Hark! Back! #10

 March 29, 2008

Aisles of Life

Today I captured this moment in time.

My other baby brother walking his baby daughter down the aisle.  One final walk, just the two of them, into the church and in fifteen minutes their lives are both changed.  The Bride to a new life with her Groom.  My other baby brother and his wife to an empty nest...they are all alone after twenty eight years.

I remember when Far Guy and I became empty nesters. It had its perks...the telephone is always for you and you can watch whatever you want on TV.  But it is still a change and a BIG one...

I think of all the Momma birds and how they nurture and care for their baby birds.  Then when they know the time is right they kick them out of the nest with a fly or die attitude.  They did their job in a matter of weeks.  We as parents take our jobs seriously also, it just takes years...

It was a lovely wedding.  My other baby brother looked quite handsome in his "Monkey Suit"  The Bride was beautiful and smiling, she was fairly nervous but excited to walk down the aisle and begin her new married life.

Our Grandchildren were in attendance and two of them were intrigued.  They wanted to see "The Kiss" I allowed them to stand up on the back of the pew for a better view...Adam said "Ewww, I am never doing that!" Madison said "Do you have to kiss?  I don't think my Mom ever kissed my Dad."

Oh the aisles of life these little ones have yet to walk:)

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Good memory of the day Megan married Frank..they now have four children and are still happily married. 

Madison (Maddie) was about 10 years old and she is now happily married with four children of her own.

Adam was 6 years old and he will be getting married this Fall. 

3

 This spunky little gal is 3!  Hard to believe as she is growing up so fast. 

Here she is with her Mom...she looks a lot like her Mom.

Here she is hiding behind her drink cup with Uncle Andy:) This photo was taken one day before her birthday!  She had a pizza party in the evening but we missed that part...still good to see her! Andy made her breakfast...a dipping egg, bacon and toast and of course chocolate milk and she ordered pepperoni pizza for the evening.

Her person is Auntie Jen but she adores Andy also...he can hold her little feet in his hands and she straightens up to touch the ceiling...again and again...fun stuff!

Happy Birthday Peach!  We love you!

Great Grandma

Minnesota Weather Friday: Rain and a bit of hail.  High 63 F or 17C  Low 47F or 8C.

What's cooking: A chicken hotdish...shredded baked chicken breasts, stovetop stuffing, cream of chicken soup, some sour cream and a bit of chicken broth. Yummy!

A Graduate

 Cee Cee graduated from Kindergarten and will be a First Grader when school starts in the Fall.

Here she is with her Mom! Those smiles are great! Way to go Cee Cee!

Far Side

28 and a robin

 We had a couple of Robins in our yard on Wednesday.  Far Guy was calling for them.  I saw them but did not have my camera. 

Yesterday I saw them and my camera was handy. 

One on the left and one hiding in the shadows.

On our way to town the willows are showing their first yellow hue. 

I picked up the grocery order from Wally World and then went to the other grocery store in town for things that were not available while Far Guy had his weekly infusion. 

Supper: Ham, turkey and cheese on flat bread..our version of a sub:)

Minnesota weather:  The car said it was 74F on our way home.  High 79F or 26C  Low was 32F or 0C.

Happy 28th Birthday to our Granddaughter Maddie!  Love you lots!

Maddie in Costa Rica...photo by Jen! 

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Saturday

 Our snow is going nowhere for awhile.  Headed into the deep freeze with below zero temperatures for Sunday and Monday.  We are escaping the Blizzard that is happening in Central and Southern Minnesota.  Andy spent a good part of the morning snowblowing and shoveling.

Remember that old commercial... Calgon take me away? 

Jen and Maddie sent photos of their Costa Rica vacation!

Minnesota weather: High 25F or -4C  Low was -2F or -19C eh! 

We received sad news from my sister. Her Father in law (Dean's Dad) died on Saturday morning...just three weeks after his son Dean died.  Double heartache for the family. Dean had been caring for his Dad who was on hospice. 

