Monday, August 31, 2015

August Bids Us Goodbye

Busy day around the house. I continued with windows. I did the larger of the two kitchen windows. Starting the windows in the house means that I have to deal with curtains...that meant taking down the curtains. Cleaning the windows and running the curtains around in the drier to get them a bit more dust free. Then this particular pair of curtains needed some attention to the top as they kept drooping and had been bothering me for some time. So I took them upstairs and ironed the tops with some spray starch...much better after I got them back up! I ran into a problem with the window when I attempted to open it to clean it...it kept coming out of the frame. I emailed the window to ask what I needed to do and they very promptly emailed me back. They had a video to watch and I got this particular window fixed...all by myself as Woody had disappeared. Isaac helped me with part of my window washing...he's a good little helper. Yesterday we had a "drop food on the kitchen floor"...as in dropping a container of Woody's coleslaw (wasn't me!). Anyway, yesterday the floor got a good mopping...so clean kitchen floor and one clean window. Let's see Cheryl arrives two weeks from tomorrow...at this rate I don't think that I can/could get all the windows finished! Really not trying to do them all...just some that really need doing. There probably won't be any window washing tomorrow as we head off in the morning to Vanderbilt. Woody walked this morning...I'm not sure how far and I'm not where I can ask him. He also went to Life Care Center to do Bible study with Jeff. Guess I will be turning pages over in calendars tomorrow and spending time in waiting rooms at Vandy. I'll report on our day tomorrow evening.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

August's Last Saturday

Woody got up and walked ten miles. Later in the morning he went to the library, Walmart and Kroger. He has helped me in my cleaning mode by getting started on cleaning the front porch. Nathan and Graham had cleaned/sprayed off the outside of the house with a special cleaning solution earlier in the summer, but the front porch siding still needed to be washed down and Woody got started on that today...not a fun job! This has been sort of an off day for me...sleep didn't come all that early for me last night due to the late "nap" that I took yesterday. So I sorted pictures on into the night. I finally did get some sleep in the wee hours this morning and have taken several naps during the day. The main thing that I did today was continue sorting pitures and as of a moment ago, I just have August's from one camera left to sort...a major accomplishment. I want to get the pictures through August sorted before September arrives and I think that I will be able to meet that goal fairly easily. When I say sort...I mean that I have gone through all the digital pictures that I have taken (on four cameras)from the date that I stopped sorting the last time...that are stored where I dump them when I take them off the cameras (stored on one Passport (small external hard drive) in files by cameras and dates taken)...then I open up those files and make new files or put them in files that have already been created (like flowers in flowers, etc.). And, I do that times two as I have all my photos stored on two Passports. When this job is done I will have my photos all stored in two separate places...and none or next to none on the actual laptop. The nice thing about sorting is that I get to review all the fun things that we and kids have done over that period of time...birthday celebrations, teeth finally coming out, etc. So I have gone down quite a few memory lanes! Due to the pictures and the way I sort them, I can tell you that we have made 15 trips to Vanderbilt so far this year...Tuesday will make 16...and the year is "only" 2/3 over! It's fun to see all that the children have done and taking so many pictures at random times I usually get one or two half-way good ones at any given "shoot"...then there are sometimes when they just aren't good. I didn't even wince at deleting really fuzzy pictures. Anyway...butterflies are tucked away with butterflies, blue birds with blue birds, and special occasions tucked away in their months and on their days...files within files within files. The sorting can be rather mesmerizing/hypnotizing at times...and sometimes at later times I find some pictures tucked in strange places...the reason that I shouldn't do it for too long a time period without walking away from the task! We heard several rumbles of thunder late this afternoon and then it has lightly rained off and on for several hours. I have been reading...still trying to finish up one of the books that I have started (the one that is due first)...but sorting pictures has gotten in the way of reading. Woody is downstairs reading and watching something on TV...perhaps a DVD from the library. Tonight's photo is one that I sorted today that caught my eye due to the bright colors. This one was taken in a garden outside our public library...the reason that I try to have a camera with me where ever I go...I have one of my small cameras in my purse at all times.

Friday, August 28, 2015

On the Doctor Road Again

Woody got up and walked four miles. I got up and continued in my cleaning mode again. I washed the window in the laundry room and then went outside and washed the sunporch door windowpanes on the outside. So that area of the house has had a sprucing up. I was going to do a kitchen window, but when Woody got home from his walk, he reminded me that he had a dermatologist appointment in Murfreesboro today. So we left around 11:30 and took a leisurely "stroll" on the back road to Murfreesboro. We were slowed down a bit when we came to the community wide yardsale that is pictured in tonight's photos...there were tents, tables, etc. set up over quite an expanse of the highway we were traveling...we also got behind "Farmer Jones" on a slow tractor, etc. We went that way both going and coming back so I could attempt to get a few pictures out the car windows. It was a beautiful day...beautiful clouds...though it was a bit warmer than it has been...but there was a breeze and the humidity continued to be down. Woody's appointment was a quick one...he got called in right on time and he wasn't in the office more than thirty minutes. He was told that they discuss him in the office...I guess that they don't have many Stage-four melanoma cases who have kept returning for their yearly appointments for so many years. Dr. Bell is the doctor Woody was sent to by our personal care physician after he had been diagnosed and operated on (mole removed) here in Tullahoma and that surgeon said that he didn't need further excision as he had taken out a wide enough margin...but that it was usually recommended when the pathology report came back to have further excision. Woody decided to take the pathology report's advice and had our doctor recommend a dermatologist in Murfreesboro...that was nine years ago! At that time Dr. Bell sent him on to a surgeon in Murfreesboro and Woody ended up having two surgeries on the same day by two different doctors and after pathology reports were back, it was declared that the Melanoma hadn't moved on in his body. But, several years on down the road...it was back and that time it was fourth stage melanoma. He has continued to go for yearly or more often check-ups with Dr. Bell...so it is known that he continues to fight and win the battle with his melanoma. Woody said that his nurse today had never heard of ipimimulab or keytruda...guess most of their patients haven't gotten to the stage of being qualified to take these drugs (these drugs are "last ditch efforts"). We got back home midafternoon and ate what I call lupper (lunch and supper combined). After eating I sat down in my chair and didn't "come to" until just a few minutes ago...wonder if I'll be able to sleep tonight...now that it is bedtime! (By the way, I don't know if you have picked up on this in the news reports...but Keytruda (infusion that Woody gets every three weeks) is one of the treatments that former President Jimmy Carter is getting...along with radiation.) Oh, and, Woody did pass his "body check" for any dark or suspicious places on his skin today...an appointment was made for next year!

