Catching up

Wow how time flies! My surgery went well and I am feeling pretty good. The knee is still badly bruised and swollen, but I getting around well. I pushed the crutches aside after the first day and relied on a cane for several days after that. We made the car trip up to Max's mom's for Christmas day and I slept on the way up and did okay on the way back. Max and I picked up Jessie at the airport (arrived from Ireland) this last Friday and that went well. Found a wheelchair to make the trek from the parking garage to international arrivals.

Max came down with the flu the evening I came home from the hospital. She has been a real trooper taking care of me. I had a flu shot so I did not get the horrible flu that she suffered. I had a couple of days that I had to kept a plastic bucket at my side because I was not moving fast enough to make it to the bathroom. I was sick, but not anything compared to what she has gone through.

I am walking really well right now and the main problem I am having is some muscle cramping in the calve. I fell really positive about the outcome.

We are having Max's family over tonight for New Year's dinner and I am planning on starting the new year in fine form!

I know I need to post some Christmas pictures and they will be forth coming (I hope).

Later . . .

Ready for surgery

I found out today that my knee surgery is scheduled for Friday AM. I am to show up at the hospital @ 6:30. Rumor has it that the surgery will last approximately one hour and recovery will be about one hour. Since I am completely convinced that doctors and nurses lie to patients on a regular basis, I am thinking surgery will probably be around 1 1/2 hours and recovery will be around the same. If I am to show up for surgery at 6:30, I am guessing I am actually scheduled for surgery around 7:30 or 8:00. Kathy is going to keep Max company (bless her heart for getting out of bed in the cold to join the frost filled trek to the hospital). I am glad I am the first scheduled surgery for my doctor because at least I can get up and get it over with and come home and go back to bed. Since I cannot have anything to drink four hours prior to the surgery, it is better to get it over with right off the bat.

With this surgery behind me I am counting on having a successful and productive 2007!

Later . . .

Early Christmas Cal City

Now how cute is that????

We made the drive down to Cal City to celebrate Christmas with Duane and family. It certainly is times like this that we would love to live closer. Not only are we not able to be there for Christmas, but we also miss out on the Christmas programs and just the general fun things that go on this time of the year.

We had a great time and the kids seemed to be pleased with their gifts. Can hardly tell that Desirae was pleased with her new Care Bear. Devin was pleased with his Sponge Bob lego set, but we made the mistake of buying Devin an XBox 360 game; which he could not play on their XBox. To solve that problem we loaded up the van and headed to Palmdale to get him something he could actually play. We ended up going to the Red Lobster for dinner (missed Denise's planned ham, sweet potatoes and killer dessert). We then headed to Best Buy where Devin picked out a new game. Devin actually fell asleep on the way home - so the game had to wait until Sunday morning.

The kids gave us really cool Raiders hats, which we plan to wear to Max's mom's where everyone else is 49er fans! Not only are they cool, but they are really warm too.

We made the long drive home Sunday afternoon, but it was completely worth the trip. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family!

The "Bobs" aka "ants" arrived

Max has been "not so patiently" waiting for the arrival of the occupants for her ant farm. She finally had to get on the phone to "Uncle Mitch" and bug him to get the ants in the mail. She had decided that she was going to name all the ants Bob (this way she will not get them mixed up - as if you could tell the difference between ants). Now she can just say, "Look at Bob work". They are pretty busy little things. They arrived with two of the Bobs dead. The other Bobs are cleaning up and trying to make a place to bury them. They are quite interesting to watch and I am looking forward to see what kind of a home they build.

I did finally do some decorating in the house. I put up a little 4' artificial tree with built in lights. I hung some candy canes and white and red balls on it. It looks pretty cute and gives some light and spirit to the living room. I did not want to drag out all my Christmas stuff; however, I put out some santas and many snowmen. I even "hung the stockings with care".

We are heading off tomorrow after Max gets off work to have an "early Christmas" with the grandkids. We are really looking forward to seeing them and giving them their Christmas gifts! The weather is suppose to be horrid, but I did put new tires on the Xterra and had the front end aligned.

Later . . .

