April Report

PJ sent me this picture of our cute mama at the craft show.  Only one more month and we'll be sitting on PJ's back porch.  I bet Jeff will build us a fire.

We took Skye to an orientation for barn hunting.  There's a rat in the cage which gets hidden in among bales of  hay and your dog gets to hunt for it.  Skye had fun.  I didn't get a picture of Biscuit.  She got to go too! (The rat was always safe and didn't seem to mind one bit that dogs were sniffing all around them.)

Tami and I have been watching the tulips bloom at the Simmons Institute where she goes for treatment.  This cold cold April has finally warmed up.

 New t-shirt.  I have one just like it but Mark won't wear his when I wear mine.  He doesn't believe in matching t-shirts.  What??  After 30 years, I didn't know that! Oh well, I like my new shirt and I'll wear it good too :)

We found pork rinds at Obed & Isaac's.  I could seriously be addicted to these.

March News

We moved grandma's hutch into the living room/dining area last week and I put V's dishes into it.  Mark painted it red for me a long time ago but we just painted the inside white again to help make the inside pop.  And we did all that because:

I love this new (old) hutch that Flea Market to Fabulous made beautiful again.  All the blue willow went into it and we're filling up the storage in the bottom :)

My sweet friends know how much we rely on bacon these days and they think of me when they run across bacon dishtowels. I love dishtowels anyway and then they're bacon dishtowels, even better!

This little daffodil is determined!  We have to make sure he gets planted properly this year.

Kyle and Judson playing chess.  Mark was so happy that Kyle is interested in chess that he bought a new set to have here at the house too. 

It's so good to have the kids nearby now. 

Betsy's drawing of her mom coming home from Target :)

Some Days I Feel I Have Wings

A Mary Oliver poem I found a while back that spoke to me.   I'm 60 now and even a little more.  This is a very nice birthday and I'm soooo thankful for so many blessings.

 Mama's card made me laugh out loud!  It's perfect :)

Keto at The Apple Barn :)

Rachel and Judson and the kids came over last night for a pre-birthday celebration.  Mark grilled hamburgers, we had green beans, salad, deviled eggs, bacon-wrapped asparagus.  Now that's a plate full!

Love the little house vase and daffodils they brought!  Rachel piped the cupcakes for me. V's tablecloth looks so pretty--her mother, Mark's grandmother, embroidered it. 

February Update!

We're still going keto strong.  It seems a bit obvious to keep saying it I guess, because it's just how we live now.  But still, sometimes it still seems too good to be true

 

Our Betsy Girl turned 10! And for her birthday, she got a cute little streak of pink underneath all that beautiful hair.  And Kyle turned 8.  The tooth fairy paid a visit for his birthday too :) 

And V is 80!  As I'm writing this, I just realized Kyle turned 8 and V turned 80!  He and Betsy made her homemade cards, the best kind.

 Yes, I got her a "real" cake, the kind my kitchen hasn't seen in a couple of years.  But don't worry, we also had keto cake and ice cream, so Mark and I had plenty of dessert to celebrate with everybody. 

We had fun being all together for V's birthday.  This is probably the very first time that the kids have been here for V's birthday.  It's wonderful having them so close by now.

She looks happy, doesn't she?  And she doesn't look 80!

Happy New Year!

 It was such a great Thanksgiving/Christmas season this year!  Isaac was home with us and we got to hang out and be together in a way we haven't in years.  Judson and Rachel have moved back to Springfield and it's such a blessing to have them so near again. 

 Kyle will soon be taller than V.  Betsy will be taller than me any day now.

 All of us together. 

Isaac has left on his 2018 adventure, heading towards Denver, Cali, and Arizona.  He'll soon be in warm weather again.  And here's our Judson and the kids.  Rachel does such a good job of taking their pictures and sending them out.  Happy happy New Year to everyone.