Zee Family News

SAGAN ARRIVES

2009-06-29T12:09:00.005-06:00

Sagan Christopher Ziegenfuss Johnson
born June 28, 2009
at 1:11 a.m, Seattle Washington
8-1/2 pounds; 21 inches long

Proud Parents:
Erin Ziegenfuss and Eric Johnson

CONGRATULATIONS FROM A VERY PROUD GRANDMA!!

MAMA'S VEGGIE GARDEN!

2009-05-11T22:09:00.007-06:00

My garden is growing good! I picked my first cucumber last night. Can't wait to have it in a salad This is my pride and joy -- my basil. We've already made a bath of pesto -- yummy! And I have trimmed it again for another batch this weekend. Trying to figure out how to organically get rid of the earwigs that also like to munch holes in my leaves. But they are considerate ones, they leave me lots of good leaves to work with. This is one of 5 basil plants. We will be freezing our pesto soon!

WOW! I did it! I got the veggie garden planted. Whew! Before I could plant I had to clean out the weeds in the 3 planter boxes and add some new soil. I also had to pull lots of weeds around the garden area. We have lots of peppermint this year -- yummy for tea! We planted one planter box with red potatoes, one planter box has two beefsteak tomato plants and 1 big boy tomato plant. The last planter box has pear tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. Two summer squash crookneck were planted in the small plant area against the neighbor's garage - close to the peppermint. It was a lot of hard work on Sunday, but it feels so good to actually have gotten it done. I checked and watered all the plants tonight after work and everything was still alive - wahooooo!

WE HAD A GREAT VISIT~~~~

2009-04-12T08:49:00.006-06:00

Erin and Eric came for a very quick visit the first of April! We managed to do quite a bit of stuff during their short visit-- doing some shopping for the baby and even having a small baby shower giving them a chance to see family and friends. Thank you to Janet and Carolyn who let us have the shower at their home in in Eagle. Everyone had fun visiting, eating Guidos pizza, and decorating onsies for the baby!

Have a great Easter with lots of sunshine and Easter eggs!

IT'S A BOY!!!

2009-03-06T05:11:00.003-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS
ERIN AND ERIC!

2009-01-01T06:34:00.003-07:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY 3RD ANNIVERSARY
BEN AND JAIME!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2008-12-27T16:05:00.006-07:00

I'm not liking this --- it has not quit snowing all day! I shovel my sidewalks and driveway and by the time I get done it doesn't even look like I did anything! I suppose there are some people out there that actually like all this white stuff! What can I say, winter is not my favorite time of year!

Christmas Gifts Done and Given!

2008-12-26T12:22:00.009-07:00

Gratitude Wraps & Qults

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

As I decorated my little tree, many fond memories came back to me. Each ornament on the tree has a special memory - dating all the way back to my first apartment! The lights are very old and full of color and twinkle a lot -- there are a few sections that don't work, but they have been that way for many a year. The best part of Christmas for me is turning off all the house lights so that the tree looks extra pretty and listening to my Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CD's and thinking about all my past Christmas' - when the kids were little - when I was little - many, many memories. That is what Christmas is all about - good friends and family sharing lots of love.

SEATTLE NEWS!

2008-12-14T06:36:00.006-07:00

Exciting news from Erin and Eric --- they are having a baby the end of June! This is a sample of the new grand baby's first quilt made by GramZee! Erin had her first ultrasound on Friday, so I am anxiously awaiting a picture! She said she is feeling good and is getting past the first trimester of tiredness!

Congratulations Erin and Eric!

My Boone Visit

2008-11-28T23:05:00.001-07:00

I went to visit Jaime, Ben, Maple and Alaska the end of October. I spent two wonderful weeks there and had so much fun being with them and being able to hug Maple and Alaska and give them all my stored up grandmotherly love!

Another neat thing was being able to be a part of Maple's first trick-or-treating experience. She actually got to trick or treat twice. Before Halloween we all gathered at the library - then the kids and parents paraded to downtown Boone where they trick-or-treated at all the stores.

Then on Halloween, the Mall had the kids come trick-or-treating -- Maple was so cute and such a little trouper. We were lucky to go a little earlier to the Mall so she could get started right at 5:00 before too many kids got there!

Another big event that only a Grandma can love is the fact that while I was there Alaska broke through his first two teeth. Although it wasn't a pretty situation, GramZee loved being able to experience it.