Lake Tahoe weekend

This is the view from the balcony of our condo on Saturday afternoon during the snow flurry. We had a nice time in Tahoe; however, I did not do any posts because I forgot the adapter for my memory stick and the network connection was not secure. I did not want to put my credit card information on a non secured site.

We relaxed, shopped a little, ate some good food and did some gambling. Once again, I was successful at the crap tables and managed to come home with more money than I left with. We both were doing very well and were able to spend some fun time gambling and not have it cost us any money (now that is the way I like to gamble).

I still have not put up the "in" house decorations; but I have plans to get on that tomorrow. I had to take my Xterra in for a bouncing front end; therefore, I am without a car. Forces me to stay home and hopefully stay focused.

Later . . .

Back to the sewing machine

I decided that I should try an embriodery on a t-shirt to use the new stablizer I purchased when I was at the Quilt Show several months past. It certainly worked well and it feels really good. The true test will be washing it and see if it puckers or will hold its shape. It feels very comfortable and flexible - so I am hoping it will be better than what I was using before. I wanted to do a test run before I start doing some shirts for the grandkids.

We are off to Tahoe tomorrow for a LONG weekend - be back on Monday. Thank goodness we are leaving tomorrow because there is plenty of snow and wind expected in the Sierras starting on Friday and continuing through Saturday. We should be there and settled before any of the extreme weather decides to drop in for a visit.

I think I will take my notebook, so I might be able to do some posts while there (that depends on what else we are doing and if I get out of the casinos).

Later . . .

Hawaii

OMG we had such a good time in Hawaii. The trip getting there and back was not the greatest, especially the trip home (red eye flight which made for a VERY long day), but it was a totally relaxing and fun time. The above shot is what we saw from the balcony of the condo we stayed in.

I do believe I ate fish everyday going from expensive to cheap and it was all good. This is not only a GREAT looking salad, but the BEST poke salad I have ever had. For those of you who are not sushi eaters - bed of lettuce with fresh (raw) ahi salmon on top. The dressings were awesome and certainly added to the taste.

We had a couple of great adventures while on the island. We took a boat cruise out and around the Napali Coast, which was awesomely beautiful. This is a picture of the sunrise as we were leaving the dock in the morning.

We had the opportunity to see some humpback whales, dolphines and manarays. They were there as clear as could be, but the water was a bit rough and it was really had to get good pictures. We did manage to capture a couple of good videos.

The shot on the right is a mamaray and of course the dolphines are on the left. We have spouts from the whales and a tail slapping the water, but they are so far away it is hard to see them.

We also took a tube ride down and through the irrigation ditches, which was total fun and very informative and interesting. That little adventure could not be taken without getting VERY wet, not to mention it poured rain on us at the beginning and end of the trip. We have a water camera that we have to take in for developing of pictures. With the movement of the water, we will be lucky to get any decent shots.

Kauai had massavies amouts of rain this year and they had 200 fully active water falls. We got some good pictures. I will try to post some pictures on ImageStation OR everyone just might have to come to visit to take a look at them!

Later . . .

Long time away

I cannot believe that I have not posted in such a long time. We have been back from Hawaii for over a week and I just uploaded the pictures we took. I will get to the Hawaii pictures and vacation now that we have decorated the front yard and are gearing up for Chirstmas.

Later . . .

Quiet Weekend

Max took off Thursday night for her fishing trip with Paul and I stayed behind with the dogs. We have had an uneventful weekend. I made it to the JoAnn's Veterans Day Sale and picked up a couple of things. I played around with my new "Fabric Mover with Stitch Regulator" and have decided it is going to take a lot of practice to get the hang of free motion quilting. Of course if I had done any previously it might be easier (leave it to me to jump head on into something I don't understand). I think I will get the hang of it and will probably start small - like quilting placemats. I finished most of the scarves I need to do and decided to change gears and work on my quilt top. I have my Celtic circles now put together, but I find the real challenge in quilting is actually putting batting, backing and binding on! I am sure the best way to learn is to practice; therefore, I may take on that challenge this afternoon. I am being lazy and have not taken any pictures, but some may follow in the days to come.

Later . . .

