I would rather have cold than hot! Got my wish!!!!

Yup I got my wish it's 16 degrees outside. But I have a new winter coat, mittens, boots and hat! I can stay warm as long as the furnace keeps pumping out the heat!! We do have a couple of inches of white stuff on the ground and the dogs enjoy that!

So what is new in your end of the world? We just picked up Dozer yesterday! We had used a spay and neuter service that picks the animals up in a big fancy van and takes them to a Detroit area clinic, then returns them the next morning! He is doing great....it's hard to tell that he had surgery except for some boy pieces missing!

I am working on my Christmas shopping and I haven't felt stressed yet. But I must get the out of town stuff on it's way and then I can pick at the rest. My goal this weekend is to get the tree up and see if Dozer thinks it's a buffet of chewies!

I have been working on my beads, but am really in a funk, I have been inspired to go in a different direction with my glass.....we will see?

I have been keeping myself busy writing to Todd everyday. I am hoping he has the time to drop me a letter. I know Erin has gotten at least one, but a simple few lines would make me a happy camper just a touch is all I need! I know I have gone longer without seeing him, but not to have contact at all is hard!

OK.....we are off and running for the 3rd day in a row and then 4 days at home! YES I am ready!! Huggies all around for everyone!
Dilly

Saturday and the Sun hasn't shown it's lovely face yet!

It's 7:40 a.m. and I am setting here at the computer trying to get all my paper work and daily web stuff done. I still have to check on recruit parents after I am done here and see whats going on. I joined the forum after Todd left for bootcamp. It's a great sight for info regarding what Todd is going through and what every parent needs to know. It got broke down into graduation dates two weeks ago, and last week it was broken down into Platoon numbers. Which is now at about 40-50 recruits. So the parents I am chatting with have son's in Todd's platoon! They started recieving "real" letters the middle of this week and sure enough Erin got one yesterday! Of course our boy says he is "well and having fun". The other parents say their son's are homesick and whipped puppies! I am sure Todd is doing above and beyond and probably if he could ,without giving them 100 pushups, would have a smile on his face! I keep writing letters and sending him cards. I hope that is helping with his great attitude!

I am working on Christmas presents and shopping trying not to get down to the last minute with anything! I guess I should put decorating on my list of things to do, it's such an undertaking and not a lot of fun with no kids here to help or at least harrass me! But, since Christmas will be at out house I better buckle down and get to it!

We have had snow on the ground, but it's mostly melted right now, but the freezing temps have stuck around and I just looked and the forecast is for it to hang around for a while! Oh, well as long as the furnace works I will take that over the Hot summer we had this year!

Everything else is going good. Dozer goes in for his surgery on Tuesday! I will be sad and will miss him. But I am really not looking forward to keeping him docile and slowed down for 7 days. OMG....that will really be a challenge the way he and Kylee play! I guess gates up around the house, letting Kylee go with Randy and Dozer and I staying home next week will be in the works!

OK, I am off to take advantage of the quiet around here. I will read a little, swill down a few cups of coffee, and make some beads before hubby gets back home to pull me this way and that with whatever is on his dance card for the day!

Have a great day everyone!

Dilly

Time is flying by!

Man I can't seem to get my act together anymore. To much to do and not enough time. I look on here and realize I forgot to add anything in, then I look at my list of things to do and this list is growing faster than I am scratching things off! I am drowning!!!!!!!

Let see a quick rundown of what I have been up to.

Of course I have been melting glass again now that my thum is doing much better. Trying some new stuff adding murrini that I made, some twisties and then of course my florals and cameos! I have actually been cranking out a few small sets to add in. To bad the sales have dropped off like a rock! I really need the sales so I can make it to Todd's bootcamp graduation in February!

We have doing the 3 hard days on the road and then 4 days around the house working here and doing stuff around the house. That has been great, but it looks like the weather is going to play havoc with that schedule! SNOW!

I got to go with Heather, Kirk and Xavier to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season at the Marshall lighting of the lights and parade. It was very cool and I would do it again next year!

Of course I have been deluging the mailbox with letters for Todd. Another 3 go out today and then I will almost be caught up with all the ones I wrote before we got his address!

So snow on the ground, flakes falling and my cherry tomatos in the Aerogarden are growing like crazy. I have lots of little tomaots, wait until the start turning red, maybe ripe ones by Christmas!!

OK, I am off and melting glass and writing a letter before we leave this morning. Have a great day everyon and Huggies all around!
Dilly

CHCHCHChilly out!

It was in t he 20's this morning and now it is 5:30 pm the sun has set and it's chilly out. I helped hubby a little as he installed 5 storm windows this afternoon. I got frozen toes out of the deal!

I have been making beads and today worked on some murrini and wigwags which is stripes of color on a thin piece of glass that wig and wag back and forth. I will use them to add color to a set of beads. Hey, maybe I will even post pics so you get the idea!!

The great news is Erin got Todd's mailing address at Boot Camp. Now all the letters I have been writing can hit the mailbox and he can be flooded with love and support. It somehow makes it easier to know that those will reach him and hopefully put a smile on his face. It will be two weeks tomorrow, so 2 down and 11 to go!!

I still don't know if I will be able to make it to Todd's graduation. I would love to be there, but it's the absotoooootley worst time for us. Between after Christmas, with a big butt kicking tax bill due the end of February, and then a Van with wayyyyy to many miles on it. The $$$$ should really go someplace other than a trip to San Diego for me. I was really rooting for the East Coast for Boot Camp! That would have been just a long drive, but dooable! Before this all came up I was selling beads and things looked good. But since I have put a push on to sell beads, nada very little sales at all! Don't it just figure!!! LOL

OK....I have to figure something out for dinner, but first a cup of fresh coffee to warm up my toes. I think I will have it in my new mug that my Sis got me with a picture of Todd on it!!! I sure love my coffee mugs!

Have a good one everyone!
Dilly

Thanksgiving Eve

I just realized I have been running in 3 million directions and not one of them was in this direction to stop in and pay my respects!! Me Bad!!

My 4 days off last weekend, ended up on the road for two. Mostly to go pick up things for ourselves, storm windows and a small upright freezer! So my relaxing was to a minimum, and mostly filled with headaches and shoulder pain. This week will be all screwed up with Thanksgiving. I am afraid hubby will want to run the roads on Black Friday and I just shiver at the thought! Oh well the crowds shouldn't be in the stores we frequent!

Tomorrow we will be spending the day at Heather and Kirks, with family! Xavier has been busy helping Mom bake his Great, Great, Great Grandma's sugar cookies. Supposedly from reports he is covered in flour! Sounds like a grand time was had and memories were made and remembered! I am sure my Great Grandma Henderson is smiling and watching down as another generation devours her goodies!

Of course we will be missing the rest of our family. Miss Erin will be in Colorado with her family and Todd is in SanDiego in Marine Boot Camp. I hope he gets a decent meal in between running, marching and oooh raaaaaah's! We will be thinking of them and missing them around the table!