Thursday, August 27, 2015

I Don't Do Windows...Oh, Wait...

...that's right...in the past I didn't do windows...but now I have no excuse not to wash windows since they are the kind that fold in so you can do the inside and outside while standing inside the house. I will just say that it still isn't an easy task. Today I decided to tackle the sun porch and while everything was out of that area I decided that I really should do the windows. After all...it is a sun porch...and the sun should be able to get beyond the dust and dirt that has accumulated both on the outside and inside of the windows. There are three tall windows in this small area plus a door that has multiple panes of glass...when the windows fold in they practically touch the wall...hard for me to position my body to slide them up and down or reach across to clean them and get them back in place. We have a crazy insect called a May Fly...these May flies build nests in the edges of the screens...they stuff dried grass into the edges and then lay their eggs in there. (The reason that I know this was that one day I saw one stuffing the grass in...at least the mystery was solved as to what was doing this to almost all of our windows!) There will be fewer May flies come the time for them to hatch as I swept a lot of them up with my vacuum today. The windows looked really good UNTIL the sun shone on them around 5pm today and then they looked a bit streaky...oh, well...there is always next time to make them look better...at least they are MUCH cleaner than they were earlier in the day. Before coming up to blog I "made myself" put everything back in its place. The only thing that I lack doing in there is doing the outside of the windows on the door..."perhaps" tomorrow...that is if I can move tomorrow! Now, when the weather is nice, we can leave the door open and enjoy seeing the nice clean area. Woody got up early and walked ten miles. He has also worked out in the yard today...I never heard the mower so he must have been doing something else...but he was out of my view so I'm not sure just what and I forgot to ask him when I asked how far he had walked today...and now I am too lazy/tired to go downstairs and quiz him! While I rested for a while this afternoon, I talked to my friend, Connie, who moved away from Tullahoma. We had a nice chat catching up on what is happening with each other. My sister called while I was talking to Connie so I called Cheryl back and we had a nice chat too...the longer the rest the better for me these days! We talked about her upcoming visit here...making plans. Woody has the washer and drier busy this evening. So all-in-all we have had a pretty busy day and I, for one, am ready to call it quits and find my recliner and my book. In between putting clothes away, Woody is reading and/or watching TV.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Angry Blue Bird!

I have been sorting pictures all afternoon and this little guy's expression caught my eye. Speaking of sorting pictures, I managed to finish up sorting the pictures that I had taken over the last few months on one of my cameras...but there are still a lot more to be sorted! At least it is a start for this period in the year. Woody didn't walk early this morning. Since the temperatures promised to be pleasant on into the day, he chose to walk four miles after lunch. This morning he did his Krogering and Farmer Marketing. I put the groceries away. I didn't sleep well last night so it has been one of those days when I doze off and on trying to make up for lost sleep I guess. My library cohorts and I decided that it would be a good day to play hooky from the library. I have read some more in my books. I'm making pretty good headway on one of them...maybe I will have it finished before Saturday when Woody goes to the library.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

A Walkin' Day...At Least for Woody

I'll post two pictures tonight...one for tonight and one for last night! I just never got around to coming in here and posting a picture after our eggplant parmesan finally came out of the oven and was eaten. I will say that this was an absolutely delicious recipe for eggplant parm...it was good last night right out of the oven and it was good warmed up tonight...so I "think" that it was worth the effort!?! Woody got up early (I woke up earlier, though) and he headed out for his first walk of the day...six miles. He said that he was cold at the start of his walk...in the upper 40's. The temperature and humidity has been delightful today. Then later in the morning he walked to our pharmacy and picked up several prescriptions. Then a little while ago, he headed off on his third walk of the day...this time he headed first to the Life Care Center to tune in Jeff's TV so he could watch a Yankees game and then he headed to the church for his time in the Prayer Room. He has yet to return. He has also worked crossword puzzles and he also got on our old computer and played the computer a game or two of Scrabble. He has been reading too. I woke up at 4:30...things on my mind...I guess. I thought that I could go back to sleep if I read for a while, but that didn't happen...so I got some more reading done on the books that I am in the midst of...I mainly read on one early and then later in the day have picked up another of them...so more pages turned in the three books that I am in the midst of. I spent most of the morning in the sewing room. First I cleaned off my sewing machine cabinet surface...again...I keep cleaning it off so I can make some Christmas ornaments but then use it for some other project and have to put other things away so I can get back to trying to start a Christmas ornament. Today once I got things put back where they go, I decided that it was time to clean my machine...so I did that and then got underway with making my first Christmas ornament of the year...and actually have it made and it is sitting on the ironing board waiting to be pressed. The funny thing about having cleaned my machine...I ended up using thread that makes a lot of fuzz...so it is probably has as much fuzz in it as it did before I cleaned it. Oh, well...that is the way with cleaning anything...clean and turn around and it needs to be cleaned again. After lunch, I began to fade due to my early rising hour so I ended up taking a nice long afternoon nap. When I got up I did a maintenance task on this laptop. That about sums up our day. This is our oldest granddaughter's 22nd birthday...where have the years gone?!? Happy birthday, Erin!

