Paul and Amanda's Visit

Paul and his girlfriend, Amanda, came to visit a week or so ago. It was really fun to have them here. We played guitar hero – Paul mostly beat me so it was fun to watch Amanda beat him!! I need to practice up so I can win more than 2 or 3 out of 10.

Amanda helped me with the file folder games for the humanitarian project. We cut, colored and organized so that all folders had all their parts and they would be ready to be completed on our next Relief Society humanitarian project day, she was a lot of help..

Paul worked on getting points on the "Brown Noser Board" (I decided to call it that for lack of a better name). I keep a list of things on the cupboard door that I either can’t do myself or don’t want to do. The boys and sons in law come home to visit and do as many of those chores as possible – each one is worth 1-5 points depending on how time consuming or how desperately I want it done. They don’t win any thing except points and the satisfaction that they have done more for me then their siblings, which they know will make them my favorite child. They love the competition and I love that stuff gets done. We started a new chart in January – so far Johnathan has 8 points and Paul has 3. Of course they are they only ones that have come to visit so far – but posting this online should get them on the ball.

Happy Birthday to ME!

I had a very nice birthday today. First I went to the eye doctor and he said my face is sliding off, then Dr. Hill called to tell me the bump he removed from my cheek last week was cancer! After that, my day was a piece of cake. (lol) The tests came back on the lump and it was definately cancer. Nothing that will spread or cause other problems, but he does want to do another biopsy in a few weeks to make sure they didn't miss any thing. The eye doctor said my eyelids were definitely droopy enough for my insurance to pay for it (30% qualifies and mine are 60%) and that I also need a brow lift. Merilee says I should go for a complete remodle and have a chin lift and a tummy tuck. I told her I didn't think they cared how I "look" - but they might help me able to "look." We are trying to schedule that in Salt Lake at the same time as John's next VA appointment. Last week I got a crown put on a tooth ($749) – they couldn’t get the tooth numb so it hurt the whole time, sigh.

After all that everything was great. I went shopping for some new clothes - nothing fancy but I got to buy a size smaller!! Guess all that walking is helping!

I was so excited. I bought a new pair of jeans, size 10! I bought new shoes, 4 simple t-shirts and 2 blouses like the one in the picture – the other one is pink. I bought dinner so I didn’t have to cook (which I probably wouldn't have any way, but at least this way we got to eat.) lol Most of my kids have called to wish me happy birthday and I am sure the rest of them will call as soon as they read this!!

Now I am heading to the sewing room to put away the supplies I bought, spend a few minutes on the treadmill and maybe sew for a little bit.

A week of service

Monday - Got Pappy off to the VA dentist in Sheridan - he will come home through Billings and bring Paul home with him for the week, yay! I worked worked on the file folder games for one of our humanitarian projects - mostly laminating the folders and making sure I have glue, markers, scissors, and paper for them for our enrichment meeting tomorrow night. One of my respite clients was having a hard day at school so I picked him up for the afternoon. I spent an hour or so practicing the new chior piece on the piano.


Tuesday - The fabric arrived to make the backs for the quilts we are tying for a humanitarian project - I made backs for all four quilts. Took care of Merilee's kids while she was at school, made chicken and wild rice soup to take to enrichment meeting, loaded all the stuff in the car, unloaded it all at the church then reloaded it all when we were done. Nine people came to the meeting and we tied 2 of the 4 quilt tops I had sewn and got a lot of cutting and coloring done on the file folders. Brought all the stuff back home, unloaded it and put it all away. Practiced chior number


Wednesday - Today I put handles and velcro on 35 school bags (humanitarian project again) and took lunch to a sick friend and her family. Made a sample cot sheet for a day care in New Mexico - they want 100 of them!! Went to enrichment planning meeting. Practiced chior number.


Thursday - Finished up the other 30 school bags, folded and boxed them all. Respite client arrived at 3 and stayed until 10pm. Refilled prescriptions - argued with workers comp and doctors office (very time consuming and frustrating.) Practiced chior number.