I am sure Randy will be running home and checking our our furry kids. Dozer weighed in at 73 lbs yesterday at his vets visit! Not quite 6 months old and he is growing like a hippo!!

Well I had better go check on the goodies simmering for the broth for the dressing I am making to take! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and blessings to all my family and friends!

Dilly

Thursday last day on the road!

Each day I have risen and said I wasn't going with Hubby on the road. I was going to stay home and take care of my cold. But, it's just hanging there, not horrible but enough to notice. So each day I bite my words and hit the road with him. I don't always get out at every store and have taken a good book with me. I guess riding along isn't to bad and a little help here and there.

The week is flying by and I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving already. I am thinking about some turkey and tatoes. Only potatos once in the last almost year! They are the only thing that still taste as good as I remember. Diet Pepsi.....UCK and I drank it for years and years! Only water, coffee, hot tea and an occasional ice tea now!

The good thing that came out of Todd trying to call me 3 times from the Denver Airport is that the first two finally showed up as voice mails on my phone! Now I can listen to him whenever I want. I feel bad that he obviously forgot the # or screwed up the call to Erin. I went on the forums and there were lot's of parents and family that didn't get their call. The ones that did could hear the DI screaming in the background. So the pressure must have messed up his dialing. The rule for bootcamp is no news is good news!!!! So now we just have to wait for an address and then I can mail all these letters I have been writing!! LOL

OK, we are off to the west side of the state today! I have my good book to continue reading, some munchies and then home and 4 days of working around the house and melting glass! Sounds like a plan to me!!!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Dilly

Sunday......I have had better days!

Don't get all excited I am fine, just feeling a little blue. Today was that day I was bumming about for the last month or so. The girls, Xavier and Shawn came over before noon today. We all sat around and had a Skype visit with Todd and Erin. We said our teary Good Byes and Xavier said Bye-Bye Love You! You can't get much better than that. Todd said he will try to call tonight when he gets to his hotel in Denver. He has a phone card to use up before he gets to San Diego. His cell is out of commision until he is out of boot camp.

So now it's time to get in the snail mail routine. Start with the letters and cards and from what I hear it doesn't hurt to sweet talk my letter carrier too! Rabid Moms have been known to attack their mailperson when not recieving their weekly letter! I will try to be kind, Erin comes first but an occasional letter would be wonderful! I'll certainly do my part, I have prior experience with my sister and friends who served years ago.

I know Todd will do wonderfully and give them 300%. I just pray for good health and no injuries and a wonderful finish on the intended date of February 11th! To not even be able to wish him a Happy Thanksgiving or Merry Christmas will be sad, but this is what he chose and when he chose to do it! So, I will be strong and suck it up!!

That was the big news, the house is clean, it's cold out and I am not doing well with the time change yet. I am still waking up around 5:00 and doing all I can to stay in bed. It seems to have affected the dogs too! Hopefully this week will be better.

Enjoy your Sunday and stay warm after these beautifu days, you forget it's in the 30's out there!

Dilly

The last beautiful day before the crap flies again! LOL

It was 70 degrees yesterday, 81 in the sun according to our outdoor themometer! Wow, that was certainly a keeper. Today a little cooler with a chance of rain. But, then back to a real November with highs in the 40's, and the white stuff isn't far off. But, lets be real here, it is less than 2 weeks from Thanksgiving, Black Friday, etc and those are typical temps and weather predictions for this time of year. So this last week of beautiful was a blessing that was bestowed on us, I hope you all took advantage of it.

I have been outside already this morning cleaning up the stuff that needs to be put away for the winter. Hanging the bird feeders, emptying out the planters, putting covers over the fountains!! The stuff I should have done a few weeks back, but maintaining my procrastinator status is hard work. I wouldn't want to rush into this stuff!

We have enjoyed a couple of Skype visits with Todd over the last couple of days. Today he is a busy boy with his recruiter, making those teenagers look like sludge and spending the rest of his day with his wife and dog!! Since we can't be there to share this time with him and send him off in grand fashion we have decided to have our own party. Brunch tomorrow with the girls and their families at Mom's house. We will have skype visits going so we can all say our goodbyes, share our tears and wish our recruit the best. It will be rough, but together as a family we can handle just about anything! Todd will leave tomorrow afternoon to make the trip to Denver and on to San Diego on Monday! It's gonna be a long 13 weeks!!!!!

I found the coolest table Thursday, just a small one for a side table, and it's for the guest room. In case you haven't heard our guest room is being done in a cabin in the mountains theme. So the table a slab of wood with birch bark legs will be perfect. Just invision moose, boats, trees, all beside a huge lake with mountains and you pretty much got the idea. I have all the parts now, but the curtain valances and will be putting it together this winter. I am sure somewhere along the line I will post photos! But now, its time for the actual work! Wait until you see what we are doing with the upstairs bathroom!! I was inspired by a bathroom in a cabin in Colorado that we stayed in. Right now it is an almost unusable eyesore. But I have dreams!!! LOL

So I am off to go back outside and enjoy the sunshine as I work some more. Have a wonderful Saturday everyone!

Dilly

Indian Summer continues!

We are being gifted with some beautiful weather. But like all good things, this too shall pass, until it does pass I am going to suck every last warm, sunny minute out of it!

This morning we are being treated to a wonderful start to our day with a visit from our Grandson Xavier. His Mom and Dad dropped him off a little after 6:00 a.m. Mom was suprising Dad with a Charter Fishing Trip early this morning. So we have Xavier until it's time to take him to Aunt Bobble Heads for a day of play and fun!




Today is the Marines 235th Birthday, so I guess I will really start paying attention to this since Todd ships out on Monday. I am still doing OK, but I am sure there will be a little waterworks as that day draws closer. Even though I can't say good bye in person I sure can stress myself out thinking about it! LOL I have studied all the info I can find on the net, so I know what he will be doing, what to expect and when to expect mail. It will be almost 4 weeks before he will get any from us. That's just the way it is. I will wait patiently for any word from him that Erin receives, since he only gets 1 phone call when he arrives. The message she will hear is typed out and printed above the phone he will make the call on. But at least we will know he is there and safe. Some parents actually let the call go to messages so they can play it over and over and listen to their childs voice. Since we have said goodbye to Todd many times, it's a little easier, but not much!!!

Well I am off to make eggs and sausage for Xavier, and get breakfast over so we can hit the road today. Have a wonderful one, huggies all around!

Dilly

Monday, Monday, Sunny Indian Summer!

Yup.....they are calling for at least 4 days of Indian Summer. Temps to be close to 70 and the sun shining! Time to wrap up the yard work and get ready for the colder temps that will follow.

We did manage to complete our new back steps from the sun room down to the back yard. Lot's of staining and painting for next spring, but the dogs can go in and out without us having to take them down to the basement and back up through the walkout steps. YES!!!!