Doctor's Appointment

I saw my oncologist today, which gave me the opportunity to ask some questions I have been wanting to ask. I am not very happy with the medication I am taking, but when he plugged all my data into the computer it appears it is definitely to my benefit to continue taking it. I can't relay the exact numbers, but the difference in relapse between those taking Arimidex and those who did not take it was significant. He also mentioned the side affects "should" be less severe as time passes. He reminded me that the surgery and especially the radiation treatments took a heavy toll on me and to take it easy (yep, lighten up and don't be so hard on myself when I am fatigued and sore). My decision is to continue with the medication and see how things improve. I hope after I have my knee surgery that I will be able to become more active and that might help with the joint stiffness and maybe I will be able to take off some of this extra weight. My cholestrol is a bit high (which is a common side affect - hormones and all) and he wanted to put me on medication, but I am going to try to get it down with diet and excercise.

No new lumps or bumps to be found, which is good news. I see him again in February and we will address all the same issues again. I will have new mammograms and blood work done before the visit.

Later . . .

Still Embriodering

I am almost finished with all the scarves I have been making, but decided to take a different turn and do something special for my motorcycle dirt bike pals. I think it turned out really cute.

I received my replacement fabric mover over the weekend and I want to switch gears and play with that a little. As long as I get all the scarves completed that need to be shipped to Ireland, all is good.

I also want to get the opportunity to play around with the software I bought. I have enjoyed the ease of use once I got the hang of sizing and placing things - VERY nice.

I am off to get my teeth cleaned and perhaps do a little Thrift Store shopping since I will be over on the side of the hill with Thrift Town!

Later . . .

Day of Plumbing

We spent the entire day at our neighbor's house moving their hot water heater. They have a mold problem that has to be taken care of and to do so the hot water heater needed to be moved. They wanted to still have hot water; therefore, the sevices of Max the plumber and Donna the apprentice were called for. What we had to do was extend the copper water pipes and the gas line so the heater would function. There was a lot more involved in the project, but it was kind of fun to be an apprentice again and Max really enjoys plumbing when you don't have to crawl under the house.

The best part of the day was that Kathy and Paul brought us dinner. They arrived with a beautiful salad, baked potatoes, green beans with almonds, garlic bread and Paul bar-b-qued some great filets topped with blue cheese. It was such a treat after a hard days work (Max's aching back and my paining joints) to be treated to such a wonderful meal. Max and Paul were planning on tying flies (which they are doing as I type).

Interestingly, Darci has not had any more accidents in the house. Her blood work came back normal and so did her urine with the exception of some blood. They are doing some more checks on the urine, but it could just be that she injured herself in that "big dog" play that her and Kodi do. I know they often end up limping or sore after a good romp in the backyard. I trimmed the hair on Kodi's feet and I hope his new shoes arrive soon. I will definately get a picture of that when it happens.

Later . . .

Kodi

Well here is the "Big Dog" taking care of the "Big Dog". He absolutely hates anyone messing with his feet and this is a twice a day thing. I have to put the socks on him so he does not proceed to completely lick off all the medication I just applied. Not only does it then not work on clearing up his feet - it makes him sick! The fun never stops around here. I ordered him some booties that have velcro to keep them on (needless to say I had to order XX large, which is the largest size they make). The socks work as long as he is laying around, but when he gets up and goes outside they fall off.








My pictures uploaded very quickly this morning - maybe the answer is to post in the morning and not at night with every other person in the world.

Later . . .

Horrible Day

I have been trying really hard not to complain about my health, but I basically am sick and tired of being sick and tired. After I finished my radiation treatment I felt pretty good. I healed quickly and was actually starting to get some energy back. THEN I had to start taking Arimidex, which is the drug of choice for breast cancer patients. The side affects are killing me! Actually I think the worst part is STILL feeling like I have cancer. I guess I was hoping that once the surgery and radiation was over it would be behind me, but I am getting an almost daily reminder of having cancer. I guess on most days I feel like I have a really bad case of the flu. My joints are experiencing a lot of pain. It is hard to get out of bed in the mornings or to get up from my chair if I have been sitting at my sewing machine or my computer. I am hoping that once I have knee surgery it will releive the majority of pain in my right knee. I bounce around the list of side affects, taking part in the misery of most of them. I have an oncologist appointment on November 9th and I am compling a list of questions. I would like to not be taking the medication, but it is a tough call.

