Brrrr….Winter, the Leg Lamp & Molly

Brrr…we awoke to a cool 20 degrees this morning, no snow, just oh, sooo cold!  Jim got the fire blazing before he left for work!  Yeah!!  Molly & Tilbe are setting on their blankie in front of the wood stove 

Molly & Tilbe Getting Warm

Got some pics of the Leg Lamp Jim got for an early Christmas present…hohoho!!!!  He was soooo pleased!!!

It was very fun ordering the Leg Lamp & then keeping it a surprise!!!  I had to pack both cartons up the stairs into the attic!!!  The Mama had to help me wrap the big thing!  We had fun…giggling about it:)

I’m looking forward to the Christmas tea we are having at church…I’m decorating a table.  Which always seems to involve more than mere decorations, there’s the coordinating of the plates, sliverware, napkins, tablecloth & centerpiece…then there are the favors for each guest(choosing just the right ones…oh my?!)  Practicing how it will all look on my table at home, then packing it all up & taking it to the church before Saturday!  I’ll post pics after the event!

The house is almost decorated outside, Jim still has some garland & lights to put up…next weekend our small town has “Festival of Lights”, a parade & most of the houses in town are decorated with lights!  There is one section of town known as “Candy Cane Lane” & each year they out-do themselves with decorations…(Oh, did I mention we watched Lampoons Christmas the other night on tv?  Clarks lights make me think of Candy Cane Lane.)  I love the part of the show where Clark’s neighbor comes over & the squirrel jumps on her!!!!  Oh MY Gosh, how funny!!!  Ok, everyone must watch that show at least once during the holidays..  At our church potluck yesterday, after we put our ornaments on the tree, we ate & they had a big screen playing “It’s a Wonderful Life”…another favorite!  You couldn’t hear, but there was close captioning….it was even fun just to see the characters on screen..

Well, I must get off to work early this morning…I had a flat tire yesterday & must get it repaired….the “temp” tire Jim put on allows me to go only 50 miles per hour, so guess who is tooling down the highway(which the speed limit is 60) doing only 50!!!!  It’s me…pics to follow…LOL!!!

Enjoying the Christmas season…..(a great time was had by all)

 

Some Football, A Birthday, & Some Cake

Yesterday started out with a little sleep….waking up to go watch Tanner play some Football…It is so fun watching our middle grandson play flag football.  I have no doubt he will be a great all around athlete…

He did a great job & it was so much fun watching the little guys…

Tanner on the Line...

Then while they finished the game, I walked/ran the track for a couple of miles…the gramma must stay in shape to keep up with the grandboys:)

Then off to Olympia for some shopping, eating & celebrating…we shopped til we were all starved…Mom found some new slacks & a sweater, we got her a new white vest for the birthday.  Our good friend, Teresa went with us, the more the merrier!

Off for an early dinner celebration…

Here they come from the kitchen singing "Happy Birthday" to Mom!

She held the parasol as they sang to her...

How fun it was…we were so full when we left…oh my gosh!  Mom was trying to feed us all some of her birthday cake…we still had one more stop to go, Allison’s for cake & ice cream!

Mom & the boys…

More cake & ice cream…

And then some cards…Allison was the Winner!!!!  And a great time was had by all…………

 

Fences, Fall & Life

We, well yes, I helped, are building a new fence.  The old must go!  I’m surprised that Homer, the dog next door hasn’t busted through it already.  Molly & Tilbe are getting used to it.  They can see Homer much better now…hehe

The new fence is so nice....

Jim worked very hard, & then had to readjust some of the board again!  I was the gofer, board replenisher & nail puller person:)  We only have 3 more sides to do, but this is the longest of all….We did get to know Homer, the neighbor’s dog  during this process & he really is quite nice!

Our neighbor is trying to sell a couple of lots across the road from us, I was saddened the other day when they took down the big, beautiful tree!  It has been there since we moved here & I loved to watch it during the different seasons…the leaves are(were) beautiful!

I’ve built a fire the last two mornings for Mom, it’s been chilly in the mornings, but the sun is shining & the sky is blue as of this minute…

Must get to work…after work I get to pick up Tanner, our middle grandson & watch him practice flag football..I love it, I’ll have to post some pics.  The little guys are a Hoot!