Now that the steps are done it's time to work on closing up the house. All that winterizing and making everything is ship shape for the "S" word!!! Then I can get going on the upstairs rooms which will be our main focus for this winter. Lot's of paint and hanging murals, closet organizers, and moving crap here and there and back again. It's on a Domino theory, you must do this, in order to do that, and finally you will be able to do the other thing too! LOL

We are down to 1 week before Todd ships out to San Diego. I have been doing pretty good, but I fell apart this morning and had a crying jag. I took Kylee upstairs and she loved me up while we laid on my bed and just got the crying part done. I wish I could hug him one more time before he becomes all military. When he left in September after his visit with us I had no idea this was all official so I never got to properly give him his civilian goodbyes. So I am sending cyber hugs to him, and with a little luck and major $$$ I will be able to see him graduate! That one is still up in the air (which of course is not anyplace you will find me!!! UP IN THE AIR).

Dozer is growing like crazy he is much more Great Dane than Bulldog. He is getting some wrinkles on his forehead lately. But, that is the only thing that resembles Bulldog. He is closing in on 60 lbs and is just 5 months old. Lord his feet are almost as big as Kylees!!! No matter what he ends up looking like he will be a big, big boy, thusly named after a bulldozer!!! LOL

I am off to work on my beads. Yes my thumb has healed enough for me to work on melting glass again. I am trying hard to get back in the swing of things and let's be honest if I am going to make some money I need to melt glass!

Have a wonderful Monday everyone!
Dilly

Wednesday on the Road!

If this is Wednesday we must be heading to Kalamazoo to run the treasure trail. This is a relatively run short compared to a Grand Rapids or Lansing Run. So I am looking forward to being home at an earlier time.

I put homemade chicken noodle soup in the slow cooker to greet us when we get home. That ought to smell wonderful when we walk in the door.

It's going to be very chilly for the next two days. Then a little warmer, so it's time to organize the garage and get all the yard stuff put away. Hubby has to break down the outside aquaponics unit too. The leaves are mostly down, but our front tree refuses to loose it's leaves so the raking is still ahead of us. We did manage to finish the back steps from the Sun Room down to the back yard last weekend. All we have left, is to rebuild a smaller gate to go in and out of the back yard to the driveway! It is so great to just let the dogs out the back door, rather than traipsing up and down through the basement. Color me a happy camper.

The dogs continue to be our entertainment and provide a lot of unconditional love. They both hit the Vets last week and are now up to date on their shots and anything else. Kylee hasn't gained any weight and still weighs in as a small 117 lbs for a Great Dane. Dozer, now he is a different story. AT 5 months Mommas big boy is at 53 lbs and eating like an elephant. Notice I didn't say horse, that's just way to small to compare him to! His feet are as big as Kylees and I had better keep walking him on his leash. He does way better than Kylee doing that. I need to keep him that way if he is going to be the big hippo I think he is!!! I have to say the next sentence quietly....I set an appointment for Dozer to be fixed on December 7th. Snip, snip my poor baby lets just keep it between us!!

The beads have been selling and I need to get back into a better work mode. I need to stash some money away for all kinds of different things!



Well we are closing in on our son taking off to San Diego as a Marine Corp Recruit. November 15th. I can't say it's been the easiest thing to accept. If it had been handled a little bit better maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. But I am sure we still would have been up in arms. But, our boy is not a boy anymore and if this is what he wants I want him to be the best he can be and go as far as he can!! I know he will give it his 300% that is just the way he is. So I am learning to live by the Marine Creed and be the Best Mom I can be and be "Always Faithful to my boy" Semper Fi!!!! I am proud of you Todd, run like the wind, Don't let the Basxxrds get you down, and know that I will always Love You ROTW!

Huggies all around for everyone!
Dilly

It's our 34th Wedding Anniversary!

Wow time flys when you have a busy life. Yup...34 years ago today we were married in a small service in a Nun's rectory. Can you belive that???? A very low key day is planned....we already told each other Happy Anniversary and that may be the height of celebrating!! LOL

I see it's been over a week since I posted on here....lot's going on. We celebrated Christmas/Reunion with Randys family and had way more food than any 19 people should have on the table. Randy's parents should be safely in Florida for the winter now with Gordon driving!

We got the word that Todd is going in the Marines and will ship out around the 15th of November. That will be a big change for everyone and we send him with our love and blessings!

Randy and I have been working on the back steps and little porch the last couple of days. When we worked on the sunroom last fall we installed the door to nowhere. It's about 5 foot off the ground, but now it has a small deck and steps that will lead into the backyard. That will make letting the dogs in and out soooooo much better!!!

Xavier was over a little while ago and wanted to help me put fresh cranberries in the food dehydrator. Instead he took the remainder of his cupcake and put it in my mortar and pestle and made mashed cake! He had fun and he even ran the hard floor vacuum to clean it all up. He's a good little helper in Grammies Kitchen!

Other than that, which is enough of course. Nothing much going on around here. I plan on taking advantage of the sun shining and hitting the road tomorrow! Huggies all around for everyone!

Dilly

Sunny Sunny Sunday!!

Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Sunny and 60 in October, the leaves are turning fabulous colors and some have already hit the ground so the smell of burning leaves is in the air. It doesn't get much better than that, unless you count the sun shining on spring soil and the daffodils poping their heads out. OK, so you guessed my two favorite seasons!

Managed to get to an auction yesterday, wasn't hard only about 50 yards away. We managed to snag a set of 4 maple chairs in the design I have been looking at for over a year! Put the ugly ones by the curb and they were gone in less than 5 minutes.

Today I have harvested herbs, put them up to dry, ground others that were already dried. The kitchen smells like rosemary and lemon basil! YUM

This morning hubby and I rode with Heather and Xavier down to their favorite campground. They had gotten the call this morning that they had floated to the top of the seasonal list and there was a spot for them. So we drove down checked it out and Heather put the needed $$ on the spot. They are excited to be able to go camping anytime they want next year. It's at the top of Xavier's list of things to do too! The extra +++ is the lot that was available is also very close to the weekend camping so if Aunt Shannon & Uncle Shawn want to go and camp with them they will be within a stones throw from Bobble!

I spent an hour this morning updating my digital photos that go on our digital frame so now we have lot's more goodies to look at as we sip our coffee in the morning. It's so great to see the years of memories flash in front of us.

So I had better figure out something for dinner before hubby starts whining! Yegads I have no idea what to fix! Something simple and quick I am not in to mood to spend the evening in the kitchen.

Another fresh new week spreads out in front of us. Who knows what this one will bring. Enjoy your evening!

Dilly

A relaxing day at home!

Yup......no road trip today! Color me happy! We hit the road yesterday with Heather and Xavier and did a new route in the Holland area. It's a long trip but once we get there lot's of places to hunt for treasure.

Yesterday we also picked up a set of outside steps to help in building the back porch so the dogs can go in and out of the house through the sunroom. Which means hubby and I don't have to go down and up through the basement to let them out. I think that will pretty much finalize Dozers potty training. He is getting really close!!


