IT'S PAINT DAY!

It has been far too long since I last wrote in here. A week ago Wed. I promised myself I would get to it at least every other day but as you can see I just didn't.

We are ushering at church the last half of the month and that means I bake, bake, bake and of course eat, eat, eat. I am putting on weight at an alarming rate and that will come to a screeching halt now that I am having surgery next Tue.

We had WELCA (my Mom called it Ladies Aid) last Wed. and I made a new recipe and have to get it to Mac. I think he will like it. Pineapple Pepper Chicken. They raved about it at church but they like almost anything that is in the food family. They are such a great bunch of people. We had at least 13 women and we finished our last lesson in our Heaven bible study series.

I had my pre-op physical last Tue., the same day as Alexis having her MRI. What a pair we are. I don't know what we would do without Skye, the only one of us girls with a whole body.
Since I am going to be in the bedroom for awhile after surgery I decided the last room in the house that needed painting was going to get it this week. We started last night, I have had the paint for two years. It's Forest Ridge. Kind of looks like the inside of a pine forest, all green and dark. I must have a thing about green and have alot of green in the house. Jim and I have to repaint the dining room and hall this spring but I don't dare tell him about it now. He worked so hard on it and as I grabbed the wrong can of paint, it's not the right color, just a little darker that I wanted but in haste I made a mistake, that's what I get for having so many shades of green in the house. It was a comedy and we laffed alot. I am doing the trim and Jim is rolling his little heart out. As he always says, "we make a pretty good team, don't we" and yes we do.
We ran out, used up a gallon already and have to run to Home Depot this morning and get another gallon.

We also have grocery shopping to do, but I want to get home to finish up the painting and maybe Jim and Leon, (our neighbor) can get the hospital bed from Gordy and June's and we plan on putting it in the bedroom next to our bed. What a crowded room that will be but it will be nice to have a hospital bed for my recovery. Jim mentioned how will it go with having him and the two dogs with me in our bed while I am recovering and I said let's get the hospital bed back from the neighbor. Good idea.

I am also excited about Grandma Lil's care. I have been working with Deerwood Home Care and they bumbed her up from 18 hours to 31 hours a week. I can have someone come in 5 days a week in the morning and get her washed up and going for the day. She loves playing "Go Fish" with Scarlett and Louana. Louana sure makes her laugh, and she makes incrediable mango salsa. I have tried but it fell short. Skip the corn and get more peppers in it I think.

Here it is Friday morning at 5:15, Jim and I have been up since 3:15, are we nuts or what. Grandma just peaked her head out and I am going to get her going so we can take off for Grand Rapids. Wonder if we will see any deer on the road. We have had up to 5 at our feeder at a time this winter. They have such cute little horns.

I should have Jeff hunt here, he would get a deer but shooting one at the feeder might take the sport out of it. Heck it's meat.

We are almost done with out case of meat we purchased from North Star Meats, now that was a mistake. Some of it was downright awful. We won't go outside our meat market again but we had to try it.

Can't wait to get the bedroom done.

Cleaning Day

Got up showered and out of the house to prayer group by 6:40. Wrote 5 notes, thank yous to Lynn Olmen and Skye, note to Nancy Swenson, Sharon Clark and I know there was someone else. You would think I could remember from 6am till now.

Had prayer group, full group today, I got home and vacuumed and shampooed living room, bedroom and hall. I can never get the taste of carpet cleaner out of my mouth for hours.

Jim has his laptop all set up at his desk now. Sure is a nice laptop.

I think we will have Chicken Kiev for dinner tonight.

Luana will come tomorrow and I have a date to meet Sheila for 9am coffee. Have alot of shopping to do, it seems the list grows overnight. I also have talked to the Deer River Healthcare center and we have got a tentative schedule worked out for Grandma.

I have a dentist appt tomorrow and I need to get my financial statement done for WELCA.