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The Grands

 Getting all the young adults together is hard, last Sunday worked for most of us to gather.  Adam drove from Western North Dakota...Adam's fiancee Courtney had to work or she would have been here too.

Here they are oldest to youngest!  They brighten up our lives!  We played games and had a White Elephant gift exchange....and an incredible meal that Andy cooked.  Prime rib, twice baked potatoes, carrots, parsnips, popovers and snickers salad and then all kind of Christmas goodies. 

It was so quiet in the house after everyone left. 

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Making goodies

 Sunday was baking/creating day.  Maddie came over with the Greats.

Maddie made peanut butter blossoms, a chocolate chip/Reeses cookie and then Bugles with some almond bark and a M &M...I think it was supposed to look like a Grinch hat:)  

Andy made truffles, pretzels with a Hersheys kiss and an M&M...one night last week we did the pretzels with a Rolo candy and a pecan on top. 

I got to feed Baby K.  She got really mad at me when her bottle was done...her mood goes from okay to screaming crisis mode just like that.  No whining or fussing...just screaming!

She is very focused on her Mother's voice and her siblings make her giggle.   She had a bubble bath and afterwards I clipped her fingernails while she was asleep!

I can report that Maddie put an undershirt on the child!!

It was a chilly day.  High was 6F or -14C low was 3F or -16C 

Supper was a bacon cheeseburger, french fries and a chocolate shake...Andy is one heck of a cook!

Happy 46th Anniversary to my other baby brother and she who sees robins first!  

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Greats and a Grand

Granddaughter Maddie and her husband Brenton visited us on Wednesday night, we had pizza as all the kids love pizza! Pizza and pickles a perfect meal for the kiddos!

 Hey Mikey and Cee Cee watching TV after supper

Baby K  who looks so much like her Daddy!

Hey Mikey

Peach...I gave her an old pair of dollar store reading glasses with the lenses taken out...she likes my readers so much.  

Maddie and her children. She is a busy Mom!

We are blessed to be able to see them often! 

Far Side

 

Biopsies

 Plural...yes more than one. 

Far Guy had to go to surgery on Monday to do a biopsy on the glands in his neck.   He did fine and preliminary results are good, next week the complete biopsy report should be back.  Our hope is that everything is benign.  He has a very sore throat from all the tubes and scopes they put down his throat. He also has a wound on his arm where the Charge Nurse who was called in to do his IV ...put such awful tape to secure his IV that when it was pulled off it took off his skin so now he has a very sore wound too.  I would show you a photo but it is awful looking. 

We both got to visit with Grandson Noah and I got to see Granddaughter Maddie while Far Guy was in surgery.  Jen made a wonderful meal for us on Monday night...pulled pork, eggs and potatoes topped with cheese.

Tuesday on the way home we both saw our Dermatologist.  Far Guy got the all clear and I had two biopsies; one on my forehead and one on my arm the results take about ten days. I also had two other spots taken care of one on my chin and one on my ear...cauterized and frozen for those.  

We are back home in the woods again.

We miss this dog.

She got a good amount of attention from us while we were there. 

Today is our day off.  Then Thursday and Friday three more appointments locally.  Far Guy says he is tired of Doctors. 

Minnesota weather: High 74F or 24C Low was 50F or 10C they say it was real foggy in the morning...however I did not get up that early on Tuesday. Nice Fall weather and some of the trees are showing some color especially the Fall Gold Ash trees and the Maples.

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Sadie and cooking with Maddie

 Sadie loves the pool. She has her own dock that she can use to get out of the pool.  Lately she is being difficult bringing back the pool ring.  She retrieves it just fine but then will not give it up and takes it way on the other side of the pool and drops it…we will get her figured out soon.

Maybe we just need a bucket of toys! 

Maddie and Baby K were over, Baby K slept the entire time. 