Man, I wish we lived closer!

My Seattle Visit

2008-11-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a busy couple of months I have had! The end of September I went to Seattle to see Erin. I had so much fun while I was there. Just being able to meet all of her housemates and see where she is living was so comforting to me. She has great housemates - I thoroughly enjoyed them. They live in a great house! It is a beautiful older home that overlooks the Sound. They said it belonged to the Chief of Police of Seattle in the early 1900's! It really saddens me that the present owners are going to tear it down to build their dream house because the house has so much charm and is so filled with love!

Erin and I took a trip to Pike's Market. We took the Water Taxi over which was so much fun for me. I got to see the Fish Mongers and of course checked out a quilt shop! I am looking forward to going back and visiting and seeing more of Seattle!

Halloween Fun

2008-09-23T12:09:00.001-06:00

A fun wall hanging for my grandkids! This was fun and easy to make! I'm sure they will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it for them!

My Picnic Quilt

2008-09-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

This is my latest quilt -- It's a Picnic quilt and so colorful! I liked it so much I put it on my bed even though its really not big enough -- but has worked good for the hot summer months. Now that it is getting cooler, I'm wishing it were a little bigger!

A Finished Project!!

2008-07-26T15:36:00.001-06:00

WOW! It is so nice to be getting some projects finished. This is a "mini" quilt that I hand pieced and hand quilted. I use it for my wicker table and it is a nice addition to my living room.

Lavender Wands

2008-07-26T15:04:00.000-06:00

My newest project -- making lavender wands from my lavender plants! The first one was a little tricky, trying hard not to break the stems as I weaved the ribbon through them. This is a fun project and I think will make a nice gift. They smell so good and look so pretty.

Meet Minnie Mac

2008-07-22T12:36:00.001-06:00

Much thought went into this purchase -- many months of thought. Should I??? Can I afford it? Shouldn't I spend my money on something like household repairs???? Thinking, wanting, and finally I decided YES! I should get it. So I got myself a birthday present, and so far the best name I have come up for her is "Minnie Mac" --- all subject to change. It was fun going and buying this all by myself! WOW! And now, I get to learn how to use it -- I'm finding out how much I don't know -- but I am willing to learn! Yes, I am now the owner of an Apple Macbook! How exciting!

CATCH OF THE DAY!!

2008-07-19T10:45:00.000-06:00

Guess what we are having for dinner tonight! Yum! Fresh Alaskan Halibut. Kelly caught the two bigger halibut - one was 60 pounds and one 40 pounds! Kelly came home with a 50 pound box of mostly halibut and some crab.

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T19:12:00.000-06:00

It is time to celebrate the 4th of July with family and good food.

We had a very fun time at Janet and Carolyn's! We had some adult beverages out on the deck and caught up with each other as to what was going on in our lives. When the deck became too hot, we all migrated inside. The food was great - Carolyn barbequed hamburgers and veggies and garlic bread was cooked. We also had two salads, pineapple and a yummy dish made by Violet Friend. Not sure what it was called but it was very good. AND if this wasn't enough, Janet made fresh cherry pie with cherries picked from her tree! Of course, I ate too much dinner and had no room left for cherry pie. Darn, why didn't I think to get a to-go plate! :-) Needless to say, it was very nice to be able to spend time with my family on the 4th of July!

Thank you Mom and Carolyn and Janet. You all know how to put on a great dinner!!

2008-06-20T12:12:00.000-06:00

Can you imagine getting off work and finding your car covered with post-its?? This is what happened at work today to one of the County employees! What a sight to see! Someone said it took 6 people a little over 45 minutes to put 3,000 post-it notes on the car ....WOW!

Seattle Bound!

2008-06-14T20:33:00.000-06:00

Erin getting packed and ready to head out to Seattle!

A Fairy Tale Wedding ~~~

2008-06-10T07:57:00.000-06:00

June 7, 2008, Elizabeth and Brock were married. Elizabeth chose the Botanical Gardens in Boise. It was a beautiful evening and anyone that went had a fun time. After they were married, a reception followed. Their was food, drink, lots of dancing and fun. The evening ended with Brock and Elizabeth being taken away in a horse and carriage!