The outstanding news of the week is that I am back melting glass after an almost 3 month break. It wasn't by choice it was because of a problem with my thumb! It has finally healed, not the way I wanted, but healed enough and moved enough for me to melt glass! YES!!!

Well I can hear Dozer barking at the basement door. I need to let the little furball in for a drink! OK.....so at 50 lbs and 4 months old he isn't little...but compared to Kylee he is still small!

Enjoy this beautiful fall weather everyone!

Dilly

A beautiful weekend ahead!

The weather is certainly making a beautiful statement here in the mitten state. Of course we had to wade through all that hot crap to get to a beautiful fall! The leaves are starting to change rapidly and our trip to the west side of the state yesterday was beautiful with the blues skies and the autumn colors!

I have been working on our upstairs laundry/closet. Lets just say it was a huge butt kicking mess that has been haunting me for over 2 years. Time to start pecking away at it. Finding a stackable washer/dry set started the domino process. So at least I know whats on tap for this winter!

Our fravoirte tiny little dude came over this past Wednesday and spent the night with Papa and Grammie! We had a great time! Nothing is better than a child in footed jammies to put a smile on your face! We finished the visit with Xavier helping make waffles with Grammie and juice with Papa. He loved shoving that fruit through the juicer!




I am sad to say that the process Shannon and Shawn were going through didn't take this time. I am not sure what is on their agenda, but what ever they decided we are there to support them! Big Huggies to both of them!


It's time to get this weekend in gear and work on some of the projects on my long list of things to do! Have a wonderful day my friends!

Dilly

Waiting on Pins and Needles

Today is the first of two big teeth gnawing, stomach churning days! Shannon just posted that her bloodwork has been drawn for her first of two pregnancy test. I have everyone I know and some I hardly know praying, chanting, crossing their fingers and toes anything to increase our chances of getting positive results back!

I even got a beautiful little baby buddah in the mail yesterday from my Buddy Duane out in Massachucetts! Don't ever tell me that cyber friends aren't the best. I may never have physically hugged some of them, but they are always there supporting and offering comfort through thick and thin! Thank You my friends!!!

The mojo was going yesterday. Some times I think one of those sayings should be slightly changed. The one about God helps those who help themselves. I am a strong believer in that. But I would like to change it to God helps you find things you need, but you have to go looking for them. I have a clothes dry that is on it's last leg. Actually my dryer died about a year ago and we took in a 50 cent dryer that was setting in one of our daughters basements. My washer is 20 years old and won't use hot water, the knob is broke off but it still washes. We knew for the last year we needed to keep looking for replacements. Well yesterday we found a stackable full size set in our price range! I am so geeked...one of my favorite things about our home is that my washer and dryer are upstairs. We do have an exterior patio with steps that makes it easier to haul things up there...Thank God! So now I get to haul the two dinosaurs out of my laundry room and replace them with a very nice set of Maytag stackables. I have had finishing the laundry room, walk in closet changing room on the top of my list for this winter. Now it bubbled right to the top. The room is huge it was the kitchen/eating area for the upstairs apartment. We ripped out the kitche which left us with all the water/gas/electric we needed for a laundry room. Now I am going to have a butt kicking room! YESSSS! There is a bunch of work involved but I can see it coming together! So keep them fingers crossed that after we haul that,new to us, set up the stairs and plug it in it all works! The old ones won't come down until we are sure! LOL

OK.....I will return to rubbing the little naked tummy of my Buddah until the word comes through on the lab test. Keep your fingers crossed my friend!

Dilly

Wow....where did that week/month go???

It was a wonderful busy week. The best part of course was spending it with our son Todd. The additional cool thing was watching him and our grandson Xavier bond. "My Todd" was used a lot and such heart warming exchanges between the two. Of course the wonderful is also shared with the sad when you have to say Good Bye! But being able to get a hug and share time with him was worth it!

Then of course after sending Todd back to Colorado and his wife....Randy and I had to kick it back into gear and play catch-up with finding goodies. Thankfully the stars were aligned, God shined down on us and we have had a good week finding treasures! Here is a wonderful Mid-Century Chair that we picked up and will be selling!

I even managed to pull off 2 gallons of paint in a color I wanted and valances and cabinets I have been looking for. Now all I really need to find soon is a youth bed for Dozer. He keeps wanting to take over Kylee's and he is ready to come out of his crate. Besides the fact that he bangs around in it and wakes me up!

So October is before us....time to wrap up some of the gardening, build some steps to the sun porch, and pick up the yard before that dreaded "S" word falls from the sky!

Until we see him again I will keep this close to my heart!


Have a wonderful day everyone.....huggies all around for everyone!
Dilly

A quick fly by!!!

I will try to catch up later, but here's where we are at. Todd is here we have been spending lots of good time with him, eating things we haven't had in months and enduring the hot and now the cold weather! Almost 90 on Thursday & Friday and now it's 55 degrees out. That's Michigan for you!!

Shannon & Shawn finalized the fertilization process yesterday, she is on bedrest for a couple of days with a pregnancy test set for October 5 & 7th. Keep your fingers crossed, prayers going and good mojo for it all to be a positive outcome. I am so excited and so scared all at the same time!

Today it is so cold we had to move the tilapia inside that were out in our barrelponics unit. It is suppose to get down in the 40's and they are tropical fish so the little 1/2" babies we put out there in May are now 5-8" long and growing! Now I have to figure out what to do with the forest of veggies still growing out there! I'll have to look for a recipe for green tomatos we have tons!! LOL

I'll catch back up in the middle of next week. Less time right now on the puter, and more time with our son!!! Huggies all around for everyone!

Dilly

A busy few weeks ahead!!!

Well today starts some hectic days ahead. Shannon & Shawn are headed up to Grand Rapids as I type. They will be having embryo retrival today and then Friday implantation. So we can use all the good mojo and prayers that any of you can muster up!

Todd flies in tonight for a visit with the family. I am geeked and can't wait to get my hugs in. This will be great with him flying into Kalamazoo only 20 minutes away! Heck that's even closer than when people would fly into Lansing, when we lived in Charlotte.

My sister is in Yellowstone on vacation and I woke up and had a photo of Old Faithful she took yesterday on my phone. That brought back some good memories. This time she is staying at the Yellowstone Inn instead of camping like we did years ago. At least she won't have to worry about bears when she walks to the bathroom this time around! LOL

We have lots of family time scheduled over the next few days, with typical family meals.....some I haven't had in over 9 months. Yah, hubby and I are throwing organic out the window for the next 6 days. We will have to hit the straight and narrow road after Todd goes back to Colorado. We do find that when we hit the bad for us stuff we pay with tummy aches so I am sure the portions will be small because I really don't want to feel crappy over the next few days!

Have a wonderful day everyone! With Todd and whats going on with Shannon & Shawn mine can't get much better! Huggies all around for everyone!

Dilly

Nothing huge on my list of things to do.

It's mid morning on a grey Sunday morning! Our Grandson is in his toy room watching his favorite video about trains and playing with his Hot Wheels collection. DD is down in the basement taking pictures for Ebay writeups for her dad. Hubby is figuring out what he is going to do today and I am typing on here.

