Memorial Day Weekend

Happy Memorial Weekend.  No firm plans here.  Well we have plans, but we are letting the weather dictate the timing.  We hope to camp at Miller’s Crossing one or two nights.  I am not even sure if we will go later this afternoon, or wait till the morning to head on out.

The weekend weather is not going to be very warm but especially on Sunday and Monday.  So we will probably come home sometime Sunday and spend a couple of days working on the pool and garden.

So today I need to clean up around here.  Get some groceries for the weekend, but not much preparation is needed for the food.  I think we will have hot dogs, steak, sandwich makings, cereal.  I have not made breakfast the last couple times we have camped, but Kane is planning on coming up, and he always appreciates when I cook, so I will make eggs, hash browns, bacon, etc. on Sunday morning and save the steak dinner for Saturday night.

Part of the camping trip will be spent laying down flag stones for a little patio area.  Last weekend I forgot to take my camera, but I won’t this time, so I hope to post pictures in a couple of days.

Have a great weekend.  And take the time to remember those not will us anymore.

Tea Party

It’s been a nice busy week around here so far.  Over the last few days, I got in some good long walks.  A couple of them left me soaked from the rain, but felt good.  But this morning I am freezing for some reason.  I have the fire-place going, a warm sweat shirt and sweat pants on and wrapped up in a blanket.  It is raining outside and I just don’t feel like getting wet and chilled today.  So this morning I have been perusing Pinterest.  I love looking at ideas, awing over the creativity of others, dreaming about making, going, tasting, experiencing what some of the pictures show.  And even making some realistic plans to do some ideas I have found.  The picture up above is one of a few tea party tables I have found.

Vintage trailer

I love, love, love this camp trailer.  Some day, LL and I want to restore one and maybe sell it, or maybe keep it.

Jingle Jump

Anyone remember this toy?  Kris and I had several growing up.  Oh the low tech toys we had them.  A child would look at this now and think, “You want me to do WHAT with this?”  JUMP

Scrabble magnetic board

I am not just dreaming about this one.  I am going to make this scrabble magnetic board.

Fourth of July Cake

I want to make this for the fourth of July.  I love the look of it.  But I am not sure about the taste.  Not a fan of white cake and even though I can’t eat it, I was thinking of trying this but adding just a touch of flavoring or extract.  Maybe coconut or almond or even banana.  Just to get it a slightly more interesting taste.  But isn’t it the cutest cake that even an artistically challenged person like me can do.  Oh who am I kidding…..I can still screw it up.

Tea party cookies

If I ever do have a tea party….with the beautiful table, everyone wearing floral dresses and wide brim hats…..I would so want to have these cookies on the table.  They are just the cleverest.

Oh I have so many other pictures to show you and ideas I get from them.  Maybe I will do a few more posting like these.

Anyway.  It is after 9:00 here.  Far too late for me to just be sitting around.  So I guess I will get a few things done inside, and if there is a break in the weather, I will get in a walk.  If not, well I guess I will be doing some Sweating with the oldies dvd.  Good old Richard Simmons.  Have a blessed day and STAY WARM.

Keep on moving

Looks like a nice sunny morning here….again!  I am loving the nice weather.  I have been keeping myself busy so far this week.  A bit of work inside, some outside.  Planting, watering, cleaning up, mowing, etc..  I have walked some long uphill walks the last three days, plus walking to the store, and walking around town for other errands.  But today may be a down day.  I had a hard time sleeping Tuesday night but still got a lot done yesterday…. Repolished some of the floors, since I got Rufus cleaned up and nails clipped, mowed, and so on.  But last night, or I should say this morning because I have been up since 2:00 am, I started having “issues”.  I am better now but very tired.  Still, I will do what I can do.

We are hoping to go to Miller’s Crossing on Saturday.  Get work done on the new campsite, and  come back Sunday afternoon.  It will be just a short stay because the following weekend is Memorial Day weekend and we will be spending more time then.

I should get going.  I have been trying to walk from 8:00 to 9:00 so that I am back when Max needs to get up before staff arrives.  I won’t push myself today.  Just walk till I don’t feel like going further.  Even if it is just 20 minutes, I want to keep on the routine.  You KNOW how I love routines.

Mother’s day weekend

What a wonderful few days it has been.  This is Brantley.  Kane’s girlfriend Lisa’s little boy.  He’s the cutest little guy.  I took a few pictures on Tuesday.  Poor thing flew in from Missouri that morning and we all passed him around.  I am sure it was tiring for him.

Max was looking forward to holding Brantley.

 Bailey and Rett are a typical couple.  She made him hold Brantley and the told him how he was doing it all wrong.

LL and I got up early on Sunday and went fishing.

