Last Friday/Day in February

Woody got home a little after 7:30am after spending the night at the sleep clinic here in town and after his 25th radiation treatment. He went straight from the sleep clinic to his radiation treatment. He will find out in a week and a half the results of his sleep clinic. Last week I asked to be put on a list to have my sewing machine and serger serviced. I got a call this morning that they could take the machines this morning...so I headed there after Woody got the machines loaded into the car. Late morning I got a call from the neighbors (Nathan and family) that they had a VHS tape that they thought that I would like to see. It was when Alex (now 16) was a year old and Erin (now 20) was five...ahhhhhhhh memories! I look back on the rest of the day I'm not really sure what I have done...I did cook supper and then took on the task of the next cabinet...where we store our canned goods. I pulled everything off the two deep shelves and then proceeded to put items back in some semblance of order. I did this cabinet as I was wondering if we had something under there when I was making our grocery list and decided that it was a good time to organize it. I also made a list of what is in that cabinet and on which shelf in my iPad...I'm sure that organization will fly out the window after the next grocery store visit (tomorrow) and the new just gets shoved onto the shelves! But maybe I can keep on top of what is in there for at least a short time! Oh, and what I was looking for we didn't have. At least I will know what is in there for making this grocery list! I just finished getting everything back in it...looks good for the moment. So another clean cabinet! I am sort of in the mood to do some cross stitching so I had Nathan move one of my Dazor magnifying lamps into our bedroom next to "my" recliner. So now I have one there and one in the sewing room. Woody walked this afternoon. He has also gotten underway with the gargantuan chore of putting the Christmas decoration boxes back into the Christmas closet. He's doing it slowly but surely! Well, when next we meet, it shall be March...oh, my! Will it come in like a lion or a lamb?

Look Who's Twelve!

We've been next door celebrating Graham's 12th birthday. My time does fly. It just seems like yesterday when his daddy called me up shortly after he was born so I could hear him cry! We ate dinner next door. Graham cooked us his favorite meal...veggie burritos. After we ate, he opened presents and then we had cake (that Graham sisters had a hand in making) and ice cream. This year his cake once again had broccoli on it...this time it was a forest scene complete with deer. Graham said that the black candles were burned trees! After cake and ice cream, Graham headed off to build his new Lego kit that his Auntie Cheryl (my sister) gave him. This morning Woody headed out before 7am for his 24th radiation treatment. It was about 16 degrees when he headed out. Brrrrrr! I'm glad that I didn't have to go anywhere! I had school time with Elijah, Isaac, Graham, Abigail and Esther. Esther finished cross stitching a rainbow. She was very pleased and she has a right to be pleased. She did a great job! This afternoon Woody took a walk. I went next door to watch four of the seven as they had overlapping appointments. When Woody got home from his walk he came over and Abigail and I came back to our house. Abigail was checking out how to make different braided hair styles and I cleaned out a kitchen cabinet (a long overdue project)...now to find time to do the rest of them...at least it is a start! And, now I will finish the blog with a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY wish to Graham!

Spring Harbingers...Really?

I'm afraid that these little Dutch iris are in for a rude awakening and will wish that they hadn't popped their little heads through the mulch yesterday! We are headed down into the teens tonight. Brrrrrr. Woody had a really early appointment (7am) for his 23 radiation treatment. Even though he went in early it took longer than usual...since he was to see the doctor and the doctor doesn't arrive that early. Woody hadn't realized that he would see the doctor today. I had school this morning with Isaac, Elijah, Graham, Abigail and Joy and then worked in the church library this afternoon. I have been attempting to blog for an hour now...and am going to post quickly before this post disappears! My patience has run out!

Busy Tuesday

Woody had his 22nd radiation treatment this morning. I had school this morning. Today was art day...I think that I got more paint on me than the children did! Elijah and I finished up a K'nex model that we started yesterday and then he read a Bob Book to Goosey. I had Isaac's lessons downstairs as I had the art room already set up. After art, Abigail and I had her long time of Grammy school. Today she used her fashion sketch pad that we gave her for Christmas. She sketched a dress using the templates, etc. Then we checked out how to make several kinds of braids using the internet...after all a fashion designer has to choose hair styles too! After lunch I headed off to get my hair cut and Woody headed out for his afternoon walk. I ran two errands on my way home. When I got home, I found Elijah and Goosey in the family room. Elijah was sound asleep! Joy came over and read to me out of her school reader. Then I got busy making our supper...good old fashioned potato soup. I am still in the midst of cleaning up the kitchen. I took a break to come up and blog. Graham is doing math at our kitchen table while the rest of his family is away for a while. All I can say is that I am about done in and ready for the day to draw to a close! I have a load of clothes to pull out of the drier and then finish up loading the dishwasher and then I am through for the evening...the recliner and a good book is calling me!