Nothing much new other than our son, Todd will be coming home Wed night for a visit. We are all looking forward to that, it's been close to 9 months for most of us and I can't wait for a hug from him. Congratulations to Todd & Erin today is their 1st Wedding Anniversary.

Todays Dance Card is a slow one for sure. I will probably be hitting a few stores with Heather and PLD while she is looking for stuff to complete Xaviers room. Hubby and I need to hit the Sprint store soon, my new LG Rumour Touch is crap and I don't have decent reception anyplace. Looks like I will be looking for a different phone. Good thing they have that try out period if you don't like what you have!!

I planted tomatos in my Large Aerogarden that I found this week. We will see how cherry tomatos grow in one of them. The small Aerogarden is just about done with the salad greens and I think I will put flowers in it for the winter, just to give us additional aide in dealing with the gloom of the winter months. Hubby is working on layouts and designs for moving the Tilapia to the basement for the winter. The outside will be getting cooler temps and the fish new warmer digs to finish growing up!

So off and running slowly and enjoying my day. Have a good day no matter what you do and huggies all around for everyone!

Dilly

Thursaday, Thursday the toilets pluged Yeah!

Morning all....this one will be short I am off and running with hubby doing the Grand Rapids Treasure Run. But I realized I hadn't been on here since Sunday so I at least wanted to drop by.

Yes, the toilet on the main floor is plugged. We have done all we can and now have to search the basement for the sewer tape that we know we owned 2 of when we moved here 2 years ago. God please shine a light on this puppy so we can take care of the problem. Good thing we bought a house with 3 bathrooms!! LOL

Both daughters were over yesterday, yakkity yak and lunch! But our grandson did manage to go upstairs and check out the guest room with me. I am fixing it up so he can come over and spend the night with Papa and Grammie. What he found was Dozers crate in our bedroom. So here's the pic of my two favroite little guys have a good time!


Well I had better run before hubby blows a gasket waiting for me. Have a great day everyone and huggies all around!

Dilly

Sunny Sunday

I am looking out the window as I type. A slight breeze, blue skies, morning glories in bloom and things are green from yesterdays rain. The temps only at 67 with a high in the mid 70's. It doesn't get much better than this! I am starting to see a few trees with whispers of red and gold, just a reminder that fall is just around the corner. I love the green and the black tree trunks of winter aren't at the top of my list, but it's just a season and following that is Spring! So OK, I don't live in the moment sometimes, but you do what ya gotta do to get by when you live in Michigan! LOL

We got some new track lighting up in the kitchen.....not sure if I like it or not. I guess I will have to add some task lighting into some specific work areas! But it is better than what I had. My design plan for the kitchen, to upgrade it without spending the big $$$$ is coming together. Now the work looms ahead. The big one is trying to figure out how to raise my one major counter top to the correct height to alleviate some back pain that I get from it being 3-4" to low. No new cabinets in the budget so I will have to reinvent something! LOL I love those kind of challenges.

Some downer news is the thumb isn't getting any better. I thought after over 4 weeks of taking care of the joint, I might see some relief. Last night I left the tape splint off. I had plans of starting to work with it this week. But this morning it still doesn't bend at all the joint is frozen! So without $$$ or insurance to pay for a specialist I had better come up with some ways to write legibly and make my beads without any fine detail work, or learn a new way! It's a bummer, but just another challenge that I will deal with. At least life isn't boring!!

The dogs remain a happy spot in my life. I can see the end of the potty training with Dozer he is getting better each day. Now if I can teach him to keep his stinking tongue in his mouth and not lick me to death! Patience, he is only 13 weeks old! Last night was the first time I saw that Kylee really needed a break from him. She got up off the sofa and headed into our office to lay down in peace and quiet! I remember doing that with my little sister! LOL I think I actually wrote Dear Abby for that one! Siblings can drive you nuts some times!

OK, time to get on with the day. Huggies all around for everyone!

Dilly

Another Weekend looms ahead what shall I do???

Good Morning All!!!!

It's a beautiful fall day here in Battle Creek. It's only 48 degrees out with a high around 70, I am in my jeans and I am a Happy, Happy Camper!

We spent yesterday on the road and I did manage to find a couple of things I have been looking at. First a Mortar and Pestle for my herbs, they have been drying and now need to be ground up to package and save. I am planning on giving some of them away this winter.

Second, after 2 years and blinds at all the windows I have finally started finding curtains and valances for all the rooms. I found some great treatments for our Bedroom yesterday!

The puppy dogs keep getting along wonderfully. This morning as I was typing on one of my favroite forums hubby told me to turn around and take the picture I had been waiting for. Mr. Dozer is finally big enough to climb up on the furniture. The dogs are allowed on the sofa, which actually is theirs it has a cover on it for them, and the big overstuffed chair in our office. Dozer made his way up on the chair and I got the picture. The reason I wanted it was it was where Kylee first made herself at home when she was his age. So here you go a photo comparison of our two babys as around 12-13 weeks old! We are very fortunate to have these sweeties in our life to give us love and joy! OK, a little frustration from time to time too!




So the weekend looms before me and I think I shall start working on the upstairs. Lot's of paint, reorganizing, trying to figure out where to store Todds stuff until they get settled someday and I can ship it all to him! LOL

Have a great weekend everyone! Huggies all around for everyone!
Dilly

Feeling kind of gucky, but the temps are great!

I have been fighting an upset tummy all day. Poor hubby.....lots of gass, OK TMI I am sorry. I get some new stuff up on Etsy. I loaded on 3 different embroidery projects all of them pins/broochs. So if you get a chance check that out. Here is a photo of one of them. I really have enjoyed working on them and am still working on a stuffed kitty project with all the floral embroidery on it. PLD was over again, today I fixed his new comforter for his new "Big Boy" room, with trucks, planes and trains. As I was stitching his comforter closed, he came in and wanted to help me. It reminded me of a toy Randy made almost 30 years ago and I went in the toy room and came out with the mahogany sewing block. Xavier got a kick out of pulling his needle through the block like Grammie was. This week my old phone finally bit the dust. I was missing phone calls and the chew marks from baby Kylee were getting old. We figured Dozer needed a new chew toy so I got a LG Rumor Touch. It takes way better photos and even has a camcorder in it. I will try to post a video I took of the little guy rolling down Grammies Hill. I can still remember our daughters when we lived in Vermontville rolling down the hill behind the Elementary School. They would just squeal with delight when they got to the bottom. What great memories! The cool temps are a much welcome change, lows in the 50's and highs in the mid to high 70's. Now that is my kind of weather. Unfortunately it is going to cause a couple of problems. #1 Randys Tilapia that are outside will need to get moved soon. They are warm weather fish and won't be able to handle the cooler temps. #2 is our kitty Danser. She is getting up there in years I would have to ask the girls but I think she is working toward 13. Until this summer she has always been an indoor kitty. She has her front claws removed so she wouldn't ruin the furniture. She found the doggie door, the little shit and she keeps sneakig outside. The first time I realized what she did we all went crazy trying to find her and get her back inside. It has become impossible to catch her now. The doors are even closed because of the cooler temps and she just jet drives past us. I don't want her outside and it is breaking my heart. I try hard every night to get her inside, but she is getting more stubborn than ever. I know that stinking woodchuck is out there, plus our street is a frigging race track. I have already had to scrape one kitty up off the road in front of our house years ago! I really don't want to do that again! Well I had better wrap this up. Have a great evening and a wonderful Thursday too! Dilly

Doing My Happy Weather Dance!!!!