Monday, August 24, 2015

Where Has the Day Gone?

I'm posting downstairs on my iPad this evening as I am still working on our dinner. I decided what we would have for dinner—Eggplant Parmesan. Then I decided to try a new recipe for it...well, this one takes quite a bit longer than our old stand-by recipe for eggplant Parmesan...so I got under way a little after 4pm and here it is 7pm. The first stage of the cooking is now underway...but still a ways to go. I'm not even hungry any more...I don't like to eat late. Woody got up and walked 12 miles this morning. Later in the morning he ran an errand for me and went to the Life Care Center and had Bible study with Jeff. I did some sewing while watching a really good movie: "Woman in Gold." Melany loaned it to us. I really enjoyed it. I made a little more headway in the books that I'm reading. Woody started a new book and has done his usual daily crossword puzzles. Well, back to the oven. Perhaps a bit later I will post a butterfly photo that I took earlier today.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Guess What!?!

Tonight's picture was taken about two hours ago and it was so dark out that I had trouble getting this picture...I ended up having to lighten it in my photo software in order to see the temperature. A thunder storm had rolled through a little before I took the picture and. as I type, it is still drizzling but the storm seems to have passed. This morning Woody got up and walked four miles. I got up and decided that I would go with Woody when he ran errands, as I needed to get a few things at Walmart and that if I didn't go with him I would just put the trip there off again as I had several times this week. Before I was ready to go, Isaac came over to see us. I gave him a job of folding the napkins that I had just taken out of the drier. I challenged him to a race...could he finish folding the napkins before I got my shower taken and got dressed. He beat me...much to his delight! By the way he did a very good job folding the napkins. When I showed him how to fold them. He told me that his mommy had already shown him how to fold napkins. He loves beating his Grammy...whether it be up or down the stairs, or into the school room, or on our walk to or from his house. We seem to always be challenging each other to a race! And, you can guess who is usually the winner! Woody headed first to the library. I happened upon a book that I had been wanting to read...not that I needed a book at the moment as I am in the midst of three or four books...but what is one more!? This afternoon I have been trying to divide my time between three of them...but ended up taking a long nap...guess my shopping wore me out! After the library we headed to Walmart. Woody headed to the food section and I headed to other places in the store...needed everything from toothpaste and dental floss to bathmats to fingernail polish remover to kleenex (a pretty box for the guest room for when Cheryl comes...something I did today for her upcoming visit...oh, and one of the bathmats was for the guest bathroom too...so two things accomplished! Woody got finished food shopping first and attempted to find me...I spotted him looking for me before he spotted me. He checked out and then went out to wait in the car and read while I finished my shopping. While we were in Walmart, we had an unexpected pop-up shower. It had sprinkled on us just slightly on our way there, but it really didn't look like it would produce much rain, but when we came out the parking lot was all wet. After getting home, Woody fixed us lunch--steak-um pita sandwiches. We have had an abundance of green peppers so that is the reason that we have had these sandwiches several times lately...we saute onions and green peppers to put in the pita bread along with a steak-up minute steak and a good dousing of ketchup...pretty good during pepper season. Speaking of peppers...our first pimento was harvested the other day and I noticed that we had another one turning red. Woody did some mowing before the big storm rolled in. We have had so much rain lately that even our grass is growing...our grass is rather sparse due to all the huge oaks and other trees in our yard. As I mentioned earlier, I slept away a good part of the afternoon. After lunch when I sat down to read, I just couldn't keep my eyes open and once they shut they didn't open for a couple of hours...guess I was tired! Hopefully I will be able to read for a while tonight and not fall asleep...maybe I can make a little headway in each of my books...or at least a couple of them! Woody has the TV on and a stack of books in front of him as well as one in his hand. Looks like we are settled in for a quiet evening. I'm off to start another load of wash and check to see if the clothes in the drier are dry...then I will settle in to read for a while.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Friday

Woody got up and walked ten miles this morning. He has also done some mowing. The temperatures have been much more pleasant today...lots less humidity...and the sun shone! I got up and decided to do a cleaning task that I had put on my list a while ago...clean the laundry room...got that accomplished...even down to mopping that small expanse of floor. I will branch out into the rest of that area to what we call the sunporch another day. I considered washing the sindow in the laundry area...but didn't motivated enough to do that! I talked to my sister for a while this afternoon. Late this afternoon I made a new recipe using some of the chicken leg quarters that Woody bought at the store the other day. They had a really good deal on them...so he bought a ten pound bag. I pulled the skin off all of them (a job that I hate) and cooked some and froze the rest. That about sums up our day...so exciting...not!

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Busy, Busy!

Tonight's title describes this little house wren (or another one that looks just like her) and the Dorrell households! I'm not sure how many little ones the house wren is attempting to keep fed...but from the sounds of all the peeps that there are quite a few of them in their nest within the bird house. And, between the two Dorrell households we are kept busy with little and big children and just with our daily doings. Today Woody started his day out with a four-mile walk. After lunch, he walked to the barbershop. I had the normal crew filter through the house for school. Abigail had her sewing time with me today. We worked on her notebook and then we made buttonholes in her brother's backpacks made from jeans...so now all the children have backpacks made for their trip to Poland...one more thing accomplished toward getting ready for their Poland trip. After lunch Graham came over for his reading time. Then Elijah came over to make plans for making a tooth fairy pillow...he discovered last night that one of his teeth is loose. Mid afternoon Woody went next door to take care of the children while Kathy and Nathan ran a few errands and then had an early date night...Woody got home a little while ago. Several of the children decided to come over here to finish up their school work or to just read before they had supper. Then I got a call from Melany. She and Wade had just returned from delivering Alex to the Tennessee Tech campus. She was/is a little sad about her "baby" going off to college. But she won't have much time to pine away as she will be adding her college evening adjunct classes into her already busy schedule of teaching elementary school kids all day...makes my head spin just thinking about it...around 8 hours with elementary school kids and then three hours four evenings a week and three hours on Saturday with college students...she will be definitely busy, busy! We had a little rain today, but not nearly as much as we had Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Hopefully we are heading towards a bit drier next few days. The children enjoyed getting to play outside some today...being cooped up all day with all that energy is just not fun! Proud of my seven little students as we have had a good week at Grammy's school...we all made it through our first four day school week. Tomorrow...Grammy recoups...maybe!