Bible Study Day

We have a new bible study thanks to Marcia Hodson. We are into our second chapter and have a new member of our group. Our group is Janet (using her house), Pete, Linda (our leader) myself and Audrey, a friend of Pete's. I am enjoying the series, "Overcoming Lonelines" by David Jeremiah. We have the cassettes by David Jeremiah so it makes the lessons really more meaningfull. Two of the group couldn't show up today but it sure was a good session with Linda - Janet and myself. I brought two of the cassettes home so Jim can listen to them with me, now just to get him to do it.

I talked to Alexis today and she has an MRI scheduled for a week from today. It's too bad we can't be in the same hospital since we are having the same kind of surgery. Oh joy. Oh rapture.

A DAY OF REST

Here is is Monday and I don't know if I have ever been so tired - what a wirl-wind weekend and come this morning all I could think about was taking a nap time sometime today. Went in and got the paper and Scarlett came at 9 - I talked to Cassandra, Leslie the person that does the scheduling left Deer River Health Care and Cindy isn't fully on board, after talking to them last Thursday they said we could get an additional 15 hours a week and since I am having surgery at the end of the month I would like to get things in motion.
Jim stayed in Cross Lake last night at Jerry Birdie's cabin, they went out fishing but didn't have lots of luck.
I did get in a wonderful nap and it lasted a long time. Talked to Ozzie, Heidi and Dot today. Jim got home and he went to his Doctor appointment today, he has water on the elbow and they drained it off. He has a budget meeting at church tonight.

CLASSMATES REUNION

Jim and I are still at Skye's. We started off yesterday by sneaking out early and going to Perkins. I love breakfast there, we don't have one in G.R., so its fun to visit one every 6 months or so. Went back to Skye's and she and I ran to Michael's , JoAnn Fabrics and picked up some hair stuff for me at Aerial. I selectecd some yarn for Erin's 2 scarves that I plan on making this week, got the perfect yarn for her gray coat but didn't see her black and white and red coat so I will have to just guess what that looks like.

Got back to Skye's and she did my hair. It sure turned out lovely. We shot off to Mac's so we could see little peanut again and what fun. Heidi showed up with my favorite potato/carrot soup and flowers for Mac and Laura. I know they appreciate food brought to them alot. I made them chile and pink rice krispie bars. Skye also dropped in to hold little Hope. She is soooooooooo beautiful.

Then off like a shot to the reunion. Lynn, Dot and Nancy were at Lynn's house when I arrived and we sat and ate and talked and had some rather good wine until 8:30 and Jim showed up and joined us until 9:30 or 10:30, I am not sure because I had over a bottle of wine myself. It sure was a fun time.

It's Jeff's birthday today, the young man is 37, my how the years fly by. On Sunday when we got up and we did get up early, we were on the road by 6:00 am. We met the Stumpf family in Little Falls at 8:15 am at Perkins. I don't think you can get too much of a good thing. It sure was fun to see them. I want to take the kids for Spring Break. I need to find out when it is. I wish I lived closer to Little Falls.

We got home on Sunday by 11:30 am and that afternoon I got to talk to Nancy and Dot. Sheila called me late in the day and we talked for at least one and a half hours. I made a date with her for coffee on Thursday. I sure didn't get much done after I got home.

Hope's Visit

Well I finally got signed back into my blog - I had locked myself out of my computer for almost a week but Skye's idea of backing up to a date I was last on the computer was great and wonderful Josh, Erin's betrothed got me back online.

This was the weekend we had set aside to see little Hope. Tears come to my eyes every time I held her - she is so beautiful and perfect. I saw her on Friday and will see her again today for a few hours. Mac and Laura are so full of love for each other and that perfect little girl.

I am spending the weekend with Skye, it's too too fun. We met Dick, a customer of her's at the Science Museum. He is an assistant curator and collections manager for biology at the museum. We must have spent 2-3 hours going throught the archives and what fun it was. What an opportunity for us and I hope we can do it again sometime. Her customers do love her. The jokes he told were funny - they even have a brain and it's named Ab Normal. Jim and I had quite a few laffs over that.

We went to Champ's and had dinner and a couple of beers, then off to her house where we met Heidi and Maggie, Erin and Josh and their new puppy Palmer. Everyone got a haircut and foils for the girls. I brought my new salsa but it was disappointing, better luck to me next time.