If you are feeling the earth move, it's not an earthquake it's just me jumping for joy over cooler temps! It's now 8:30 p.m. and the temp is 62 degrees. Our windows will be open and the blankies will be pulled up to my chin. I am pretty sure if you could see I will be sleeping with a smile on my face!

Today we tried a new area that we have hit some of before for the business. We did a Grand Rapids, Hudsonville, Allendale, Holland, Allegan, Plainwell & Otsego run. It's a lot of miles but we came home with the back of the van full! Yes Ellen I waved as I went by, but you had said you were headed to Lake Michigan to watch the huge waves!

Unfortunately we found a Chinese buffet and we came home with full tummies too. OMG I went so far off the wagon I will be spending the next week taking the lbs off. But the bread pudding was to die for!!! After 9 months of eating organic, it is the sweets I miss most and we really never had a lot of them. The weight I carried around for years was tatoes, and ground beef in a million-trillion combinations!

So the holiday weekend lies before us and we really have no plans. Probably working on the house there is a lot of little stuff floating to the top I need to get on. I picked up all new hinges for my kitchen cabinets. Now I just need to get painting, sanding and painting some more. I am not real decided on what to do for the knobs for the drawers and doors. I have some simple new chrome dealies, but NAHHHH I need it to be weirder and more artsy fartsy than that. I am thinking of either making them with my glass, or buying a few every time they are on sale at Hobby Lobby. Of course all different kind of cool knobs, nothing the same. Hey you gotta break up all that white in there with more than some bright green and black! OK, I will take some before and after pics so you see what I am talking about! Believe me that dump could use anything I am willing to do to it!

On top of stuff around the house I will be finalizing some embroidery projects to get them ready to put on Etsy. I worked on a couple of new stitches today while we were going down the road. You should see me do bullion stitches at 55mph! You have to wrap the thread around the needle 12-20 times to make the bullion, in the car the additional challenge is to do it without stabbing yourself!!! LOL These are a couple of projects I am in the middle of, the first one is a wheat stitch and the beginning of a large cabbage rose stitch! I really enjoy this foo-foo stuff! The second one is almost done and ready to be mounted and made into a pin/brooch! I think I will make some buttons next and have a set of 4 or so. I don't know I am having fun and giving my thumb time to heal!

So have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your end of summer celebrations what ever they are. Huggies all around for everyone!
Dilly

A new week, soon a new month and hopefully a new season!

So how's your Tuesday so far? Mine is doing well, it's hotter than heck outside. But, I am chanting fall, fall, fall. No, I don't want anyone to take a dump I just am patiently waiting for frost on the pumpkins.

I shared on FB and WC, my top two favorite places to hangout, that my garden was raped and pillaged by a woodchuck. The photos were just to horrifying to put on here.LOL I lost ALL my squash, except one! Forget about the Brussel Sprouts every leaf is history!!! I did find out that they aren't partial to Green Peppers though!!! Oh, well life goes on and this too shall pass!

I have to share a couple of photos with you today. The first is my new favorite of our Daughter Shannon and her nephew Xavier. Since his birth she has referred to him as Bobblehead. OK, so the little guy couldn't hold his head up at birth. They both now call each other Bobble. When Xavier called Shannon Aunt Shannon she was sad and said No, you can call me Bobble. It's probably something they will share for a lifetime. When they part you can hear them echoing Bye Bobble back and forth until they are out of earshot. A very special relationship they have and that is what probably makes this a favorite!



Hubby and daugher, Heather have negotiated a cooperative work enviorment. We will see how it works, she is doing the write ups for both their ebay items, and he is doing the packaging. They have worked out the $$ part of it and today they are both off and looking together! The perks for me is that I get to see my little PLD everyday for a couple of hours. We watch movies, play, cook, I sew, he plays some more! It works and I get quality time and his Mom gets to work in peace. Today we had banana time and relaxed on the big comfy chair in the office after watching Mickey Mouse!



I got my first goal of today done! I replaced the blinds in the kitchen with shades and put up new valances! Now I am off to work on an embroidery project. Have a wonderful day everyone and huggies all around!

Dilly

Summer is winding down, but the Heat is still on!

It won't be long and I can say fall is coming! The rumble you feel will just be me doing a happy dance, I am sick of this heat!!! Bring on the frost I don't even care if it takes out some flowers!

We have been treated to the National Balloon Competition this past week! I would be having my coffee and look up and hear either the burners on the balloons or the neighborhood dogs having a hissy fit! Kylee has learned to just look up and watch. Dozer was in puppy stupid mode and didn't even pay attention! Sometimes the sky just looked like God was hanging Christmas Ornaments around the bright blue sky. I counted close to 50 on Saturday morning!

Today I helped Hubby, yup that is right I helped him put up 4 dozen ears of corn for the freezer. We have more to do but ran out of freezer bags. He is such a good guy and he knows between the shoulder and the thumb I just can't do it right now! But, Oh Baby fresh sweet corn this winter whenever I want it! YUMMMY.

I am having trouble getting photos, my new camera is acting up and I can't even get the photos off of it that I took yesterday when Heather and I took Xavier out to Turkeyville to ride the trains. Of course we had to do the flea market, the gift shop and the icecream stand too! Pecan Praline....not even organic....Oh Well!

I have to go make some updated meatloaf. I would suck up the old kind but I have kept trying a recipe and I can get it pretty close and a lot healthier for us! Have a wonderful evening everyone and a happy start to a new week, and a new month!!!

Big huggies all around for everyone!
Dilly

A beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Finally a break in the weather!! Down into the 50's last night, wonderful sleeping with the blankies pulled up around my nose!!

I had a good time last night in Lansing at my sisters Michigan Birthday Dinner! I saw people I hadn't seen in a while and got to see others that I always enjoy a hug from!! Sis loved her bear that I have been working on for months. But, it was worth it to give her something so special and to find out I really, really love doing the embroidery! So it was a win-win situation.

Todd is now in Rocky Ford, Co looking for work and Erin is suppose to be joining him there this coming weekend. That is Erins home town so she is excited to be going back there! I wish them lots of luck!

So things should be a little more normal here and I will be back in the studio melting glass, but continuing my investigation of possible projects with embroidery!