A Sunday Afternoon Walk

2008-06-05T17:06:00.000-06:00

Who would expect to see this at my house! I came out of the garage and noticed my neighbors pointing at my yard. I was a little suspicious about this and they pointed and said you have ducks in your yard. So I looked and sure enough, there was a mama duck and her babies taking a stroll. I went into the house to get my camera and by this time they were heading down the sidewalk. So, I hopped in my car and took some pictures of them. When they were going across one of the neighbor's lawn they must have felt a little threatened with all the cameras going off (several neighbors wanted a picture) and mama duck started moving fast! So much for a nice peaceful, leasurely walk around the neighborhood! Some people!

How I spend my SPARE time!!

2008-05-14T12:48:00.000-06:00

Before I start any NEW projects, I want to finish up some of my quilts that are in limbo!!! I have been told by seasoned quilters that you can have up to 5 unfinished projects! I guess I'd better get working!!!

I am presently working at finishing handquilting this wedding ring quilt. I hand pieced this quilt and gave the top to Jaime and Ben as their wedding gift (wedding 1/1/06) and am hoping to have it done by their 3rd anniversary!!! :-)

Quilts

2008-05-07T08:01:00.000-06:00

These are the quilts I made for Baby Alaska. They were both hand quilted. One thing Maple and Alaska will not hurt for is quilts. Both Grandmas love to quilt and so does their Mommy! Quilting is one of my favorite things to do and when I get over this darn jet lag, I will be quilting again! I am working on a zigzag quilt right now for my daughter, Erin! Then I have the two quilting kits I bought in Boone. I am waiting for my Kaffe Fasset t book to arrive that I ordered when from Amazon while I was in Boone!

Back in Idaho

2008-05-04T19:05:00.000-06:00

I am now back in Idaho. I spent the day yesterday flying. Ben and Maple drove me to Greensboro to start my flight back. I went from Greensboro to Detroit to Minneapolis and then arrived in Boise at 11:40! By the time I got my bags it was midnight. Erin and Buddy came to get me at the airport. I had a wonderful time in Boone, and just can't say I'm glad to be back just yet! :-)

My Last Day in Boone~~~

2008-05-02T05:03:00.000-06:00

Boy, three weeks really goes by fast! I fly back to Idaho tomorrow. It will be so hard leaving the grandkids and Jaime and Ben. I've had a great time here. We've done a lot of fun things, but the most fun I had was just being able to hold little Alaska, play with Maple and be here to help out.

I've had many good meals from The Coyote Kitchen. Of course, is there such a thing as a bad meal there? I've also got to enjoy my favorite stores like Earth Fare, Bare Essentials, The Quilt Shop and even visited a new shop that I hadn't been to before - Green Mother Goods! This most definitely became one of my favorite shops. The pajamas Maple an Alaska have on in this picture came from this shop.

On today's agenda -- enjoying every minute!

Maple's 2nd Birthday (4.29.08)

2008-04-30T06:20:00.000-06:00

A fun time was had by all, but the birthday girl definitely had a blast! Her Granny Lory and Opa came for the festivities from Brevard. We all had a great meal from Coyote Kitchen. Then Daddy and Granny Lory took Maple for a walk while Mommy, GramZee (me) and Opa decorated with a Backyardigan's theme -- Maple's favorite. When Maple came back from her walk and saw the decorations she got so excited! She had more gifts than any two year old really needs, but hey, you only turn 2 once! After she got her gifts opened we had carrot cake made with fruit juice and Maple's favorited - Rice Dream. I feel so fortunate I was able to be here to celebrate this event!

Even Maple's dog, Ginger, had a great time at the party!

GramZee's Latest Excitement

2008-04-27T18:12:00.001-06:00

Alaska Truelove Ziegenfuss Whitehead arrived 4 weeks early on Thursday, March 20, 2008 @ 10:51 A.M. He weighed in at 5 lbs 15 oz and was 19.5 inches long! He was delivered at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. On Saturday, March 21st Jaime was released and Alaska was moved to Brenners Children's Hospital. He was in the NIC Unit but then transferred to his own room where Jaime was able to stay.

Being a kid is never easy ~~~

2008-04-27T09:47:00.000-06:00

Maple is not sure she likes being away from home and all her toys. Ben and Maple stayed in the Ronald McDonald House across from Brenner Children's Hospital where Alaska and Jaime stayed for 2 weeks!