Beau too.  It was a beautiful morning but we only got a few bites.

 Later we all went to Mom’s house.  And again, Brantley was passed around.  This time Karen got in on it.

Kane, Lisa and Brantley.    Lisa and Brantley will be here only for a couple more days and I know Kane will be a bit sad.  But they are soon to be back here for good.  I think we all are going to miss them though.

Some days are diamonds…some made of stones

Hmmmm……. Oh I had plans for today that are not likely to happen.  Not really complaining because I haven’t had “issues” for quite a few days.  In fact, the last three days I have been so active that I go to sleep pretty tired.  I like that.  I like being dog tired at the end of the day because I have accomplished something rather than be exhausted from dealing with my digestion.

Monday, I walked with Kris, up and around the Abbey.  Then went with Mom and Kris to buy flowers.  Came home and spent the afternoon potting and planting annuals.  Tuesday I walked on my own and then spent the day inside cleaning, laundry, running errands, etc.  Wednesday, Kris and I walked up the Abbey again, then I cleaned the pool area, mowed the lawn, so on and so on.  So in my mind, I was planning on going for a long walk around town here this morning, enjoy the sun  then weed and clean up quite a few flower beds.  Not going to happen.  I wasn’t glutened but I ate a small bag of low calorie gluten-free snack last night.  Looking at the ingredients, I should have been fine.  I guess it still comes down to my low tolerance for processed food.  Oh well, it was worth a shot.

So I think today I will skip the walk, wait for “issues” to stop and since I will still have left over pain and not walking well, I will take the opportunity to drive over to Mom’s and spend a little time with her.  Haven’t seen her much over the last week.  So I guess I will just sit “tight” until Max’s staff arrives, then head on over.  I also have to go light on the eating today, because I really need to be able to make my mammogram appointment tomorrow morning.

I really don’t feel too bad about having a “down” day today.  It just makes me appreciate how blessed I have been over the last few days.  Feeling bad for a few hours really helps me not to take the good days for granted.  No matter what, I will be enjoying the beauty that the weather holds for the day.  Blue cloudless sky.  LOVELY!!

Don’t put it off!

We had such a nice evening last night.  Kane, Lisa and Brantley came over.  I am so happy to finally meet her and her sweet baby.  Bailey, Max and Rett were here too.  Oh and of course, since there was a baby involved…..Kara horned in on the night too.  Actually, she was invited.  So we had Homeplace pizza.  Gluten free individual for me.  I made a salad and Ice cream for dessert.  I didn’t make the ice cream, but you know what I meant.

I took a couple of pictures, but I forgot to ask Lisa if it was o.k. to post a photo of Brantley on here, so I will find out if it is fine with her.  Kane is taking her out on Friday.  So LL and I will be babysitting and I know Kris will show up to meet Brantley.  She is LL’s only rival when it comes to being a Baby Hog!

Today, I am planning on cleaning up around the pool patio area.  Lots of chicken droppings around.  Until LL blocks off that area, I will keep the girls penned up to keep it clean.  They will not be happy.  But I don’t want to deal with their droppings or their snacking on my recently planted petunias.

Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow, but I do know I have to go light on the eating because Friday morning I have my mammogram scheduled first thing.  I really don’t like having it done, but it is a necessary thing on my to do list and when you compare it with the other tests and exams I routinely have….it’s a piece of cake.  So are you overdue for your mammogram?  Don’t put it off.  Oh and if you are old enough for a colonoscopy, take care of that too.  Neither one is that bad and it might save your life.  I know!  O.k.  Preaching is done.  I promise.

Sun’s Up

Happy Monday!  It is supposed to be 80 degrees today.  Happy Happy Joy Joy!   I  am looking forward to a dry week.  Even though the rest of the week won’t be nearly as warm.

Today, I am hoping for a nice walk with Kris.  Walking up to the Abbey should be gorgeous.  We will probably stop for a bit up there for a cup of coffee.  Then hope to work, work, work!  A bit outside and a bit inside.

Tuesday is an exciting day here.  Kane’s girlfriend Lisa and her son Brantley are flying in from Missouri.  Kane is bringing them over for pizza dinner so we can meet them.  I have only talked to Lisa on the phone and computer, so I am looking forward to meeting her.

The rest of the week is up in the air.  I hope to get a lot done around here, so I better be careful how I eat.  I also hope Kane takes Lisa out so LL and I can baby sit.  Lisa and Brantley are planning to move back to Oregon soon, so if I don’t have the opportunity this time around, I am sure I will eventually.

Have a great day.  I hope it is sunny where ever you are.  :)

Pretty Sweet

Before……A pretty classic sheltie

OK, not so pretty,  Pretty scraggly is what he was.