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

A Mixed Bag

Today the weather has been a mixed bag...some rain and some sunshine. As I type the rain has returned. We have certainly been in a rainy weather pattern this week. Woody got up and walked four miles...he walked in rain part of the time...but he did carry an umbrella. We had school this morning. It was Esther's turn to sew with me. She decided that she wanted to use my machine and make an embroidery design to go on one of her shirts. Woody waited till Isaac finished school with me and then the two of them headed off to do some Krogering and Farmers' Marketing...from the sounds of it Isaac made several friends along the way! After school this morning, I had a quick lunch and then headed off to the church library to work for a couple of hours. When I got home I had two recipes that I wanted to make...we had the Chicken, Avocado, Bacon, Tomato sandwiches again and I needed to make the roasted red pepper sauce that goes on the sandwich. After I made that I made some roasted red pepper hummus...the sample bite that I took tasted pretty good. I found the hummus recipe online when I was reading about roasting red peppers. Woody really likes hummus so I decided that we should give it a try. Woody will try it when he has a hummus tomato sandwich. I was pretty tired by the time that I got those two recipes and a supper sandwich made...so I headed upstairs to rest in "my" recliner. Woody cleaned up the kitchen for me...definitely a big help! Tomorrow there is more rain predicted...then Friday is "supposed" to be a dry day...perhaps even several dry days in a row.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Another Rainy One

It drizzled off and on a good part of the night and continued to rain this morning. I don't think that it rained quite as much as yesterday, but rain still continues to make our plants happy. Woody woke up early this morning and decided to go on a six-mile walk. Usually on Tuesdays he doesn't walk in the mornings as he walks to the prayer room at church in the evenings. But today he did both morning and evening. He still hasn't returned from his walk to the church. We had oour second day of school this morning...once again everything went smoothly. We all had a good day...at least I did! Joy had her sewing time today. Woody and I ate lunch with Nathan and Kathy and family. They needed guinea pigs for a new recipe that they made up--cabbage patties. They were quite good and at least some of the children thought so too...but for some this new recipe "was not their favorite." Instead of saying that they don't like something they have been taught to say "it's not my favorite." Graham and I read together after lunch. Then I took a nap! This evening while Woody was at church, I decided to clean the bathrooms...well, not the best idea, as one of the toilets decided to keep running. Woody had supposedly fixed the problem this afternoon and told me that "it was a one time thing"...well...it happened again while everyone was away...Woody at the prayer room and Nathan and family at a church service. I finally figured out how to turn the water off. When Woody gets home, I guess he will attempt to fix the problem again!

Monday, August 17, 2015

School Days, School Days!

It was Joseph's very first day at Grammy's school...and Grammy gets a failing grade at getting his picture of his coming over to our house. It was raining and I claim that to be the reason for the fail! Thank goodness I did better inside the house. He was so cute during his lessons. At the moment my main goal is for him to name things...so we worked with animal names and animal sounds today.
Woody got up early and walked twelve miles in the rain. Just about everything got done in the rain today...that is till this afternoon and it finally cleared up. It was definitely a rainy morning for the children to travel between our houses...but between umbrellas, rain boots and ponchos...no one got too wet. My back got pretty wet when I took Joseph home as he needed to hold the umbrella and that meant I had to bend over and a good portion of my backside wasn't under the umbrella. Joseph had his time and then Isaac came over for his time with me. After he finished, then the rest filtered in to read with me. Elijah had his long time with me today and we cleaned their sewing machine and he sewed for a short time trying out some of the different stitches. Graham had his reading time after he finished his lunch. Woody went to Life Care to have Bible study with Jeff and on the way home stopped at the fruit and vegetable market and bought some tomatoes. After Graham finished reading I sat in my chair for a while and then got busy in the sewing room. I had a file that I hadn't put away as I was going to scan the pre-digital photos in it. So I decided to do that...I really should be sorting the recent pictures that I have taken as I am really far behind on that task. But it was fun to scan these 1994 pictures that I took on our 25th anniversary trip to New Orleans. Fun memories...just wish that I had labeled the pictures as to what buildings they were, etc. I have been able to figure out most of them either with brochures that I saved from the trip or going online and searching for pictures of buildings and seeing if they resemble the photos that I have! Mid-afternoon Kathy and part of the crew showed up needing buttonholes made in some backpacks that they had made out of old jeans and corduroys. They plan to use them when they travel to Poland in a few weeks. They have turned out really neat. So far the three girls and Isaac have these backpacks. Kathy mentioned that there might be two more later in the week if Graham and Elijah decide to make them too. This evening Woody went to the church and picked up a loaf of freshly made bread and took it to a family that had visited our church. Then he visited with one of his new Sunday School boys. I continue on with my New Orleans memories. I want to scan them as that way I can work with them using my photo editing software. Plus it is easier to look at them on the computer than having to pull the files out of my file cabinet...though I still do like to have a photo in hand to look at it. And, even though I have scanned them, I don't plan to throw away the "real" photos...at least not yet. I would say that our day has been relatively busy...sort of gets that way once school starts. It always amazes me how fast the morning flies as I work with the children...it is either time for the next child to come over or it is lunch time...time really does fly when one is having fun!

