A Season for Everything

It's that time again here...the hummingbirds are back, I have a few flowers in pots (just waiting for the deer to prune them off), and the Spring grass and trees are blooming. We have a few random wild flowers popping up. I have one flower bed, where we are trying to decide if the small green plants are weeds or flowers. Ron thinks they are sun flowers and I think they are weeds :) (We did have some sun flowers there last year that went to seed. I decided that if the deer eat them soon, they are flowers...if not, they are weeds).

Flowers or Weeds???

As for me...well I am in a strange season of life. For thirty-some years we went in high gear to keep up with 5 kids and all of their activities. Then for a few more years, I spent almost every day at The Silver Hanger. Yah know...one of those run-your-own-business-things, that consumes you 24/7 :) Since moving here, I have had to adjust to a much slower pace. Ron seems fine with that, in fact he worked super hard all those years and deserves a break. Up until the past couple of years, I never took anytime for myself to exercise and stay fit. That is one of the new things that is happening. Actually, I realized that part of my adjustment was overcoming a feeling of being selfish when spending some time on myself. I have been telling Ron that my 2.5 mile walks are my AA- Attitude Adjustment :)  I have had several little "hints" over the past few months that NOW is my time to get myself physically and spiritually fit. I changed my diet and started walking again. Ron and I are reading Isaiah together and I am reading the New Testament. Another adjustment for me is not having a very fixed schedule. I seem to bounce around from one thing to the next, with whatever seems to percolate to the top of the priority list. Sometimes it's mom's stuff, sometimes Ron's stuff, sometimes other stuff, and sometimes my stuff. (And of course housekeeping sifted in everywhere.) I have learned how to shop on the Internet and let UPS use their gas to deliver. I have learned how to grocery shop once a week and make less trips to town. Don't get me wrong, I can still claim that "Life is Good"...just different than what I was used to.  Just a new season... and probably the calm before the storm. (A storm is coming, we just don't know exactly when and what kind it will be.)
But for now...it's Spring time in Texas :) 

Some GREEN

Happy St. Patricks Day.

 A dab of green inside the house. 

But my real accomplishment for today was a dab of green outside the house. Weeds...that is :)

I didn't get a huge amount done, but I stayed out there long enough to get my gloves wet, my shoes muddy, and get ant bites on my ankles ;) 

The reason I didn't get more done today, was because mom and I spent all morning, trying to go to an appointment for a CT scan. Only to arrive there and find out that the insurance had not given an authorization for the procedure. They have only had since the end of January to get that done. It's complicated! And there were many other assorted problems, including them having the wrong phone number for mom. (They claimed that they left messages telling us to reschedule the appointment. Those weren't on mom's phone, but I guess, on someone else's phone).

Now we are trying to get that authorized and rescheduled for this week, so we can keep the appointment for next week with the cancer doctor. (He needs to see the results of the CT scan)

Last week she had a brain MRI done and an appointment with the radiation doctor. The three previous spots were gone, but there was a new, small spot. We decided to just "watch" that and come back for another MRI in May. 

We have ladies from a company called "Home In Stead" coming in 4 days a week to help here at home. Even though mom is moving about better than when she was in the care center- it is nice to have help with her laundry, her bedroom/bathroom, some of her food prep, bathing, getting dressed and exercise. She has a new lift chair and an all electric bed. I also ordered a second wheel chair, that has not arrived yet. That way we can have a chair inside the house and also one that stays in the car. (Right now the wheels on the one chair have to be cleaned before coming back into the house- especially on the carpet in her bedroom.) Mom has mostly been using her walker when we have gone to appointments- the only "hazard" with that is when she sits down in a regular chair and then can't get back up ;) I think she is glad to be back home, though. I know that the food is better here- lol.

Eli is FOUR

Sunday evening, we had a little birthday party for Eli. Nothing very exciting, but at least a few balloons and cake and presents. He was sooo funny...when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted, he said, "strawberry with icing and sprinkles." I though, okay, I can do that. Not exactly the flavor I was expecting. Then for Saturday and Sunday, he kept talking about "strawberry cake" for his birthday. As it turned out he was disappointed in the pink cake. I guess he only wanted a "pretend" strawberry cake and not the "real" thing. Go figure! :)

I thought I did pretty good on this strawberry cake, with icing, and sprinkles, and monsters.

But I guess not...

He got away with having a cup of yogurt for dinner and ice cream for dessert- hehe

Happy February Birthdays

On Valentines day, Sam brought the boys to our house. Ron took them to Subway for lunch while I had the "ladies lunch" at the house. The boys spent the night and went to church with us on Sunday. Sam and Audrey got to enjoy an actual "date" on Saturday evening. Sunday evening Sam, Audrey, mom, and the elders came for dinner. It was also an UNexciting birthday party for Ron and Audrey :) I didn't get very good pics. either :(

Let Go...My Lego...Valentines

I found a cute idea, on Pinterest, for Valentines for the grand kids, that I couldn't resist. With all of those boys that love Legos, I thought it was perfect. Not that any of them need any more Legos ;)
They each got a lego heart, a Valentine card, and Hersheys heart Valentine. (The little heart valentines are what we gave out to the primary kids at church. I just made extras for the grandkids too.) I didn't get my "inspiration" for the idea and then my "perspiration" for getting them done in time for them to arrive on Valentines day, but they arrived at each destination this week. Alison said, "That didn't matter, the kids LOVE getting packages no matter what day it is." I also posted "a bunch" of Lego ideas on the cousins blog.

 Here are a few of my Valentine decorations.

On Valentines Day, I invited some ladies from church, who live here in Bandera to come to lunch.

It was a good time to get to know each other better and also accomplish some visiting teaching. 

Ron gave me a great Valentine gift- no candy, or bouquet, or card- but a weeded and mulched flower bed and some out door flowers. (Deer food- lol) Best Valentine gift ever.

These were the Valentines for the ladies from church.

My HaPpY Purchase This Month

Sometimes, it takes very little to make me happy. Like finding these two rugs for my bathroom, that I love. The good thing about having a very neutral home decor, is that it lets me add whatever other colors I desire. Then when I get tired of those, I can get something else. So...here is my HaPpY purchase for February.

STUFF

Often, Ron and mom both ask me, "What did you do today?" Usually, I have to reply, "I did stuff." :)
My life seems to bounce around like a pin ball machine. Maybe that is why I am feeling like I never really accomplish anything- ha. Here are a few of the items on my "stuff list"- The Silver Hanger, Primary, Honey&Lace, Class Reunion, Mom's stuff, Ron's stuff, House Cleaning/Laundry, Yard Work, Exercise, Visiting Teaching, The Storage Room, Sewing Projects, Cooking/Grocery Shopping...and I just added a new item called Thrive Foods (as if I needed anything else- hehe). Usually what determines my schedule for any given day is whatever item has percolated to the top of the list and is in need of immediate attention. I am still trying to figure out exactly what happened here :) At least no bonbons and TV for me. Besides, chocolate is no longer in my diet!