We made scalloped potatoes with ham. Maddie likes to learn how to make different foods for her growing family. We made the rue with equal parts butter and flour (1/4 cup each) stirred and stirred some more then add 3 1/2 cups of milk and stirred some more until almost boiling then poured over sliced red potatoes and ham sliced up in bite size pieces. Bake for about an hour and fifteen minutes at 350 degrees F. I have an oval blue and white speckled enamel pan that I like to use for many things I put in the oven. I like to add some Parmesan Cheese before serving. ( If you make the rue with rice flour it is a gluten free dish)

Noah stopped by after work to check on the elderly. 

Happy first day of July!

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Lilac

 The Japanese Tree Lilac is blooming at the house next door it is a beauty!

I wonder if mine is blooming at home. Some years it blooms and some years it does not.

I had a busy day Friday entertaining Baby K who her Mom calls Bean, and showing Maddie how to make potato salad. 

Far Guy did some woodcarving.  This years Christmas Ornament has been decided.

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Day by day

 One day after another.  My pain is less now that I am taking some muscle relaxers. I walk many times a day. Yesterday’s goal was to get dressed…as the day before I just wanted to be in a nightgown all day.

I am writing on Tuesday night, Sadie goes to daycare on Tuesdays to romp with her friends all day. Supper was Mexican. Maddie and baby K visited in the afternoon. I got to feed baby K a bottle but she does not burp easily …so Jen took over. Baby K is tongue tied so she is having a procedure soon…poor little gal.

Far Guy and I had a quiet day tending to some phone calls etc and I crocheted a bit. 

Today (Wednesday) Far Guy has a scan in the afternoon..a Pet Scan but no real dogs or cats are allowed.  The results will not be known until late Thursday afternoon.

My new crochet project it is called Apache Tears…each row is a different color..a good way to use up yarn!

Far Side

Red

 I made the 50 rows on my Hush Mosaic Project in a week..the rows are 160 stitches long.  That is many stitches in a week.  I put the stitch marker in place again. I have five new rows. 

I am not sure if it needs 50 more rows this week...I keep holding it up..it still needs more. I will see how the week goes.  Then I need at least a week to do the envelope border to enclose all those ends.  Progress is slow but sure.  I am using a size 4 mm crochet hook and Stylecraft Special DK. 

We had  vibrant visitor.

My best photo through the window...a male Scarlet Tanager. 

Yesterday I mowed the front yard, cleaned one bathroom, scrubbed some floors and did some laundry. 

Supper was pulled pork, jambalya, green beans and a biscuit. 

Minnesota Weather: The wind was cold. ( I should have dressed warmer when I mowed and wore gloves.) The high was 50 F or 10 C and the low was 36 F or 3 C. 

Highlight of the day: The mailman brought a couple of deliveries...new projects,  a morning nap and our June great grand baby just may be a May great grand baby.  Prayers for Maddie and baby. 

Far Side

Trolls

 Jen took Maddie, Hey Mikey and Cee Cee on an adventure! 

In a nearby town there is International Recycling Art by Thomas Dambo.  There is a treasure hunt and a map to find all the trolls.   It is a wonderful way to get out and hike to different areas and see something different. 

Maddie and Jen sent some photos! 

It was a great adventure, the great grandkids didn't think the Trolls would be so big!  

Yesterday was very warm again  91 F or 33 C and gale force winds all day.   I did some things in the morning but napped and crocheted the afternoon away inside in the AC. 

Supper was BLT's and peaches. 

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27

 Our second to the oldest Grand Maddie is 27 years old today! 

Here she is and yes our fourth Great is due in June.  We are excited to meet him/her!  That is Cee Cee in the bottom of the photo. 

Happy Birthday Maddie, may your year be filled with happiness!  Love you!!

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Maddie is a baker

 Maddie conquered the sour dough bread!  She named her sour dough starter Clint Yeastwood :)

Grandpa got the first loaf! 

It turned out great and was very tasty!

You can see my gluten free starter in the background...I mixed up my dough...it might make a pancake or a crepe...it is resting and then goes in the fridge overnight.  It may never be bread. Time will tell.

Maddie was very excited that she actually did it!  She is a sour dough baker now!!  

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I love you

 The Grands each wrote I love you on a piece of paper and Jen laser cut the words out.  Each one a bit different! 