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Pretty Much a Typical Saturday

Woody got up and walked five miles this morning. He ran errands with Elijah later in the morning: library, WalMart, and Kroger. I got up and headed to the kitchen to put together a casserole...put a new twist on an old recipe that I hadn't made for ages. We had that for lunch. I have done a little sewing...trying to clear my sewing cutting table of "to-do" projects. I fixed a zipper in an insulated grocery bag for Woody today...one more thing off the table! I still haven't gotten around to making any of the Christmas ornaments that I got the materials for a while back...hopefully I will be able to start making them soon...maybe tomorrow? Oh, wait...tomorrow never comes! I got my Sunday School lesson studied and prepared earlier in the week...so I just need to read through it again this evening. Isaac spent some time over here helping his Grammy again today. I call him "my little shadow." I recite the Robert Lewis Stevenson poem to him...about my shadow going in and out with me...and what can be the use of it is more than I can see! But he does love helping his grammy! After I cooked this morning, I wasn't worth much for part of the afternoon...but I didn't really ever nap just didn't do anything for a while but sit in my chair...working a sudoku puzzle and watching an episode or two of Food Fighters...didn't even have enough energy to pick up a book and read! Kathy came over for a while with Joseph this afternoon and we talked about my school schedule...my part of their homeschooling starts on Monday. This afternoon Woody went outside and helped pull nails out of the boards that the neighbor grandchildren plan to use to build a club house. Woody has also read, watched some TV, worked cross word puzzles, done some dishes, etc. So it has been pretty much a typical Saturday in the Dorrell household...same ol', same ol'!

Friday, August 14, 2015

Countdown Is On

Tonight's photo is a picture of my sister and me 58 years ago...oh, my...definitely time has passed by all too quickly...especially when you compare our ages then to our ages now! But the month countdown is on for when she will be in TN for a visit. We haven't seen each other in a while so it will be good to visit in person. We'll be talking non-stop as it looks like we might be in this photo that Daddy took of us all those years ago. I hadn't planned to use this picture tonight, but when I went into my computer photo files...this is where my files opened...and I decided that it was appropriate since she would be here a month from today...well, she might not get here on this date in a month as her plane is not due in till around midnight...but according to her ticket she will be here on the 14th. Woody got up and walked four miles this morning. It has been another very pleasant day temperature and humidity-wise. It was a good morning for Nathan and Kathy's yardsale...that is till the rain decided to show up around noontime. But they got some good morning sale time in. It looks like they will have a dry yardsale day tomorrow. Yesterday I spent part of the day doing some cooking for some meals we have planned...I stewed two chickens and roasted four large red bell peppers. Today I used one of the peppers to make a sweet red pepper sauce for a speciality sandwich which also had some of the chicken that I cooked yesterday on it...along with tomato slices, avocado slices, and bacon on ciabatta rolls. Very good! We decided that would be our main meal for the day. This evening Woody made yellow squash with onions and tomato sauce with Italian spices. Friends had given us some yellow squash so that made a good dish for our evening meal. This morning Isaac and I got the guest room ready for school to start on Monday...I use the guest room for a sewing room for the children. I needed to put away a few things in there and dust. We did that and then a little while ago I vacuumed in there and as far as the vacuum cord would reach...which meant the guest bathroom, the hall and into the doorways of the other three bedrooms and a little more than half-way down the stairs. So the school areas are ready for a new start to the school year over here. I'm surprised that I accomplished that much as I guess the week caught up with me as most of the afternoon I napped. I would wake up and then drift right back to sleep...hope that I can sleep tonight!

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Ride 'Em Cowboy!

Woody got up early and walked twelve miles. Not long after he got home he asked me and Isaac to go on a walk with him to see a giant preying mantis. This walk was about a two block distance from our house. Woody had been trying to get me to go take a picture of this creature for a while...so I knew that it couldn't be alive since it was still in the same spot! Friends of ours live here and happened to be out in the yard watering when we got there and I started taking pictures from the road. The gentleman of the house makes these wooden yard decorations. They invited Isaac to go take a closer look and "ride" on it. They also had a birdhouse that caught Woody's eye...a St. Louis cardinal birdhouse. We got to talking to them about birdhouses and birds that would nest in the bird houses. Before we left we were gifted with a new blue bird house. It is already "planted in our garden.
This is a pretty neat birdhouse...the house part is made of PVC pipe. Now we will see if blue birds find it interesting. Our one bird house that the house wren has taken up residence in has baby birds singing quite loudly from within. Now we will see if we see them when they leave the "nest." I rarely see the baby birds leave the bird houses. Today has been a beautiful day...giving some hints of Fall...lower humidity...so it has stayed very pleasant all day. I think that the temps are on the rise over the next couple of days, but this little respite has felt good. Right now Woody is taking care of the seven neighbor grandkids while Nathan and Kathy are out on a 15th anniversary date. I'm heading over there as soon as I blog to talk some into getting ready for bed. Tomorrow the neighbors (Nathan and Kathy and family) are going to have a yard sale so if you are in need of treasures...perhaps you can find some there.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

One Two Buckle/Velcro/Tie My Shoe!

Can you guess what we did today? We did back-to-school and off to Poland shoe shopping. I had never gone to the shoe store with all seven before. They did great and I think that each left happy with their choices. Woody's walk today was to the Farmer's Market with added weight for his walk back...quite a few red and green peppers and a couple large zucchinis. After lunch he headed off to do his weekly Krogering and I headed off to work in the church library. And, now I want to end tonight's blog by wishing Nathan and Kathy a happy 15th anniversary!