Respite Over

Woody's radiation respite ended today. He went back for his 21st treatment late this morning. Today's and the next five radiation treatments are being aimed at a smaller area at a slightly higher intensity. I guess if all goes as planned he will be through with radiation next Monday...that will be treatment 26 (if I have counted correctly). I had school with Isaac and Elijah. Before their session was over Esther rode her new bike over and joined us in the school room. They all three enjoyed working with the Montessori equipment. Esther read from her school reader after that. Then Joy came over and read from her reader. Graham came over and did some research on metal detectors. Then he read to me from the current book that he is reading...one of the books from the Chronicles of Narnia series. After lunch I had to get in the right mind-set to visit the dentist. I have been having some tooth pain and decided that I had better go get it seen and find out the "bad" news as to what needed to be done. Well, it looks like there is a root canal in my near future...trying to block that out of my mind at the moment! And, the tooth has quit hurting so perhaps I can totally forget about it till that appointment. As I left for the dentist, Woody headed next door to take care of six of the seven children as Kathy and Nathan had an appointment. Later in the afternoon Elijah came over wondering when the K'nex could come out again. So I brought the set that he works with back into the living room. Later Esther and then Joy joined him and at the moment there is once again a "K'nex explosion" in my living room...from Christmas decorations to K'nex decorations! I made Mediterranean Tuna Salad for our supper. I think that it is supposed to be getting cold once again...so guess we'll be wanting soup once again...I'm ready for Spring temperatures to come and stay for a while! But we have been enjoying the bit warmer temperatures when they show up even for a short time!

One Month Old!

It doesn't seem possible that little Joseph is already one month old. Time does fly. I went over this evening to get a few pictures of him at one month. I got quite a few of him by himself, but I liked the ones that I took of him with three of his siblings best! They do love their baby brother! Woody made his Saturday to the library and also ran an errand. He walked a "long four" miles. It has been a very pretty day. It was great to hear the grandchildren playing outside today. They sounded like they were having a great time. I know that they look forward to more spring-like days. I think that next week it is supposed to get cold again. But I'm sure that there will be more and more warm days and soon we will be wishing for cooler temps! But today was one of thise perfect days and the kids took advantage of it. Elijah decided that he needed to learn how to climb a tree. His daddy had to get him down three times. On the third time Nathan asked him why he was climbing the tree when he couldn't get down. Elijah told him that he was learning how to CLIMB trees today and that he would learn how to GET DOWN another day! I have spent a good part of the day working on my iPad. I feel the need of transferring my list of books that I have read. It is now housed on our original computer and I know that one day we won't be able to access them when that computer decides to quit working. I don't want my book list trapped inside when it does! So I have been trying to figure out where I wanted to continue my list. And, today I found an app that works like the spread sheet that I am used to and that I have my book list on now. So I started a new book list on my iPad today. First I typed in the books that I hadn't put on the old computer yet and then I decided that I would gradually type in the rest of the list. Well, I am at 301 entries and I just began the "C's!" This will be an effort that will take a while. I'm sure that I will work on it for a while and then set it aside. I do have the list printed out on paper so I'm not relying only on computer or iPad...in case they disappear into cyberspace! As I have typed in titles of books, I have thought back to when I read them...some titles brought back instant memories of reading them and some titles don't even ring a bell! Maybe if I saw the covers, my memory would be jogged!?!

Treasure Hunters

I took these photos out our back sunroom windows...so not the sharpest of photos as the children were walking toward me and didn't know that I was snapping pictures of them...but I think that you get the idea. Graham's birthday is next week and Goosey (Woody) thought that he would enjoy a metal detector. Goosey talked Graham into opening up our gift early...wasn't all that hard to talk him into it! I think that the real reason that Goosey wanted to give it to him early was so he wouldn't have to wrap that big box! Once Graham got it all put together, a bunch of them headed to the "back forty," our term for the lot behind our house that Nathan and Kathy own, to look for buried treasures. Once they got finished with school today several of them were back out seeking treasure again. Woody has hidden a coin or two somewhere on our properties and they have still to find where the hiding place/s might be! They want a hint! But Goosey says that they don't need a hint since they have a metal detector. I woke up way too early this morning. I read for a while before finally talking myself into getting up. I have felt lazy all day. I did manage to machine embroider a cute design on a little onsie for little Joseph. And,I made cornbread this evening to go with the soup I made yesterday. Woody completed our IRS tax forms today and walked to the Post Office to mail them. Right now he is next door watching two or maybe more of the neighbor grandchildren. Isaac wanted "Honk Honk" to come over and play with play dough with him! Because Goosey honks (like a Goose) at the children several of them have called him "Honk, Honk" before they eventually dub him "Goosey." Kathy needed to "deliver" Graham to the church for a youth event and then she needed to run an errand.