Dozer continues to grow like a frigging weed! He is getting to the 80% making it out the door with no accidents. This cooler weather is helping because the house isn't closed up with the AC on. Now he can just tumble down the stairs and out the doggie door. I have to take my camera out and catch Dozer and Kylee playing tug of war with their big rope. It is just too funny! Kylee is really good with him and hasn't flung him across the yard yet!!

So have a wonderful day and huggies all around for everyone!
Dilly

Finally another beautiful day!

Yes, the weatherman says 10 days of summer heaven. To me that means low humidity and temps in the 70's to low 80's and no rain except at night! This is my kind of weather.

Here is a shot of Michelle, Shannon & Shawn. Sis and BIL made it into town yesterday. We had a good time and an even better dinner at the families favorite Chinese restaurant. They have gone on their merry way to enjoy northern Michigan. Sis is showing Glenn the good stuff and why we love it here. They will be back in Lansing on Wednesday when we will be having a Large group get together to celebrate Michelle's Birthday. So that means I am finishing up her present, I sure hope she likes it!

Back to relaxing and enjoying my Sunday I hope you all are doing the same!

Dilly

A wonderful morning in the mitten!

Good Morning all! It is truly beautiful here in Michigan, a cool night with windows open for sleeping followed by a chilly morning that's chilly enough to put goosebumps on your arms! We get a few days of this and move back to the ucky stuff later this week.

I hope to make it down to the studio this morning. My shoulder is feeling better, I have figured out what the problem is with my thumb, and it's time to initiate Dozer into being a studio puppy! Man I never figured I would get to the age when aches and pains would be the top of my daily whats up. This can be the pits if you dwell on it to long, so lets move on.

Dozer is doing well he is growing like a weed and starting to understand the theory of going outside for his potty stops. I have hung the bells back on the doors for ringing to go outside. He has slept through 3 of the last 4 nights so that makes his Mom happy. Kylee is being very good with him and they do dog play 24/7. Our only problem is when they are out in the fenced yard and Kylee is doing her zoomies (running at 90 MPH) she tends to use Dozer as a soccer ball. As I mentioned to my friend Paula, what goes around comes around! Dozer will grow up to be the BIG BOY he is meant to be. She is in for a big surprise!!

Everything else is doing good. The aquaponic units are under control and growing. The dirt garden is out of control and taking over the the side yard. The flower gardens are a PIB from a watering stand point. I am so tired of trying to keep up with this HOT weather!

Not much on our dance card this week. Heather and family are on a camping vacation, we might make a trip down one evening and visit them. Shannon and Shawn are in work mode. My sister and BIL will be visting next Saturday for a family dinner. Todd and Erin are in a sate of flux trying to figure out their next step in life! Man I am glad I am old and don't have to go through that again! Big Huggies to them!

So enjoy these last weeks of summer, look forward to the cooler temps of fall! YES!!!! Huggies all around for everyone! Here are some pics of the gardens to update you all and file away for us!!

Dilly

I got a full nights sleep!! YES!!!

Yes that means that my puppy boy slept through the night and Mom didn't have to haul her butkis down the steps and out the door in the middle of the night! I am a happy camper....can you see me doing a little dance!!

I have been working on my Birthday Project for my sister. Since I can't post photos or tell you what it is you will just have to trust me that it is awesome and I can't wait to pull it all together!

The gardens are doing well, I am pulling peppers and squash out of my "real" garden, the aquaponic units are giving us beans. We are in the middle of upgrading the lighting in the indoor beds and we see improvement in the LSB with the new T5 grow bulbs!

The dogs are getting along really, really well! I would have never guess that Kylee would step up the the plate like she has. She has taken the big sis spot so nicely it is amazing! However as you look at these pictures there is no question as to who the boss is!! LOL






Time to get another cup of coffee, check out something for breakfast and move on with my day. Have a good weekend everyone!

Dilly

OK....UNCLE when will fall be here???

Another 90 degree day strung together with many more. If Todd and Erin ever decided to settle in the mountains I might have to find a summer home up there too! OMG I am going to whine, so if you don't want to read this please feel free to skip to the next paragraph! All my projects are either completely stalled or haven't even been started. I can't handle this heat and the sun just bakes everything. I am tired of dragging the hose around, so a sprinkler/drip system is being investigated for next year. Oh, for blue jean and sweater weather!! I can only dream!!!


The dogs are doing well and getting along great. Everyonce and a while Kylee lets out a growl when Dozer is over stepping his bounds in regard to bones. But you never know I have one photo of them both chewing on opposite ends of what I think of as her dinosaur bone it's so big! I can see Kylee really maturing and some mommy instincts are coming through! It makes me happy to see them together and playing!

I have been working on a project for my sister for the last few months. I can't say what it is or show you pics because I want it to be a surprise. It looks like I am on schedule to have it done by her birthday on the 25th, which we get to celebrate with her this year during her visit! I hope she likes it. I love it and can't wait to see it finished! I'll share pics on the 26th!!

It's hot and sticky and headed to the 90's, UCK! I have been up since 3:30 because I couldn't get back to sleep. So I am sure a nap is in order! I am hoping for a thunder shower that they have mentioned one less day to drage the hose around the yard! But I am looking at the deep purple morning glories on the arbor and they are doing very well! I'll have to update some garden photos!

Have a great day everyone and huggies all around!
Dilly

Another beautiful summer day!

It will be a little warmer today, but we have been having a few wonderful days lately. Sunny, humidity within reason and a beautiful breeze. If it never went above 80 I would be a happy camper!

Yesterday we went to Randy's neice and nephews open house. W visited with the family and enjoyed the gorgeous breeze. Xavier was in top form and loved seeing "Great Papa". He never fails in putting a great smile on Randy's Dad's face! PLD had his Aunt Nana's redskins outfit on.

Today I will be doing the rain dance, so I won't have to drag the hose out and take care of the garden. I knew there was a reason I liked the Aquaponic systems, they water themselves. I do need to research how to harvest stevia (natural sweetner) which I have growing like crazy in my herb garden! We changed out some lights in the LSB and hoping that will kick those plants into gear! I planted some Black Seeded Simpson Leaf Lettuce so I'll be checking on those little sprouts!

So let's see on todays dance card, some more embroidery, a little metal crocheting, hoping to light up the torch, grill some hairy cow beef (highland cattle, long haired and better for you than chicken) and enjoy our Sunday!

Enjoy your day and huggies all around for everyone!
Dilly

Lets try this again!

I am going to make the effort to keep this baby going! I know that hubby and I have used it for reference in the timing of our garden escapades!

Sooooo much has happened in the last few weeks. I'll try to bring everything up to date.

First of all the gardens are growing, not fabulously, frustrating and a lot of work. We have come to the assumption that all the indoor gardens problems come from lighting issues! So that is at the top of the list of things to do. The outside garden is doing well but we are having siphoning issues. We have a new unit in the kitchen for my herbs. I have already used them in some dishes and they are doing great, it is a timer and fill and drain unit so we might be changing everything over!