There was some discussion about the style of Noahs hair making him taller this year than his brother! 

These five light up our lives!  It was fun to spend some time with them, play some games and hear them laugh together and tell stories about each other. 

We love them too!

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Grand Girls

 The Grand Girls were here on Thanksgiving morning before taking off for their Thanksgiving dinner. 

Our Grandsons ...Noah worked a late shift and Adam lives too far away...but we will see them at Christmas!  Hopefully all five will be there then! 

I got to see Paige's beautiful rings. 

Paige reports that married life is great and she and Cole had a wonderful Honeymoon minus the fact that Cole was bitten by a raccoon and had to have the series of rabies shots. 

Savannah is working hard at her lash business and says that a tattoo artist has moved into the space next to hers and she wants a new tattoo.  I asked about boyfriends...but she says she is taking a break in dating.  However there is someone she is talking to.

Maddie has the three GREATs and she enjoys her job.  Life is busy for her and for her husband Brenton. 

It was wonderful to see them all, the house was quiet after they left.

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Grands and Greats

 Our youngest Great Granddaughter, Peach is flanked by two very handsome young men.  They almost look like security guards!  

The handsome young men are our two favorite Grandsons; Adam and Noah. Adam and Noah's parents are our youngest daughter Jen and her husband Andy.

Where is the littlest piggy tailed Peach heading?  She had been at the motel with her siblings and her Dad and a family friend who helped with their care...because their Mom was busy being a Matron of Honor.  

Where ever is she headed?  She had quite an entourage....all people who love her; Adam, Noah, Jen, Hey Mikey and Andy with Cee Cee.

Peach had activated her Mom radar!

And then they were photo bombed!

But you get the idea.

Maddie and Peach.   Maddie is our oldest daughter Trica and her ex husband Richard's middle daughter  (they were divorced after being married for 24 years)...and Peach belongs to Maddie and Brenton. 

The wedding was beautiful.  I will share more photos as the days go on.  I will wait until Paige posts some photos on facebook to show you what a beautiful bride she was.  I had to get what photos I could and not agitate the professional photographers.

We are safely back at home. 

Far Side

Andy and Jen, Little Elvis, Sadie

 Far Guy had Doctors appointments Up North so we left right after his Infusion on Thursday and came back late Friday afternoon.   He is doing okay.

Guess who else was happy to see us?

Little Elvis had a sleep over with us in our room.  He had a small problem last week, he caught a toe nail on something and it bled something fierce...and he traveled throughout the house ...no doubt looking for help...poor boy.  Jen asked me if I wanted to take him home...I would like to but I don't think he would be happy here.  He doesn't hear anything, hand signals work the best with him...and I am not sure how much he can see.  

AND then there is the retriever...

She was so happy to finally get my shoe.  Her tail was wagging ninety miles an hour.  She enjoys being a shoe thief!

She wasn't the least bit remorseful.  However she did give up my shoe...eventually...but would not retrieve the other one.   Sadie is quite the dog, Thursday evening she went from person to person for attention.  Her own personal round table of attention.  She has been shutting herself in the bathroom...she goes in there to drink out of the toilet bowl...yes dogs do that!  I am sure her big old tail hits the door and the door partially closes behind her...she isn't brave enough to nose the door open...so we worked on that a bit...with me standing outside the door saying "Sadie nose" and offering a treat through the open part of the door...she nosed it open multiple times.  Will she remember...not sure.  When she shuts herself in the bathroom she doesn't bark or whine she just waits patiently until someone rescues her.  Thats Sadie for you!

Did you know our son in law Andy is a marvelous cook? ...well he is...he made bacon cheeseburgers on the grill,  potato rounds in the air fryer and a caprese salad.  I miss his cooking and I miss the days off from cooking when he cooks! 

Jen is a good cook also...but she does not enjoy cooking like Andy does.  She is a marvelous baker! So they make a good team.

It was good to see everyone...we also got to see Adam,  Maddie and Andy's Mom!

Far Side