Friday - Made more chicken and wild rice soup and took it to another sick friend; continued working on file folder games; another hard day for respite client - picked him up at 9:00. Practiced chior number, gave John a haircut, met with respite case worker.

I need to get the file folder games orgainized and ready for the next meeting instead of doing them all my self - (sometimes that is the fastest way to get things done) and do the binding on one of the quilts we tied - maybe tomorrow.


Tonight we are off to the Stake Valentines Dinner - and John is taking me!!! Paul and Amanda are going with us - should be fun.

Socks and Scissors

Last week when it was so busy around here, Merilee brought me two of my favorite things. She picked up 2 packages of socks and a cadbury egg for me just because. I love new socks, I ration them to use on days on know I will be on my feet all day; and cadbury eggs, YUM! What a sweetheart.

On our way home from Salt Lake we stopped in Billings to pick up some stuff from Nathan's and see if we could get Heather to laugh and squeal. Nathan had heard about Merilee's good deed; so not to be out done, he had a gift for me. He bought me 3 packages of socks and a whole box of whoppers!! What funnee kids. I love them all so much. I will have enough brand new socks to last me a couple of months, and you can bet I will think of those kids every time I put a new pair of sock on my feet (and every time I get on the scale too!)

So, with my new, cuddly socks on my nice warm feet, I got out another of my favorite things, SCISSORS. They are part of my Therapy. I will spend the evening with my feet up, in front of the TV, clipping this huge pile of bibs. Most of them need to be ready to send out when the check clears in a few days and the others will add to my stash of bibs ready to sell.

You can check out my bibs and other fun things I sell at my website

www.drycreekdesign.com

Superbowl and Time Out for Fun

The week of the super bowl April and Steve and their family visited - John White came up from California for a few days. Merilee and Eric spent some time here to so we had a full house. On Sunday, Steve put on a fun super bowl party.

Yummy Food with Football Theme Super Bowl Watchers

John White made some new friends,
Seth and Brenna

I took some time to play with the kids - we learned to build log cabins from Lincoln Logs

And bounced a ball up and down the stairs until we couldn't laugh any more!

But kisses and snuggles are what I like best.

Brenna Brandon

Trip to VA Hospital in Salt Lake

Wow, I just caught up on everyone's blogs. I haven't had access to a computer for 4 days and was having withdrawals, but all is well now.

We are at my mother's home in Idaho Falls, it is so good to get to visit with her. I put a link on her computer so she can read all your blogs, I hope she will do it once in a while. We got to see my brother Scott, he was nice enough to take me shopping. Tom Hamilton was in the hospital with some nasty rash so we had to visit him there. My brother Dan and his wife Pauline came over to mom's to visit and last night Ruth came. On the way home we stopped to see Kaycee in Bozeman and checked out his new house. It was sure nice to see everyone, don't have any pictures tho - left the camera on the charger at home.

The appointments at the VA went well but of course we won't have the results for any of the tests for at least a couple of weeks.

We had good roads and good weather up until now. Looks like it is snowing so we better get going.

My kind of day!

I slept in this morning, clear until 8:30!! Then I rushed down to get my hair done - it was really looking bad. (yikes, don't know why I am posting these, I hate pictures of myself.)

Before

After
I stopped at Merilee's and she made an awesome chicken sandwich for me. She bought a box with a real oyster in it for me on her cruise. I opened the oyster and there was a little pearl to put the necklace that came with it - very cute! I love it, thanks Merilee. She also gave me a cute little doo-dad for my knick knack shelf. I bought Merilee and April these shelves once when they were little because I loved them so much. They weren't really all that interested in them, so I took them back. I put all the little things I have collected over the years in them - but there are still lots of empty spots, so if you go some place exotic you can buy me a little something to help fill them up!!!

When I got home there were 3 huge boxes of new towels to make in to bibs sitting in the kitchen!! I had an order for 60 bibs - so straight to the sewing room I went. I sewed for a couple hours, then back up to check website sales (I had 2 more sales) and of course check everyone's blogs. Then back to the sewing room to finish the bibs. I got all the sewing done, then sat and trimmed and folded them while I watched TV and ate popcorn!!

Sigh, my kind of day.