Max and I ventured out to a "Craft Fair" tonight to get a look at what people are selling and what kind of prices they are asking. We have been considering making some stuff and giving it a try, but I am not sure that is the way I want to go. After the fair we went out for dinner, but stopped by a pet store first. Max found the "Giant Ant Farm" she has been wanting for ages. She had one as a kid and really enjoyed it and has been talking about getting another one - and there it was! After we took the grandkids to see "The Ant Bully" it has been on her mind.

I do not like to complain about how I have been feeling, but thought it might be appropriate to let people know just how fatigued, pained and depressed I am; which results in not doing a lot of communication or correspondence. i continually try to maintain a good attitude, but I am tired of being tired (I am ready for bed at 8:00 PM and sleep until 8:00 AM). I am getting my most pleasure these day from speding time in my sewing room.

Kodi and Darci have both been sick and that is not making things any easier for me. Darci has been having some urine problems with major accidents in the house. We are working on upwards of a $400 vet bill. Darci had blood and urine samples today and we will get the results tomorrow. Kodi has infected feet and is on antibotics and foot powder. Ahhhhh the joys of parenthood with no insurance!

Later . . .

Pictures

I really wanted to be able to post a picture of a couple of the scaves - so here goes another try. Well I managed to get one uploaded, but the other one seems to be stuck out there in cyber space (where ever that might be). I will continue to give it a few more tries before I post.

We sold the Quads today. Guess it was a good deal because Max had people lined up to buy them. The first person who called and said he would buy them sight unseen drove off with them today. It was sad to see them go, but it is probably for the best. We can park both the cars in the driveway and the garage looks HUGE.

I had x-rays on my thumb and they came back showing some arthritis and a bone spur. I will try to maintain (NO video games and wearing a thumb brace) and see if the pain will let up. If not, I will probably get a cortisone shot in the joint and see if that will give me some relief. Don't mind saying it hurts like heck

Ahhhhhh, here is the other picture!
Later . . .

Busy Embriodering

I basically stayed at my machine most of the day and worked on the scarves that I will be sending to Ireland. Some of them turned are really beautifully. I did some Celtic circles with varigated thread and they turned out very impressive. I have been trying to upload pictures for ages and unfortunately I just can't seem to get them loaded. I will post a picture when I can get somewhere with this stupid site.

We had quite a few cute little (and not so little) creatures at our door. We turned off the porch light at 8:00 PM and called it a night.

Later . . .

Mr. Pink Pants

Since October was Breast Cancer Awareness month, there were numerous "pink things" for sale in support of Breast Cancer. Sponge Bob "Pink Pants" was given to me by Kathy. I think he is adorable in PINK!

I worked a bit on my embriodery of Celtic designs on the fleece scarves. These are two that I completed today. I especially like the Celtic Heart. I am finding that I need to reduce the designs a bit in size to make them fit more pleasingly on the scarves. I guess I am doing a bit of experimentation on size and placement, but nonetheless I like what I am seeing (it helps to enlarge the photos to see the designs).









Later . . .

Slow Weekend

Yesterday we were up early so Max could give some fasting blood and I had x-rays on my "video thumb". I am wearing a thumb brace that seems to be helping to stabilize the joint and the movement (needless to say I have NOT been playing any video games lately). We dropped the Xterra in for brakes and an oil change (way overdue for oil and the brakes we screaming). We came home and worked a bit in the yard cleaning out the overgrowth of a dying garden. Max then messed around with her fly tying stuff and I in my sewing room.