Well here it is Monday, today is the day I have to figure out why there is a string of lights out in my tree before I put it away. I will miss the warm glow from the colored lights. I have it up two months and you would think that would be enough. It's not.

I can't help but wonder what Mac is doing at this moment. I remember this time of the day well when we brought the kids home from the hospital. The holding and bonding with them in the middle of the night. The little darlings have to be fed and changed so often when they are so little.

Grandma had a wonderful day yesterday - David and Richard both called, I am sure she talked to Joy at some time. Her brother Robert called, at least I think it was Robert, it may have been Louie, Grandma couldn't remember who, and her neice Donna called. Her neice Bonnie popped in, that was special, she brought her a favorite soup, chicken wild rice soup and the book Marley and Me. Scarlett will have fun reading it. The phone sure was ringing. It was such fun for her and in church we included her and Mac and Laura and little Hope in the congreations prayers of thanksgiving.

I had a dentist appointment today but this is the second time they have had to cancel it. Living up in Remer can have it drawbacks. The weather controls our appointments sometimes.
We go to Grand Rapids today and Scarlett, Grandma's respite care aid comes today to spend 6 hours with her. Will be fun for Grandma to keep the celebration going.

We go to Grand Rapids Grocery shopping. We did something really dumb last fall, Two men in a truck showed up selling cases of steaks ect., they said the beef was from Pipestone and wonderful. Well its tolerable, not wonderful, our meat market is wonderful. We had to learn the lesson, I more or less insisted we at least try it.

I almost have Susie Q' scarf done. Will have to get it off in the mail today and start on one for Deborah. I do have fun with my scarf making.

Wish I was holding little Hope in my arms today. Don't get much chance to hold a new baby anymore.

I can't believe that I completely missed Sat the 3rd, Jan 3rd is the day my Mom was born, she would hav been 93 yesterday. She only made it to 81. Wished it would have been longer. Grandma (Jim's Mom) is 97 today. Can hardly believe someone can get to be that old. On the news yesterday the oldest person, he was 115, died in Portugal. Heck, she may outlive me the way things are going. She has been living with us going on 8 years now.

It snowed all day yesterday, I loved every minute of it. I made Krumkake with the iron I purchased last year. I will have to take my manual iron to Skyes house to use. She has a gas stove. The krumkake on the gas stove is much thiner. They just are better even though the recipe is the same.

Here it is Sunay, blowing like crazy, I imagine we will be able to make church. We are on the main highway and if Jim can get us blown out. He is waiting for a part for the blower. Always something breaking.

I also recv in the mail yesterday a check for 3 scarves. I was so surprised. What a treat. It justified some of they yarn I buy. I love making scarves. Have some yet to send out.
I now make it my scarf ministry since I have quit the Craft store on Dec 13th. I know I have sold at least 15 scarves or more for our craft sale for the church. One lady alone gave me a check for $100 for some special order scarves I made for her. Having fun.

I need to wash the floors. Later.

Here I am on my second day of blogging. Putting away the Christmas stuff is an ongoing process, thats for sure. Doing this blog stuff is an ongoing process and I have to figure out how to edit, so far no go. So much to learn and sometimes I feel like my head is made of cotton. I love the computer and want to use it to its fullest exent but if it doesn't have anything to do with ChartHouse and selling videos I seem to be at a loss.
It is Saturday, Jim gets sworn in as the Treasurer for Lima Township today. It's a paid position so that money will pay for high speed internet connection. Yipee Skipee.
He just has to select a server. So many decisions. Later.

PJ's PINES

It's the first posting on my blog. I wanted a way to keep a diary so all they kids could check out what we are doing and when.
Isn't the first of the year a perfect time to start.

The best news of the year of course is the birth of little Hope. She came into our lives unexpectedly early 2 days ago. She is 7#, 20 1/2 inches long and so beautiful it breaks your heart. I can't wait to hold her. All they other grandparents have so she is well on her way in the love department.

We celebrated our 23 years of married life together yesterday. Everyday with Jim is a special day. We are blessed and very very lucky.

Since it is only 6:45 am, not much news yet.