floor or from the waves.

One of the famous songs is from Gordon Lightfoot.

Reba McEntire - He Gets That From Me

2010-10-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

I happened to come across this video tonight. I was just looking up different comedians, music videos and whatnot.

This video that Reba is singing is really great! I have heard the song before but have never seen the video. This video means a lot to me because of having to lose my first husband at a very young age due to ALS--Lou Gehrig's Disease. I think back and thought that the worst part of it all is that the children are losing their father. There have been many times that as a Mom you think of your children and want the best for them. You want to protect them. Well, sometimes we cannot always protect them. We have to let them experience life on their own sometimes. There were times when I thought as I sat in the stands by myself how wonderful it would be if their Dad was here to watch them in the sport or concert they were in. That was the hard part for me. I know that my kids are great kids and have grown into strong children. You know, we all managed well and we have a great life now (not that is wasn't great) with wonderful addition to the three that we were to the six that we are now. Our family blends well together. I am thankful to God for bringing me and my children down the path that He made for us.

Back to the video, it kinda describes what I think of my son Shawn. Well, it describes a lot really. Sometimes Shawn has a "Randy" look and sometimes a "Shelly" look. When he does the "Randy look" I do think of and remember Randy and what he did at certain times. As any of us rightly should remember. He meant a lot to us. Shawn gets a smirk like me at times when he looks like he is going to do something funny or be a little mischief. I love that!

Shawner Bauner is a wonderful boy. That's what I like to call him--Shawner Bauner! He is smart, handsome, adorable, tender hearted, considerate, thoughtful, caring, compassionate, sensitive, strong, athletic, hilarious and many more attributes. I love when he tells me he loves me. It warms my heart right up. His hugs are genuine and I hope there is not a day that I have to go without them.

Thank you God for my life and my family. You are an awesome and mighty God. There is none like you!

A Day At Auntie Shelly's

2010-10-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

Had to make the leaves "Fluffy" and then JUMP!

I loved hearing Case say, 'let's make them fluffy'!
Cameron loved the leaves too.
After he got out, his cute little sweater had leaves stuck all over them.

Matt tried standing the chicken on Cameron's head. He tried to run away.

1-2-3 Jump into the leaves!

Amanda and Matt had a lot of fun with the leaves and kiddos too!

Case-a-roo with those cute little blue eyes!

He is a ham too!

As you can see they had a really good time.

Talking to the chickens. After that--we let Case feed the chickens some corn. The one chicken went after his shiney snap on his coat and Case did not know what to think of that. The chickens love shiney things and toes-so take it from Amanda and I-NEVER wear your flip flops or sandals out with the chickens!!!!!!!

If you toes get pecked, you might get this look! LOL

My friends Renee and Rick blessed me with a great treat Saturday. I had the pleasure of entertaining and watching their kids. I had a blast and I know they did too. The whole family did. It was nice to see little ones around the house again. Brings back a lot of memories as to how non-stop and fun they can be.

Dance Like Nobodys Watching

Thelma and Louise Road Trip

Crystal Bowersox - Up To The Mountain (3rd song) (American Idol 9 - Top ...

God's Winter Beauty

Barns in My Neighborhood

Last Sunset of 2011

Peace on Earth

Grandma Vandlen's Flying Kitten!

My Wonderful Present

Allen's Motivation

Early Sled Prototypes

Fairy Coaster Sleds

Flexible Flyer Sleds

Sales Challenges

Company Changes

First Annual Girls Weekend!

Ladies Christmas Brunch

Beautiful Fillmore Barn

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Family

Rockin' Around!

The Common Milkweed (Syriaca)

Uses of : Landscaping, Medicinal, Culinary, etc.

General Characteristics

Required Growing Conditions

Cultivation and Care

General Upkeep and Control

Look Beyond!

The Country Mill

The Birthday Boy!

New Idea

Summer fun with long time friends

Our New Puppy Suzie Q

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

Family Ties

Sadie Girl

Memories Made With A Friend

Fresh Raspberry Bars

Fun at Ted and Faith's

Pure Michigan: Mackinac Island

Beach Time

Fun times

My Daughter is growing up!

Leelanau Camping trip Memorial Day Weekend 2011

Michigan Donor Family Ceremony Spring 2011.wmv

Fishing and Exploring

God Bless The Broken Road

A little Fun~Tom sure can shake it!

The baby Robins are doing great!

A Great Woman!

Mother's Day

6TH Grade Chicago Trip, May 3, 2011

Shelly's Annual Easter Egg Hunt

My Two Favorite Aunts!

Day at Mom and Dad Vandlens

nature

Government Shutdown?

That's a Wrap!

Chicken Extravaganza

Family Griffen's Hockey night

First Time Ever in CHS History

My New Finds Today

Shawn's First Hunt

CATCHING UP TO DO

Having fun

Out of Sorts

Had a little fun!

Morning drive

AMS BAND CONCERT

Isaiah 40:31

Have a Photography blog!

Okie dokey

What Is Your Purpose?

De Quervain's Tenosynovitis

Happy Birthday to Two 13 year olds!

Memory lane with the Family

Shelly's Winter Photoshoot Jan 10, 2011

Hoarfrost

Snow, snow, and more snow!

She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy!