YES.....I am still alive!

I am not going to apologize, but I do feel guilty not getting on here very much lately. I will tell you that I have been very busy doing some stuff that I can' share until after Sunday! Hint, Hint it is my daughter Shannon's baby shower so Grammie has been busy!!!

Everything else is going well. Todd and Erin are looking for a place to call their own, it sounds like the base is telling them to hold tight and they might be able to get into base housing sooner than they thought!

Heather has been enjoying their above ground pool at home, spending days at their trailer at the campground and just trying to keep up with Xavier!

Mr. Xavier is growing physially, his speech is growing by leaps and bounds, and he has savee a little of his terrible twos' for the last month before he springs into the 3's. Not a lot of terrible but you can start to see some little changes! That's OK, we love him more than I could have ever guessed.

The gardens are planted, the flowers are blooming and the grape vines are twining all over, so summer is great. After the baby shower, I think I will just set around and eat bon, bon's and wait for that new Grand Baby! Yah, right!!! I have fences to paint, weeds to pull, glass to melt and enjoy whatever each day brings. Since I wrote last, our Miss Kylee turned 3 and Mr. Dozer turned 1, they keep me busy, young and give us so much unconditional love!! I really don't know what we would do without them!

I hope your summer is turning out to be a beautiful one! I am in countdown mode for that baby predicted for August 15th. Xavier and Grammie will be waiting!!

Dilly

Wow life has been flying by with all kinds of things!

Between Mother Nature, Family Reunions, and trying to get stuff done around here I have been flying low the last couple of week!

100 mph winds hit Battle Creek last Sunday, the devestation is really, really bad. Thousands of trees down, hundreds of people with their homes smashed from falling trees, and no power for thousands still after5 days. We were lucky enough to get our power back on late Tuesday night. They had told us early Thursday so we were thrilled! The 90 degree heat during the outage was just peachy!!! NOT!


The yard is looking spectacular, my vison of 3 years ago is coming together and I am a happy camper. My garden area is beautiful and I have a few more vegetables that I need to put in. The grape vines are starting to grow like crazy so the new arbor we built this spring will be looking good soon! I just have to work on the landscaping underneath it!


Todd is now in North Carolina and checking in this morning! He will find out what the schedule is for him to go and get Erin and make their first real home! I am so excited for them and hope that all goes well! I know it won't go smoothly, they are working with Uncle Sam, but after trials and trbulations I am sure they will succeed beautifuly!

I and my family attended the Dillingham Family Reuion over Memorial Day weekend. Over 50 of my Aunts, Uncles, cousins 1st, 2nd and 3rd enjoyed catching up with each other!

So next on my agenda is Shannon's Baby Shower on the 26th of this month, continue to work around the house, do some more quilting, and wait for that new Grand Baby due in August!! Can you see me smiling from ear to ear!! Yah!!!!!

Dilly

A foggy May morning here!

Good Morning all!

Well the rain continues and this morning we are plagued with thick fog. But it is suppose to lift and have a sunshine and 70degree day!

We have been having some good weeks, attending auctions, hitting garage sales, and doing lot's of local treasure trails. It seems to be working and the gas has been cut back significantly, which helps at close to $4.00 a gallon.

It is just about time to start planting outside. The weather is a warmer and the last frost date is near. The rain however is holding everything back, it's so wet outside. But I think I will make an attempt to start the ball rolling today!

Todd got the unofficial news that he will be stationed at Camp LeJune, North Carolina next. He should get his official orders sometime next week. Now he and Erin can start planning the next step of their lives. I know she has been sorting and figuring out what to keep, what to take, what to get rid of. I am sure they are both so excited just to be together again!!

Xavier is growing like a little weed and this spring he is attempting so many more things. He is out and rolling down the hill, planting stuff with Grammie, picking up poop with Papa and just having a good time! It is a joy just to watch him grow. Then to be blessed with the additional joy of having a new little one to love here in a couple of months is exciting! Who said growing older is a bummer! You just need to slow down and enjoy all the wonderful things that surround you!!


Have a great weekend all and pass some smiles and huggies around!
Dilly

May 11th everything is green and growing!

So how is spring in your part of the world? We have had enough rain so that everything is lush and green right now. The lawn has had it's first mow and I got my grape vines up before they blossomed!

I hope you all had a great Mothers Day. I know I did, spending the day with the girls and their families, having a pizza dinner, building my grape arbor that was my present from my daughters and hubby! Skyping and talking to Todd on and off all day! I wish he and Erin could have been here to share in the laughs and food.

Now all I have to do to finish my spring goals is get my flag pole up so I can fly my new Marine Flag!! Then I will putter painting and adding in stuff as spring and summer come and go! I mean I could make a list of stuff I want to get accomplished, but it would be forever long!

Spent yesterday with Heather and Xavier. It was her birthday and we hit some stores, had lunch and Xavier and I had a nap at my house. It was great and he is just growing, growing, growing! It made me smile most of the day and not be sad because it was also the 35th year of my Mom's passing on the same date! Love you Mom!

