An Update on Lemon Tree

The most recent addition to our plant menagerie is Lemon Tree. He was offered to me by my co-worker Maureen as she relocated to the Chicago area earlier this year. When we got him, he had only about a half dozen leaves & I wasn't sure how he'd do in our fairly shady backyard. As you can see from the photos below, "Lem" (my nickname for him) is doing quite well - so well, in fact, that he has TEN little lemons on him at the moment...

Maureen said that she's gotten lemons off of Lem before, but I wasn't sure we'd be so lucky. Fingers crossed that I can coax the little lemons to maturity & be rewarded with their juice...

Xmas 2009 with My WHOLE Family!

The Xmas holiday was extra special this year because all six members of my immediate family (Dad, Mom, myself & three siblings), as well as their families, were all together in the Twin Cities for almost a week! (The last time we were all together was in July 2007 for youngest brother Andy's wedding in New York.) We had an excellent time and activities included:

• Xmas Day Madden 2010 on the PS3, snowman building, gift exchanges & Taboo playing
• train-watching for Grandpa Dave, Tom & Zach
• nephew Brady's baptism & post-baptism dinner at Buca (complete with car theft...ask Andy about that)
• nephew Zach's first Packer game at Lambeau Field (while niece Kayla spent her day with Grandpa Dave & other family in the Twin Cities)
• a trip to Mall of America
• a spaghetti dinner & the MNF Vikings v Bears game at Grandma Mary & Aunt Ellen's house
• sledding at the Town & Country Club
• a family photo followed by pizza, pool & foosball at Parkway Pizza
• a movie at the Riverview Theater

Here are some photos from our time together (in reverse chronological order because I haven't figured out how to change that on Flickr yet)...http://www.flickr.com/photos/anovitske/.

Can't wait to get together with everyone again...I miss you all already! :) Ann