I was very excited to give my new "fabric mover with stitch regulator" a spin. Alas, that was not to happen because it arrived broken. I tried to attach it to my machine, but it was obvious that it was not moving smoothly or correctly. Had to pack it up and send it back so they can send me a replacement. That was a big disappointment, but I did get some embriodery done. Not only did I purchase the fabric mover, but I also purchased the entire 3D Suite (which is no doubt going to take me MONTHS to figure out how to use all the gadgets and accessories). I did do a Celtic Sun on one of the scarves that I plan to send to Ireland for Christmas (turned out pretty nice). Getting set up and actually doing the embroidery takes quite some time, so I guess I better get busy if I want to have a bunch finished in time to ship to Ireland for Christmas. I have a variety of Celtic designs that I plan to use on the scarves.Today after we picked up my Xterra, we changed the oil on the Quads and got them started. Max is going to take them to work on Monday (they have a lot where people put cars and such that they are tying to sell). It was fun to ride them around the street a little - makes me wish we lived in an area where we could ride them without a gazillion other people!

Later . . .

The Fly Store

Max and Paul are planning a day on the Sacramento river with a guide, which will be happening the weekend of November 10th. Of course they had to check what people have been catching fish on so they can get busy tying flies! We made a trip to Creative Sports to pick up supplies. I personally was amazed that they did not have everything they needed (they have been buying supplies for months now). The traffic getting there was a nightmare considering we left during commute traffic, but we did get to use the "diamond" lane. After doing the guide thing on Friday, we are going to take out Paul's dad's boat and do some salmon fishing on the river. Would be really fun to catch one of those big salmon!

After the fly shop we headed to Pasta Primavera for dinner. We all had excellent pasta and VERY good desserts. Now we are stuffed and ready for a hot tub and bed.

Later . . .

Fun Weekend

We packed up and did a quick trip to visit the grandkids this last weekend (Max and I were both needing a fix). It makes for a very hurried trip leaving after work on a Friday night and dealing with the traffic that is out there, but in the long run it is always worth it. We arrived tried and went right to bed (everyone except Denise were already asleep). We headed out to the Renaissance Faire Saturday afternoon and had a good time with that. Desirae was VERY excited to met the Queen and she was very kind and gracious. Desirae was very coy and shy, but the meeting took place and Desirae was given a "gold coin" (filled with chocolate) from the Queen. The day turned out beautifully and in the shade it was very pleasant. Deanna had an opportunity to run around and explore a bit (playing in the dirt and dancing to the music seemed to be her favorites).

Everyone had their turn at chasing her around (actually more like herding her).

On Sunday before we had to head home, Duane set up his Living Room Studio and we had great fun taking a bunch of pictues. We really got some great shots and it is nice to have good pictues of Max and I. Devin was not in the picture taking mode, but Duane got some great shots of Desirae and her Nana. Check Duane's blog for a sampling of some of the pictues (my favorite is me choking him)!

Monday morning I woke up with a head cold and I felt pretty miserable all day. Today is a better day and I have been messing with the new software I purchased for my sewing machine.

Later . . .

Busy . . .

We had a busy weekend and it went by so quickly. We are trying to get the Quads sold and both the batteries were completely dead. Paul came by and he and Max went in search of batteries - ended up at Kragen after hitting all the motorcyle and motocross stores in town. After they dealt with the batteries then turned to tying flies. I worked in my sewing room doing a shirt for Paul with the Moose and Clark Fork, Idaho and a Fly and "Bite Me". Kathy came over for dinner and she worked on Max's notebook while I folded material and Paul and Max continued to tie flies.

I spent all day in my sewing room today. I purchased a 8.5 inch rotary ruler and made all my material the same size. It is much easier to see and the closet looks much neater having everything actually stacked in an orderly fashion. I am determined to get my sewing room shaped up and organized and today was a BIG start. I also started a "Goodwill Bag" and am cleaning out some things that are just not needed or necessary. Tomorrow I will tackle some boxes of things I have been saving to put on Ebay and make up my mind if they go to Goodwill or on Ebay. As soon as I get things straightened up I plan to start cutting on the jeans that I have stacked up in my closet (that job could take forever).

Later . . .

Catching up

I cannot believe that we have been home for almost a week and I have not made an entry AND that I stopped making entries while in Idaho. We had such a good time and had such full days that by the time we came in for the evening I was just too tired to mess with pictures and blog entries. I do have a bunch of good pictures, which I will try to get on the blog in the near future.