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Over the River and Through the Woods to Vanderbilt We Went!

Our Vanderbilt day went pretty much as it usually does. We started a little before 7am and arrived home a little before 4pm...almost exactly ten hours away from home. We experienced some school traffic on the back road...but it didn't slow us down that much and the interstate slow-downs didn't add too much to the travel time. Woody signed in a little more than thirty minutes early. We got called in for the first two appointments pretty much on time. He got to the infusion clinic right at the appointment time...but then everything slowed down...we have discovered that appointment times right around lunch aren't the best...we usually get to sit a bit longer than an appoitment a bit earlier or a bit later. After Dr. Sosman's nurse practitioner talked with Woody, I headed off to schedule a PET scan and the three regular appointments all on the same day in early October. Woody's labs looked good...his creatinine level was back in normal range. We really keep an eye on that since it went so high when he was getting IL-2. It took a while to get the Keytruda from the pharmacy. The infusion only takes 30 min. so once it gets going it isn't all that long till we can be on our way home. Woody read during all our waiting time and I worked pretty much the whole time on the Sunday School lesson for this week...at least I have something written down about each of the verses...probably too much information so now I will go back through and decide just what needs to be shared...but at least most of the info is down on paper...good to have a good start on the lesson so early in the week. We did stop at Steak and Shake on the way home. Woody just got back from walking to and from the prayer room at church. So it looks like the sidewalk is folding up for our household tonight...ready to settle in and do as little as possible the rest of the evening. I slept part of the way home so I should feel a little rested...but I don't! Vanderbilt days always seem to wear me out more than Woody. We have already gotten a call from Vanderbilt since we got home. They were changing his appointment times for his next visit. He was scheduled to see Dr. Sosman, but he is going on vacation so we will once again see the nurse practitioner and they had to fit us into her schedule. At least the day wasn't changed...just the times. It is sometimes hard to keep my calendar straight...but I immediately changed the times on the calendar on my iPad...so that way I will remember the new times.

Monday, August 10, 2015

Best Pal and Helper!

Woody got up and walked before it got "too" hot...pretty steamy AND hot today as the day wore on. He walked four miles. Later in the morning he went to Life Care Center and had Bible study with Jeff. Isaac (He is his dad's best friend and my best pal...according to Isaac.) came over to help me this morning. First he helped vacuum the school room...that was the last task to having it ready for school to start over here. After all that work, he needed to snuggle in with the stuffed animals on the bed and then he did a little work with his numbers...this picture lets you check out the clean school room. I emptied two bags that we recycle paper in...got them into bags to put out at the curb when our garbage and recycle items are picked up on Wednesday. We have a large shopping bag in the school room next to the waste basket...paper goes into the shopping bag...and "once in a while" I empty it and put it out to be picked up with other things that we recycle. It had been quite a while since the school room one had been emptied. The other bag that I emptied was one that I had been filling with paper that I was throwing away from my files, etc. So lots of paper heading out to be recycled. I made a new recipe for biscuits tonight...Cream Cheese Biscuits. They turned out pretty good. I'm not the biscuit maker in the family as Nathan is a prize-winning biscuit maker. When in upper grades at elementary school, he beat out the girls two different years in a row with his biscuit making skills! So I never made many biscuits...just turned that job over to Nathan! But this recipe caught my eye so I decided to try them...probably not prize-winning but tasty and they rose nicely and were golden brown. Tasted good with out weekend leftover Pasta topped with Chunky Tomato Sauce With Sweet Italian Sausage. Isaac enjoyed his bath over here so much the other night that he decided that he would have another over here tonight. Esther came over to play with her birthday present (She has to use my iPad with her present so her present stays over here!). When she saw that Isaac was having a bath over here, she decided that she wanted one over here too. So two bathed and back at their home for stories and bed! Woody's next appointments (labs, nurse practitioner, Keytruda infusion) at Vanderbilt are tomorrow morning. Three weeks have passed very quickly once again...wonder how long tomorrow's appointments will take. Guess I'll go get my tote bag packed...need to get a book, my camera, will take my iPad, and probably the Sunday School lesson books as I will be teaching again this coming Sunday...all that should keep me busy! The waiting times really go by quickly if I take plenty to keep me occupied...I like some choice as to what I will do...reason that I take several items to while away the time.

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Better Late Than Never?

Once again I woke up early...even before Woody headed off for his six mile walk. I got up and headed in to work on the school room some more. I am pretty close to done in there...there are still a couple of things that need to find a home and then I need to vacuum. Lots less dust in that room...at least for the moment. Isaac joined us mid-morning and ran Saturday errands with Goosey (Woody). He went home to eat lunch, but ended up bringing his sandwich over here. He stayed with us this afternoon and evening while the rest of his family and his cousin went to Chatanooga for a juggling gig. Since they had an extra person, they would have had to take their camper if all the children had gone. So Isaac got to stay here and they were able to go in their "smaller" vehicle. He had a good time tagging along with us...I think. I call him my "little shadow" when he is in the house with me...he is right behind me about every step that I take! He and I did a little cooking. We made the cucumber jello salad that both of our families like so much. What made making it with him special was that we used some of the cucumbers that he grew. We made some for his family and some for Goosey and me. Goosey and I read quite a few stories throughout the day. He stuck with me while I finished up dusting in the school room and sat on my lap while I talked to my sister on the phone (he was playing on my iPad during the phone conversation). This evening, Goosey and he went next door and got his jammies and then came back over here and he took a bath at our house. He didn't remember taking one here before...so he had fun with the bath tub toys that we have. After his bath, we took him over to his house so he could drift off to dreamland in his own bed. I stayed over there and worked on my Sunday School lesson some more till his family returned a while ago. So it has been a busy day for our household...never a dull moment when my three-year old "best pal" is hanging out with us!