I finally have the Family Tree Design done!!! Now to see if I can get it printed out in large format. If not it's cut and past time! UGHHHH! My cousins have to stop having kids or grandkids, it's all I can do to get them all on one design! I call a moritorium on any more Dillinghams!!! Oh, thats right I have a new grandbaby and great nephew on the way. I guess I will just have to print smaller!!! LOL

Have a wonderful warm day today!
Dilly

Last Day on the Road!!!! Yippeeeee

It's Thursday and we are about to head out the door! We have been having such a cool start to each day it's hard deciding what to wear. We start in the 30's and have highs in the 50's to almost 70's. It's a reall head banger as far as my sinus, and I take all my meds with us. I have finally decided on Birky's jeans a light shirt and my spring jacket that has a rubber lining. Layers Baby if you want to make it in Michigan!! LOL

I have been very lucky this week. I finally managed to come up with a beautiful bag that I am thrilled to carry. Plus I was gifted an even more special bag that I am privileged to carry. Good thing I don't put much in my purse anymore so it's easy to switch them out easily. Below is my latest rag quilting project. It has interior pockets and one on the end for my phone too!



Tuesday I arrived home to a package on the doorstep. After reading the senders address I figured out that it was from Erin and Todd. I called and they gave me permission to open my Mothers Day present early! This is a very special present and it will be worn with my Friday "Red" to support the troops and any other time I feel inclined. Erin is a sales rep for MilitaryHandbag.com So if you have a family member of someone you know who has a loved one serving in our military check their site out. Anything and Everthing is available for Kids, Mom's, Wives, Babies, Dogs and guys. If I read it correctly you can even send your old cammo's for them to use now if that doesn't mean special I don't know what does!





I am one luck girl to have such thoughtful kids!!! I will be celebrating with the girls this weekend because we are all Mothers or Mothers-to-be. Plus we have Heathers birthday coming up next Tuesday. So I am sure we will figure something out for that too!!

OK, off and running hubby has promised me breakfast on the road! I have already had my coffee, but I am sure I will be able to find something!! Pass those huggies around and enjoy your day!

Dilly

A quick Monday Flyby from me!

I hope you all had a great weekend. I accomplished a lot but not enough. Isn't that how it always goes???

We went out for dinner with Heather, Kirk & Xavier at their local favorite Mexican place. The food was very good and the company was even better! Hubby took me out for Pizza the night before just the two of us. We don't do that much on our days off and to just set and relax was wonderful. When we have to eat on the road during our work days it is run in eat and run out, no relaxing, just getting what we need and jumping back in the car! I think to finish the weekend off we will be grilling shishkabob on the grill today! OK....I covered food!

I picked up some new herbs for my herb garden, replaced some that didn't look like they made it through the winter. So that one is up and running and we moved the sun dial into the middle of my herb garden.

We worked on installing a solar water pump on one of my fountains in the side yard. The one we worked on is the fountain I call "Pee Boy". Actually it is a statue that was used in a play in Creede. Todd brought it home and after it was used for inspiration for a play at his college he gave it to me for Mothers Day. It holds a special place in my garden and now when the sun shines the 3 foot tall little guy does his thing!!!

Next we will hook up the other solar pump to my big Bird Bath/Fountain which actually spouts water from three places but we are only going to do one. Another couple weeks and we will be able to put some plants in for the vegetable garden. But the temps keep getting to low at night for that right now!

I am off to finish a bag I have been working on. I really think I will like the finished product, so I am excited to see it come out of the washer with all the fraying and the colors it adds! I have some fuu-fuu designs running around in my head I am going to have to work on!

Some big news is after seeing a link on Face Book posted by my DIL Erin. I took the jump and adopted and US Soldier to write and support while he serves over seas. I got my information last night and will be writing to a Major in the Army! I have sent off an email and am finishing up a snail mail letter. I am looking forward to sending my support and prayers to one of our fine soldiers!!

Have a wonderful day everyone! Huggies all around for everyone!

Dilly

Good Mornig All!

Another rainy warm day here in the mitten. Gray skies, rain, tornado sirens and flooding. It must be Spring!!! Hey, at least the wet stuff isn't frozen and the temps are in the 60's I can live with that!

We had a wonderful Easter, spent the day with the girls and their families. Hid eggs many times for Xavier, played outside and grilled hamburgs and hot dogs. It does not get much better than that!


Today I am staying home from running the roads and having lunch with both of my daughters and Shannon's friend Sarah. We will be working out the planning and such for Shannon's baby shower that we will be having June 26th. Since we are all a bunch of control freaks and anal queens we will try to do this without bloodshed!!!!


I am going to have to get Randy to take a new photo of me with Dozer. My baby is getting so tall, he is now taller than Kylee. He has legs that just go and go and go! He will be 1yr old in June. The bright side, and there are many, to having a Great Dane is that at my advanced age, I don't have to bend down to pet him, and I don't have to even think about picking him up. The down side is that there are a lot of times he thinks he is a lap dog and wants to crawl up into the chair with me! Plus you must wear shoes, because the PSI of his paw can turn your foot into mince meat!!! He is very slowly learning to control his tongue with me. The "No Tongue" request is chanted when he gets in my face and he is learning to respect that with me. God help anybody else you will get a bath. But I will continue to teach him manners. If we could get past the licking thing he is the absolute BEST BOY!

OK.....one of the downsides of staying home is that I get to clean the house and catch up with some stuff around the house. But I will attack it slowly and read a few chapters of my current read in between cleaning rooms!! LOL Hey that's how I did it back in the olden days with soap operas. I would jump when the advertisements came on and clean like crazy. It worked every time!

Have a great time and pass some huggies around. A special huggie goes out to my friend Ellen!!! Safe trip my friend and my prayers and white light will be with you during the next few days!!! Love ya Chica!!!

Dilly