When you put your heart and soul and LOTS of money into a business it becomes a major part of who you are and how you structure your life.  When the time comes to sell, it takes a great deal of thought and consideration as well as a few tears to watch your creation go to someone else.

We have just gone through the process of selling, it was a joy to have a wonderful couple take over, but it was hard to say goodbye to the staff. 

Then we think of all the things that have been accomplished and all of the expense in accomplishing them and it seems like the decision is the right one.  The expenses are ongoing, as with any business.  You never know what is going to hit you next that is going to take the well thought out budget and toss it out the window.  After 10 years of covering all the unexpected expenses it will be nice to not have to worry about them any longer.

We will miss the clients, the friends we have made in the past 10 years and the joy in creating something needed in the community.  The other side of the coin is that we will be on to new and exciting opportunities, creating new and exciting things, meeting new and exciting people and having some time to do those things that are a passion for us. Spending our money on things that we want to rather than covering the cost of a new piece of equipment to replace the one that just broke down!

It has been a joy, it has been heartbreaking at times, it has been frustrating at times, but never have we regretted the move to create a business opportunity in the town and to train the staff to be the best! 

Now, on to a new life!  Whaoo!

Whaoo, summer is here, the furnace is off for the season, the airconditioner isn't needed yet and the grass is green.  Does it get much better than this?  I suppose so, but it sure doesn't seem so right now.

In a couple of weeks the tempertures will soar, the humidity will skyrocket and I'm sure that I will complain about how bloody hot it is, but for right now, it's beautiful!

When you live in the Midwest and have 4 seasons you learn to enjoy the uniqueness of each one.  The early summer is probably the favorite for me, the garden gets planted in the spring and comes up in the summer, bearing the tomatos that are so yummy!  The beets for beet pickles grow like mad and the opportunity will soon be here for fresh peaches and cream sweet corn!  A favorite easy meal, cold meat sandwiches and sweet corn, how wonderful is that??

Our kids will soon be home, the house will be alive with the voices of little ones and older ones, the activity level will soar and the love will overflow.  Life just doesn't get any better than that around here!

Have a great summer!

What a pleasure it is to know that your family is coming to visit, that you will have a houseful of love and fun!  Of course it takes some planning to be ready for an additional group of people and when it's more than just a couple, the menu is critical (as is bed space!) 

We laid out a menu for lunch and dinner for the entire time the family was going to be home.  It helped with grocery shopping prior to their arrival.  We tried to follow the menu while they were here, it worked somewhat.  Of course there were adjustments, moving one meal to another day, adding some ideas and expanding the choices. 

Two of our family members are vegetarians which could be a problem for some, but around here it seemed to work pretty well, just a couple different purchases at the store and we were pretty well set.

Then there was the bed space, where to put everyone.  The only addition we had to make was to purchase an air bed.  Although I wouldn't recommend one for your permenent sleeping arrangement, they work very well for guests who need a bed and you are plumb out of them!  We got the queen size which enabled  us to use the queen sheets, works well.

Then it's time to lay out a rough schedule of things to do.  In our case it's a trip to Adventureland.  You can read more about it on IowaBeautiful.com, and a whole lot of other places to visit in Iowa and other states.  We certainly checked them out and laid out our plans with information we got from this site!

Now we are ready, the kids will be home, the laughter, shopping, playing and eating is soon to begin…we can hardly wait!

We had some wicker porch furniture that was in good condition but the finish was beginning to wear.  We have a lovely table and 4 chairs that are white and wanted the other pieces to match them to make an attractive addition to the front porch.  My husband got out the paint sprayer and went to work.  Whalla, the new apprearance of the "old" furniture is just wonderful. 

The first appearance of your home that people get is often the front porch, why not make it as pretty as you can?  With a little paint, a broom to sweep off the leaves and dirt, your front entry can offer great curb appeal!

Have a great time getting your home prepared to show off it's attiribures!

Visiting the Grand Cayman Island is the experience of a lifetime for those that enjoy scuba or snorkeling!  It also is wonderful for the beach lover that wants to sink into soft, warm sand and build sand castels or get a tan.

The island is actually easy to get around on, it has shopping, good grocery stores, a glass blowing shop where you can watch things being created (it's pretty neat), wonderful second story bars where you can watch the ships come in, tourists off-load to experience the island or watch the frieght being unloaded that keeps the island supplied with almost everything you could want.

It's just a short plane ride to the USA and yet seems much further away.

If you are looking for jewelry, there are many, many shops to visit.  You may find the treasure you have been searching for!