Friday, August 7, 2015

Walking and Breakfast Companions

Woody headed off for his walk a bit later than usual and Esther and Elijah accompanied him on what he called a short four miles. Isaac was helping his daddy pick some of their garden and brought us a cucumber that Isaac had grown. Isaac decided to stay with me for a while so he ended up eating his second breakfast of the day with me. After breakfast I got busy on cleaning up the school room. I did take a break and read several books to Isaac. He was a good excuse to take a break! I have made some headway...mostly raising dust...much to my allergies dismay...but I think that it will be worth it when I get finished! I have done a lot of filing...both into the file cabinet and also into file thirteen. A little before supper I had started on the long table that has all the school equipment on it...that will still take a while as I will take a little off and dust the items and the surface of the table and then move on down the table and do a little more. At least I am well underway. Woody cooked out supper tonight--Steak-um minute steak sandwiches with sauteed onions and green peppers. I think that I am through raising dust for the night and will work on my Sunday School lesson some more this evening. Melany called last night to report on her Motlow adjunct orientation...she found out that she has another class added to her schedule...so she will be teaching three classes--Art Appreciation, Drawing 1, and 2-D design. She originally had just 2-D design (or so she thought), then last week she got a call asking her to take on an Art Appreciation Class and then one of the first things that they started talking to her about at the orientation was Drawing 1, a class that she hadn't realized that she had...so she will have classes for three hours every night except for Fridays and Sundays and will have a three-hour Saturday daytime class. Should make for an interesting year for her...teaching K-5th graders five days a week and switching over to college nights and on Saturdays. She thinks that this should keep her from missing Alex too much when he heads off to college! It makes me tired just to think about her schedule!

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Rainy Voting Day

Woody got up and walked eight miles in the rain. Though he carried an umbrella, it never rained hard enough to use it. The harder rains came later in the morning...just about the time that we decided that we would go vote. We voted (three names on the ballot and we were to vote for two of those names for alderman of Tullahoma...certainly not a confusing ballot! It took more time pushing buttons to get the ballot up on the screen and then pushing them to eventually finish the process of casting the ballot than the two clicks it took to make our choices. After we left the polling place, we stopped at the pharmacy so Woody could pick up a prescription. The rest of the day we spent at home...until a little while ago when Woody went next door to sit for a while with eight children while the parents went on a date...Thursday night is date night. Today being the first debate of the upcoming presedential election...we "might" have been able to learn a little more about the way our government works...but we are "shut out" of the debates due to not having cable. Someone told me that we could watch them livestream if I downloaded an app on my iPad...but one has to be subscribed to a cable network...or so I have surmized in checking around on the internet. I guess we will probably learn "more than enough" tomorrow with all the clips that will surely be rerun on the networks that we do get. My little job of the day turned out to be doing some ironing that had piled up on the end of my ironing board...so that cleared a little bit up in the house. I went into the school room, but just to get some books to read to Isaac. "Maybe" I'll get started on the school room tomorrow. I did cook Rosemary Chicken for supper using some of our fresh rosemary...pretty good. We hadn't had that recipe in a while...so much better cooked with fresh rosemary than store bought dried. We also had some yummy home grown watermelon. When Alex was here earlier in the week, he brought us a 40 lb. watermelon that his other grandfather grew. We had put it next door in Nathan and Kathy's extra refrigerator...they kept part and brought part over to us this afternoon. It was really cold and really good. The best watermelon that we have had this season. I think the rain has left us as the skies have cleared. Thanks to the rains, it hasn't gotten out of the 70's here today...rare for August. But from what I hear, the temps will be on the rise once again over the next couple of days...August hasn't forgotten how to be "Dog Days"...at least I'm pretty sure that is true!

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Trash to Treasure!

This morning when Nathan went for a run, he discovered that a family in our neighborhood was tearing down their fence and had placed all the boards beside the road to throw them away. What potential could you see with all this wood? Well, this crew
started dreaming big plans for a club house and set to work hauling the boards, etc. back to the wooded area on their lot that is behind out house. They went to work...some hauling:
They were literally carrying the wood down the street before they borrowed a neighbor's trailor...that loan made the hauls much easier! Some stacked and started removing nails:
Oh, and here is one of the dreamers!
Won't they have a great time coming up with a plan to build a clubhouse in this little wooded area! Woody walked four miles this morning. Yesterday he walked six miles before heading over to help me with the daily routine of the neighbor grandchildren. I got home last (well, this morning) a little after midnight. Today Woody did his Krogering in the morning. After lunch I went to work in the church library for a couple of hours. On the way home I stopped at the public library and turned in one book that I had finished and picked up another book and also a DVD, Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck...there was a featured display in the fashion exhibit that Melany and I went to last week...so I decided that I wanted to see it...I think that I have watched it sometime in the past, but am not absolutely sure...guess I'll find out when I view it this time. That about sums up our day. I have felt very lazy (lack of energy) most of the day...wonder why! I'm expecting a call from Vanderbilt this evening to remind us of Woody's appointments next week...appointments three weeks apart seem to come around very quickly! Tomorrow I hope to get back to doing some little jobs around the house that need to be done. I need to attack the school room next as school will start soon. Woody is at the last revival service this evening.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

"Just a Few More Hours...That's All the Time We've Got!"

