A Relaxing Weekend And Stuff

Last weekend was grandma time weekend. Lenny had fantasy football drafts-three, count em three- in one weekend and Kel was hoping to go out one night. I very happily came to help. It really was just the best time for me. I was able to run around with Julia. After visiting Great Grandpa Bob she asked, "I buy ice cream cone now?" I shit you not....that is word for word. And when we drove by a school with swings she asked, "I go to park now?" So guess what, first we hit the DQ and then off to the park.

And while Julia ran with her mom and dad I spent time with Shelby! Shelby is smiling away at her grandma and she actually laughs a bit. She is growing fast.

So these football drafts...what a process they are! I so do not understand what in the hell they do or how they do it but it looked like fun!

Ahhhhh, Julia learning at an early age how it all works. I wonder if Len will laugh at her when she asks him questions about the process like he laughed hysterically at me:)

This little lady can do heals like no other her age I am sure....well wait maybe Suri Cruise! She has always been a shoe freak and man can she ever walk in her momma's heals!

She went swimming with her folks at her best friend's pool Sunday and passed out after she got home...cute as can be.



Yesterday we came to RedWing for our summer vacation. Mikey and Jan are here camping and we have joined them. Yesterday David and I adopted a new little peanut who just happened to be in a foster home right around the corner from here. He was a stray who was taken to the pound and was one day from being euthanized when the SAFE Sanctuary folks rescued him. He is 2 at best guess and was advertised as being Wiener/King Charles mix. He has an overbite that makes me think there may be a little Pekingese in him but he does not shed and has the lap dog attitude like Peeko. Here he is in the car on his way to his new home.
And good ole accepting Peeko shared his pillow with Roscoe during the ride.
Settled in at the camper
His name was Arthur and was given to him by his foster family. We decided to change it and he is now and forever will be Roscoe. Certainly no replacement for Tackla but he seems to be a good little boy...just needs a little work is all. Jess, remember how Jack used to run....well this guy reminds me of those days. It's the chain gang until her learns to stay put:)

Your Brain After Chemo

Below is a blog that I just became aware of. It is authored by the person who co-wrote the book that I was interviewed for.
After my chemo, and to this day, I suffer from 'chemo brain' but prior to listening to a web-cast put on my these two folks I was sure that I was losing my mind. My oncologist (who I adore and trust) felt as most oncs do....'there really is no such thing as chemo brain you are just getting older' etc. While David and I listened to this web-cast I bawled my eyes out because someone was acknowledging my problem.
Anyway, blah blah blah.....I think I have posted all of this before but just wanted to share Idelle's blog as some of you may know others who could benefit from it.


http://yourbrainafterchemo.blogspot.com

PS, as those that are close to me will attest-my fog has not lifted and I am almost 3 years out from my last Herceptin treatment. Ah well.....David takes care of me. Dear David, you are so not allowed to ever develop Alzheimer's or our kids will be stuck with us LOL.

And Then There Were Five

This coming April little Abigail Rose will join the ranks of big sister-hood. Ry and Jen are expecting our 5th grandbaby! Exciting stuff. Will he/she be a boy or a girl, have his/her big sister's gorgeous red hair and blue eyes and wonderfully thoughtful facial expressions....whatever the case number five will be just as loved as the four preceding him/her:)



Our young buck, that runs with momma and her two fawns , seems to be growing larger antlers. How oh how am I going to keep these critters that seem to live in our acreage out of my garden!


Ya know, I remember that someone said last year, "What are you guys going to do when you have everything done"? HA...just like my garden is a work in progress so is our home and grounds! We will never be 'done' and that is OK because we love futzing with the place and as long as we are able to get away to do the things we want to do we enjoy being busy at home.

Introducing the latest project....we are putting an addition on. It all began with the need to have some sort of storm shelter since we have no basement. And then I have been wanting a place to leave my sewing machine up other than in the oh so small living room...AND THEN there is the problem with growing families finding it not so easy to sleep in a small bedroom with their kids. So in typical Dave and Bobbi fashion this morphed from a storm shelter to a bedroom and bath in the basement addition as well as an addition onto our existing dining room of about 18x15. For those that know how our house sits, we are considering making the new section our living room and the old living room our dinning room. That way we will have a larger living room that opens up into the kitchen and I could leave my sewing machine sitting out in the more out of the way area of the dinning room. And yes we are doing it on our own. Here is David digging away (picture taken with my cell phone and not a great photo)

And this is the dug out area. Looks huge doesn't it. I had a whole shitload of plants to move which led to designing new garden plots for them...ahhh the unexpected pleasures of adding on...
We may in fact have the basement poured this next week. Pictures as we progress.

Learning To Share And Other Things Last Week

While in Nicollet last week at the Leonard campground we had a chance to get the cousins together for the first time...thanks Kel and Len for inviting them out! Since we no longer live 'down there' it is much more difficult for us to spend time with visiting family and Len and Kel have always been great about helping us out with that.

I was making desert for our supper and asked the girls to help tear up angle food cake. After washing their hands they dug in happily. A few bites went in the mouth but most went in the bowl. After looking at this picture again it appears that Dezbah may be sticking her tongue out at Julia. Our little spit fire could be doing just that :) They did have fun helping and I had fun having their help.
Learning to share. The girls actually played together quite well spending quite a few hours outside-in the sandbox with Gampa


Climbing the ropes with help and daddy looking on in the background...is that concern I see on his face?
This is the best. The two girls running across the field chasing Peeko. In fact, they tired Peeko out. He would stop for a bit and Julia would say, "Come on Peeko, Peeko come on".
Who was going to go down the slide first was another sharing experience...
And then there was the sharing of Gampa. That may have been the most difficult! Yup a good Gampa he is, just ask the girls. It really was a good time and fun to see the girls playing together.
I couldn't resist a picture of our matching feet. After a long day outside Julia's feet were just as dirty as Gamma's were.
Not only did they wear Peeko out but I fell asleep while 'watching' Shelby!

And then on another day Len and Kel 'got out of our hair' leaving us alone with both girls. I stayed in the house with Shelby (and stayed awake)


While Gampa spent the entire day with Julia. Here they are in the sandbox. Julia had just spotted me and is saying hi to Gamma.
Saying cheese for the camera
And on yet another day Len and Kel invited Great Grandma Lois and Great Auntie Kelly out for breakfast so that we could spend time with them. A very nice picture of Lois and Shelby.
Even though it was a busy week it was also relaxing and oh so enjoyable.

Today's Task

After dehydrating peaches and canning a batch of yummy peach jam was to......
Bath and groom Peeko. This was the first attempt at doing it ourselves and I tell ya, I will never ever complain again about what groomers charge. Our very own 'Buttons and Bows' charges way too little in my opinion. Peeko is very patient and well behaved (much to my surprise) but damn it takes a long time to groom that little boy!
He's not looking to trusting here is he?


Enough hair it seemed to stuff a pillow!
And the finished 'product'. Not too bad if I do say so myself.
After we lost Tackla the three of us took a walk in her honor on the butterfly trail.
Not a butterfly to be found but.....
Lots of waterlilies
And for those that have been here with me (Mary-Jan), the garden that they have is terribly over grown. This made a nice picture though.
And that night, as the sun was setting, this was the sky. What a nice way to end a sad sad day. Think what you may but my first thought, as I saw this sky, was that it is Tackla telling us she made it.