Some of my big news is that I finally took that step that I have been pondering for over a year. I hung out on all the dog pages, and sweated the idea of introducing a dog to Kylee. Well, I finally found one that won me over. He is currently a 9 week old Great Dane/American Bulldog mix and his name is Dozer. Yes, I am making the middle of the night runs for him to go potty, but he is worth it. I pay the price the next day with an extra cup of coffee! After one week, he and Kylee seem to be doing fabulous. For that I am truly Thankful!!!

Other than that...the kids are doing fine. Little Xavier is growing like a week and likes to visit Dozeee and Kye and play. We need to take Dozer down to their house and let him play with Buttons before he gets to big!

Today is working on some projects, going to a graduation open house for Randy's neice and nephew, and grill some hamburgers on our wood grill. Sounds like a Saturday plan to me!

Have a great day and Huggies all around for everyone!

Dilly

I am BACK!!!!

Life got a little busy there for a while! So I had better catch up!

Lets see.....Todd now works out of the Dallas area and travels all over! Erin and Nika will be joining him soon. So life is getting better for them. He is enjoying what he is doing and he is working his behind off, literally!

Xavier is now officially 2, had a great party and is growing up so fast! He is enjoying all his new toys and learning how to drive a truck! LOL

The gardens are growing and we are starting to eat tomatoes fresh from the garden, I have green peppers that are growing, and waiting to see some squash appear on the vines, so far the tons of blossom must all be male!

We have seen Randys family more than usual this summer, which is great and Xavier is getting use to seeing them and calls Randys Dad, Great Papa, which never fails to put a smile on his face!

I am still contemplating an additional dog. I have had good info shared with me on bringing in another dog. So, it's really a matter of finding a dog/puppy I can't live without! Could happen, maybe not we will just wait and see!

Plans are in the works for a trip to Dallas the first part of November, I am putting my spare change away and hopefully that will help pay for our part of the gas needed. It will be a driving trip...my favorite!!! OH, that isn't sarcasm I really do enjoy traveling across the US by car!!

I had better run befor the day passes me by. I will try to get back to being more regular on here.

Dilly

I am so Hot!

That is not a statement of how super cool I am. That is a statement of how frigging warm it has been this last week. It's so hot out it has been killing the goldfish in our Aquaponics unit outside. It's time to move the Tilapia out there who are more heat tolerant. We have even been putting a tarp up over things to create some shade but when it's in the 90's day after day it's difficult to keep the temps down.

The rain barrels are in need of a fill up and I am hoping in the next day or two that will be taken care of by some thunder storms they have been predicting. But the weatherman with todays specialty toys doesn't do any better than 40 years ago! It's all a shot in the dark. Until then I will be dragging the hose around watering the garden. Which is exactly what I have to do when I get done with this!

The highlight of many months happened yesterday. Randy and I took Xavier on part of his birthday present! He just adores Choo Choo's and we took him on Amtrak from Battle Creek to Kalamazoo and back again. He has been close and watched trains, but we were concerned when he was 20 feet away would he get scared. As long as he had your hand he was wide eyed and amazed and loved every minute! It was pure joy to spend that couple of hours with him and see the world through his eyes. That's the best part of being a parent and now a Grand Parent. To take the time to slow down and pay attention to all those things that the little ones are amazed by!

Todd should be getting ready to make the last leg of his trip to Oklahoma today. He will be stopping there for a couple of days to over see a job....so Rob the young man he is working for can go home and celebrate his anniversary with his wife! Then on to Dallas...he promised his Mom to drink lot's of liquids and try not to faint away in the Texas Heat. Good Luck with that my boy!!!! I will miss the opportunity to revisit Creede, CO it was such a spectacular place but new vistas are provided and I can see a warm setting calling to us in the middle of dark, dank and cold here in Michigan!! LOL Happy Birthday my Boy....I can't belive you are 25....I now am feeling old. Of course Ringo Starr turning 70 was a kick in the pants too! LOL

So I am off to melt some glass I have some weird inspirations floating around in my head, we will see if I can make them into something presentable. Stay cool, stay safe and huggies all around for everyone!

Love ya all,
Dilly

Looks like I am MIA!!

Boy you think it's not a big thing to get on here regularly....then life gets in the way and you get busy and all of a sudden you realize it's been almost a week and you haven't visited your blog! Shame on me!!!

We have had some beautiful weather this past week. In the 70's with blue skies, light winds and just perfect. Now we are looking at some heat rolling through again for the next few days. If I could find someplace that had these last days regularly I would move!! Of course I would have to drag my entire family to be happy but hey it's worth a shot!

The 3rd aquaponic garden is up and running. We planted seeds and plants in it on Tuesday nght. So we will see how that goes! It is keeping Randy busy feeing and watching 3 gardens. The dirt garden is lush and doing good. We have had strawberries and fresh beans out of it so far. The tomatos are going to town and I can see canning in my future. A new thing to learn in my old age!

We have the train tickets to take Xavier on his train ride next week for part of his Birthday Present. We will be getting on an Amtrak train here in Battle Creek and riding it to Kalamazoo, a half hour layover and then pick up another Amtrak and ride it back to Battle Creek. All before noon I hope he likes it, since he is mesmerized by Choo-choo's I think it will be a hit. Lot's of photos for a memory book for him! It's hard to believe he will be 2 on the 10th of this month. It's even harder to believe his Uncle Todd will be 25 on the 7th. Life certainly races by if you don't pay attention!

I hope all of you that read this are taking the time to enjoy each moment of your summer. To my sis have a wonderful and safe trip to Germany! Find all that good information that you are looking for!

Have a wonderful 4th weekend everyone.

Dilly

It's a hot one!

It's 6:30 at night and it's time to turn on the air. It's humid and my forehead is dripping! I know TMI for you!

Even though it has been hot we have accomplished quite a lot. I got my new little herb garden all planted this morning because it was suppose to rain this morning. NOT! I just need to edge it and get some more herbs to add to my first stash. Then I edged around a couple of trees out front and added mulch so hubby wouldn't have trouble mowing. Finally cleaned up around the front from everything that got dumped there this week so the curb appeal is to my satisfaction. No we aren't up for sale I am just anal about those things! LOL

Hubby has been finishing up the building of the barrelponics unit for the back yard. This one will grow (keep your fingers crossed) the big stuff and will be moved to the basement this fall. We are in the middle of water testing it. So far everything works great but we have a couple of leaks to fix. Now we can fill the other two grow beds and give it a rattle and roll. I have plants just busting at the seams to live in this unit! LOL He has promised me only one more unit and that is a single barrel herb garden for my kitchen for this winter!


Other than that it's kind of quiet around here, the girls are both camping and Todd is busy wrapping up his job in Creede. Busy Boy! I think I have Randy convinced that we need to do Papa Murphys Pizza tonight. YUM Good thing it's pretty close to healthy other than the thin crispy crust. But we will do it anyway it's our once a week treat!

More yard work tomorrow and it's suppose to be even hotter! So up early and work before it get really hot! I hope you are all having a great summer.....huggies all around for everyone!

Dilly