These pictures were taken yesterday at Esther's birthday pizza lunch. Don't you love the line-up for pizza...and also the way Esther has to eat her pizza since she doesn't have her two front teeth! Abigail was feeding Joseph for me...so she wasn't in the line-up...don't worry...she still got her share! The last one shows that, if I don't stand up and get away from the table, I can't get the whole crew in the picture. The fun and games are about to end in just a few more hours when "the parents" show back up. I am hoping to get all in bed before they arrive...somewhat of a task...especially this week with the revival...they hardly walk in the door before eight and then most want a quick snack and then there are jammies, stories, teeth brushing, etc., etc. (all the routine bedtime type things). I have hardly taken any pictures this whole time...it is harder to take the pictures when I am in the midst of the fray and not just on the outskirts! Our oldest grandson paid us a visit today with his girl friend and another friend...and I took nary a picture...shame on me...but then Alex was probably glad that I didn't! Woody fed the older crew at our house and I fed the younger crew at their house...then we all got together to visit for a while over at their house (their house=Nathan & Kathy's house). We had a nice visit. The guys managed to get their drivers licenses updated and fit in a visit to Alex's Grammy and Goosey's house, too. We enjoyed meeting Brooke and Nick. The younger children proved to be quite the entertainers...which we already knew...and now Alex's friends know too! Well, dishes await me soaking in the sink next door. I want to have the dishes done before the crew comes back from church...and then it is "operation get the kids to bed before their parents get home!"

Monday, August 3, 2015

Look Who's Eight!

Esther-Noel turned eight today. She has had fun celebrating both yesterday and today. She had her "party" with her family and Goosey (Woody) and me yesterday because her parents flew the coop today. Nathan mentioned on Facebook a while ago that they were going to be childless for almost 40 hours...oh, my! Let's see they left a little after eight this morning...how many more hours is there left?!? Right now Woody has all the children with him at church. We are having a revival. I stayed behind and have been getting our house ready for more "company" tomorrow. Alex neeeds to come to Tullahoma to upgrade his license and we have a less crowded DMV than they have in his city. Alex is bringing his girlfriend and also another friend who needs to do the same to his license. Woody and I decided that we would divide and conquer...Woody is going to entertain the three college-age kids over here for lunch and I will feed the crew of eight younger kids next door. At some point we will all visit...I think! Today has definitely been an active day...how could it not be with eight kids...who are 13,11,11,9,8,6,3,1! We have an extra as Kathy's niece is visiting for a while as her mother was in a bad car accident and is in rehab. Jana is eleven...the same age as Abigail. This afternoon Jana and Abigail went to one of Kathy's friends to do some of their school work and for Jana to have a violin lesson. They will rejoin the family at the revival. We had school this morning with six of the eight. Esther got to choose her meals for today so she chose pizza for lunch...Little Caesers came in handy for that...Woody made a run for some of their "hot and ready" pizzas. For supper it was a meal from their "once-a-month cooking" and I just had to pop the casseroles in the oven. So cooking has been easy. I left tonight's supper dishes soaking while I came over here to work till they get home...then it will be stories and off to bed. I will sleep over there tonight. Their parents will be home late tomorrow night...all will be asleep when they return...that is if all goes as planned...but then when do plans totally work!!!!! I had "planned" to take two of them shoe shopping this afternoon. I totally forgot till it was too late. Well, off to do a couple of other things over here before the crew returns...they will be home shortly. Happy eighth, sweet Esther, our toothless wonder!!!

Saturday, August 1, 2015

I Boldly Went Where No Grammy (except me) Has Gone Before!

Woody got up and enjoyed the cooler part of the day and walked four miles. Later in the morning he did his Saturday errands routine: Library, WalMart, and fruit and vegetable market. He has also done a little mowing. He is now settled in with a library DVD movie. After Woody got home from his errands, I put the food away. Then I decided that I would make the Miso Sesame-Glazed Eggplant (tonight's photo). The recipe says to eat the skin...but...just not my favorite texture...so mine (and I think most of Woody's) got put in the compost bucket...to make good dirt...so not wasted! I enjoyed this more this time than I did the first go round. We decided that this recipe is definitely a keeper so I typed it into the recipes in my recipe app on my iPad. Isaac spent a good part of the afternoon over here. He started out wanting to play on my iPad...but soon gravitated to some of the toys. Woody got him interested in the playing with the Fisher Price barn and that kept his interest for a while...that is till he realized that he didn't have the farmer. I told him that the toys hadn't been put away correctly in the toy closet so that everything was strewn all over the place and hardly anything was together that belonged together. So he decided to put the barn away and play with the Fisher Price Pirate Ship...well, most of those pieces weren't together either...he wanted the treasure chests and they weren't with the ship or Pirate Island. So he would go look in the door of the toy closet...the floor in the closet under the stairs...what we call the toy closet...was a disaster area...no path to enter...all toys had been put up at various times but just shoved in the door. So I told him that when I finished typing in my recipes that I would help him look for the items that were missing so he could play pirates. And, that is where the title of tonight's blog comes from...I did venture into the closet...or course on my knees because it is under the stairs so only the smallest of the grandchildren can still stand in there. I pulled out various items and started putting toys together that belonged together and did manage to find most, if not all, of the pirate pieces and handed them to him...everything from pirates, to a pirate flag, to pirates, to treasure chests, to canons, etc., etc. When he got ready to go home, I helped him put all the pieces that belong to the pirate ship and pirate island back with those items...and put them along the wall in the living room so we can put them back nicely...eventually...once I have raked the rest of the stuff out! Only the brave should enter that space...and crawling around on knees isn't for Grammy's...except I know that the children will be happy once it is neat again. They play with the toys more when they can get to them and not have to step over a lot of "stuff" when they try to get something. When it is finished there will be a path...at least for a while! Isaac has such a good imagination...he had the best time playing pirates all by himself but was happy when Joy and Elijah joined him. They had quite a raucous time making pirates walk the plank, etc. "Aye, me hearties!" I "may" go work some more on finishing up the toy closet after I blog. I told myself that I would work on cleaning up different places in the house starting August 1...just hadn't planned on the toy closet being the first place I cleaned!