Now, although everyone but me at this house thinks he looks pretty funny.  I am imagining a summer with less hair on the hard wood floor, less tangles while camping and just an all around cleaner dog.  Plus I think he looks pretty cuddly.

After…….Now he looks more like a corgie.

Or maybe he looks more like a racoon, or skunk or a fat fox.  I think Bailey said he looks like a Ewok.

All I know is that when I brought him home, he was prancing around.  But I must admit, Rufus looked pretty confused.

Rambling and wasting the time away

What to do today???  The only have to thing is Beau’s grooming appointment at 12:30.  Usually his appointments are first thing on a Monday morning, but last time he was groomed, I was having my scans, so Kris dropped him off and LL picked him up and no appointment was set.  So we are a bit off schedule this time.  Normally, although he gets a bit yucky between appointments, I don’t normally have to bathe him between.  Last week, I couldn’t stand the smell of him and bathed him.  So he is looking like a rag doll now and I will be happy getting him spift up today.  Thinking of forgoing the cute sheltie cut and getting him sheared off for the summer.  Maybe today or maybe next time.  He will look pretty strange but I am sure still cute.  So I will be walking him to the groomers then and hoping the rain has stopped so I can get my exercise walk in at that time.  I say exercise walk, because I have also been taking Beau for a walk every day because he is so fat, but it doesn’t get me much of a work out because every minute or so, he has to stop to bless a bush one way or another.

Yesterday I felt better than I thought I would.  I walked a 5K.  Sounds impressive but in reality, it is only 3.2 miles.  I then walked Beau for about 20 minutes.  Another mile.  I then got the house cleaned.  Vacuumed, swept, dusted, laundry, dishes done and cleaned my Jenn Air stove, which is a job I hate because it gets pretty greasy with its down draft fan.  I then needed to get a few things at the grocery store and decided to walk.  Another mile.  So after dinner and dishes, I was dog tired and my feet were feeling it.  Still, felt good to be back to normal.

So that means I got to wake up to a pretty clean house.  Last night I was thinking I would work in the yard and garden this morning.  Was looking forward to it but it is raining pretty hard still and I am not in the mood for mud.  Now with my huge home, there is always something that needs to be done.  But the reason these things need to be done is because I hate doing them and put these chores off.  Things like cleaning a closet or two.  Switching my winter/summer clothes, (really putting this off because I have gained a lot of weight and can’t fit into my summer clothes)  I have wood work and dust boards that could be scrubbed, or there is my very least favorite chore, paper work, (filing, trashing, sending).

Now in the past, I would take a day like this and make it a baking day.  A couple batches of cookies, bake bread, maybe a cake.  But LL and I are not eating that stuff anymore.  And even if he was, I don’t have a speck of flour in my kitchen because flour dust contaminates my kitchen with gluten.  Normally I could go to Mt. Angel and spend a couple of hours with Mom, but she is gone all day.  I could go to Salem and get some items I can not find here in town, like gluten-free soy sauce, but it is Thursday and LL works late in Portland, leaving me with the pick-up.  Not wasting the gas.

So maybe I will waste the morning away debating how to spend my time.  OK, I have made a decision.  Cleaning a closet or two sounds like the least yucky choice.  You knew it wasn’t going to be paper work, didn’t ya?

Mixed Blessings

Good Morning.  Feeling a bit better this morning.  Yesterday, although I felt better than I felt on Monday, my body had no energy after I was done with “issues”.  In fact, even with good intentions of getting a walk in and things done around here……the only thing I did was go to the bank, gas up car, grocery store, and took Mom to the nursery to pick up a couple of plants.  In fact, I found myself so tired that at some point in the afternoon, I fell asleep and woke up only when Max and Bailey came after work.  I never nap.  It seems my whole system goes into trauma during these episodes and I should be use to it.  But it always amazes me how sensitive my entire body is when my bowels are in distress.

As I said before, I am feeling a bit better but definitely not normal.  I need to be getting Max up at 7:00, we need to be at the hospital by 7:45 and I need him to get ready without eating or drinking anything.  That will be a challenge.  This is normally Kris and my walking time, so I need to call her and see if we will skip it or try to fit the walk in before she goes to work this afternoon.  I won’t pretend to plan to get much done today.  Even though I am feeling better, I still think if I could, I would sleep the day away.

Every day I am improving and I hope by tomorrow I will feel back to normal.  It seems because I have figured out most my food triggers now and the more time that goes between these episodes……the harder they hit when they do happen.  It seems that way, but in reality, probably the fact that I feel good more often makes the bad days just seem worse.  Oh well, the good news is that these episodes are less frequent and I do thank God for that blessing.