I spent the majority of the week getting ready for my knee surgery, which did NOT happen today. One more time it was rescheduled. I have decided to just put it off until December 22nd and go on with the things we have planned and not have to worry about my knee.

I am taking off tomorrow with my new friend, Lynn, and her sister to go to an International Quilters Festival. I was really disappointed when she invited me because I was having surgery and would not be able to attend, but now I can go. She said there will be hundreds of vendors and it is quite something.

I know I have been sketchy with information, but we had a GREAT time on vacation and brought back a LOT of trout. Max was soooooooo excited when she caught a trout on a fly she tired at our dining room table. I did not get a picture like the one I took of Paul because we were in our float tubes in the middle of the lake and I did not have my camera with me. She continued to catch many trout on her own tied flies and so did Paul.

Later . . .

Fun and Fish

Yesterday was a fun day at Round Lake. We took the float tubes and had some fun fishing. We did not catch a lot of fish, but Kathy did catch a nice trout. When you have a nice lake it is really great to get the float tubes out and be able to get around the lake - even though Max and I did not catch anything, we had some fun.

Today we all slept in (we seemed to all be tired) and then did some driving around trying to find a decent creek or river for Max and Paul to do some fly fishing, but all the creeks and rivers are pretty dry right now. However we went back to the bridge on the Clark Fork River and did some fishing. The REALLY cool thing was that Paul caught a fish on a fly that he tied at our living room table.How cool is that?! Paul and I both caught a fish that we did not know what it was. We had no picture and no one knew what they were - pretty gold colored fish, but we did the catch and release thing because we did not know what they were and did not want to be in possession of something that was not to be taken.

We are planning to hook up with Wanda and Don tomorrow morning for breakfast and then we are all going to Anelope Lake in hopes of catching some more fish. Time is starting to fly and Friday will be here before we know it.

Later . . .

More fun - no fish

Now here we have a couple of people who look like they are really ready to catch some fish! Max, Paul and I went out in search of fish this afternoon and ended up with some really nice pictures, some good "bites", fish stories and NO fish! We did have a good time and the Clark Fork River was moving well and gave us some beautiful scenery. The weather was very nice - not too hot and not too cold.

We were fishing just beyond the foot bridge and as the sun was going down it was really beautiful. Tomorrow we are planning a trip to one of the nearby lakes in hopes of actually getting a fish to stay on our hooks.

Later . . .

Vacation progress

We went fishing yesterday afternoon at Johnson Creek. Did not catch any fish, but threw some lures and enjoyed ourselves. The water was pretty low and not flowing – so we figured we would not catch anything, but it is always fun to throw some lures and anticipate the possibility of catching something.

Max and Paul woke early and headed down to the dock to try their luck. Paul caught a good sized perch and then our upstairs neighbor invited them to go out with him on his boat for a little fishing. Paul ended up catching some fish, but Max came back with no fish and two less lures.

When they were finished, we headed in to town to the Fly store; however we ended up at Walmart where Paul picked up a cheap pole and we bought some groceries. We had breakfast and headed back to the Condo. We are planning on trying our luck on the Clark Fork River this afternoon. Tomorrow we might try a couple of the lakes around here that stock fish (we all need to catch something).

Later …

Arrived in Idaho

We were a bit delayed in our arrival in Idaho because Paul had brake problems and had to take his car in. They had to replace the rotors on the front so we did not get back on the road until almost 11:30 AM. We still had a nice drive and stopped along the way to see sights and relax and eat. We arrived just in time to get checked in before the office closed. This is where our Condo is - not right on the water, but one back and we can see the water from our place. We unpacked and got a good night's sleep.

We hooked up with Wanda and Don for breakfast (pancakes, bacon and eggs) and then went out on their boat for a little afternoon fishing (wrong time of day, but it was a beautiful boat ride).
We are heading out to throw some lures and then Wanda and Don are feeding us ribs for dinner.

Paul is having some bad luck on this trip - he broke one of his fly poles and the other one is the top to one and the bottom to another. We will be making a trip for the purchase of a new fly pole tomorrow.

Later . . .