Blessings to all, enjoy the wonderful day……….”and a good time was had by all”…(famous quote:)

 

Tyler, Fish & The Fair

We had the pleasure of our youngest grandson, Tyler on Saturday.  He can ask nearly a million “why” questions within the best part of 15 minutes…He is our resident comedian as well, (I think he takes after me:)

Tyler

Tyler can bring a smile to your face just by being Tyler…how sweet he is!

Jim went fishing on Friday, he caught alot of fish, but had to throw them all back…you could only keep the hatchery fish, no native!!!  Ugh!!!  Oh, well,  he still brought home fish…& smoked it!!  The best, wish you were here to taste…you almost can smell it just by looking at the pictures:)….

and here is the fisherman now!!!

We took Tyler to the county fair & we had to see every animal there:)..It was really fun, Tyler loved the animals!  He was able to pet the rabbits, see a zedonk, part zebra & part donkey!  A Zebu, some yaks with really long horns & a dog show with lots of chihuahua,  a boston terrier, and a yorkie.  All of the dogs were rescued from a shelter or puppy farm.  Ty & I had our picture taken with them…

Those dogs were from “Howllly wood..hehe

And a great time was had by all…..

 

Summertime, Hot Weather & “The Garden”

We have had a beautiful summer thus far I must say.  Today has been the hottest by far, I think the official weather for home was in the 90s, but the thermometer outside in the sun it was 110!!  At around 7pm it was cool enough to open the doors & let some air in.

I filled up the kiddie pool for the little pugs… Molly was trying to get her favorite blue tennis ball out of the pool!  She was a crack up!  The poor little pugs were havin’ a rough day…

Tilbe was tooooo warm!

Mom & Jim were enjoying each other while cooling down…  Hard to believe Mom would ever be too warm..hehe

The garden is doing well…although the tomatoe vines are growing the tomatoes aren’t getting ripe yet..The carrots are coming along & I harvested all of the radishes…you can see the tops of our sweet onions too!

Jim & I went camping this past weekend with a group of friends, we had a great time.  The girls, Molly & Tilbe stayed home with Grammie:)  After Jim made a quick trip home for a warm quilt & some other necessities, we slept soundly..funny how all that outdoor air can tire you out!

Well, tomorrow is going to be hot as well, by the time I get off work it should be pretty warm..Oh!  The joys of summertime!

 

Spring has Sprung…well, maybe…

Welcome to the West blog, it’s been awhile  since an update so I’ll fill in the gaps.  We (Mom, myself, & Allison) made a trip to meet Cathy in a far away town, where people wait on us…and we cool our toes by the pool..

Here is Cathy and Allison…guess what they just did?!?

Then there is the Mama, oh she was a “Big Winner”,,,

Can I just say that I enjoy being with these women…they are so much fun!

Allison was being silly…imagine that!!!

Mother & Daughter

When we got home Jim & I headed for southern Oregon to see our grandson, the jockey!!!!  We enjoyed watching Bryson with the horses…

Jim was one proud Papa!!!

Jim giving Bry a “leg up”…  it was so hot there, we enjoyed  our time by the pool & Bry hung out with his Papa & Gram…and may I just say, to paraphrase the Mama….”And a great time was had by all!”

 

My Life, T-ball & Others

Jim and I picked up Tanner from home yesterday & took him to T-ball practice.  If you haven’t visited a t-ball practice lately, go, no really, you need to.  I didn’t count the number of little boys & girls as they filled the field, but little they were, and funny they were!

If I remember, the first order of business was to stretch out those muscles…

The little guys & gals were “very” fun to watch…

More Stretching…

Tanner

More Stretching…

stretching

Here's Tanner, practicing catching...

Let me digress just a tad, our daughter, Allison turned another year older this month…We had a luncheon party for the girl!  Grammie, Dad & Mom & Sister….

They are scary looking, don't you think?!?

Grammie & Allison *pose*

We had cake, ice cream & a whole “lotta” fun…As you can tell, the fam is a bit wacky, but harmless enough!!!

Enjoy your day Cathy!!!

 

Snow, More Snow!?!

It is a winter wonderland again, again, I say!

Snow this morning, Sunday, In Montesano

I can’t quite believe it, but oh, yes I do…when I went walking with Aimee yesterday, it was a mix of snow & rain…today, just snow:)

Snow days:)

Oh Yes My Friend, Snow Happens

This is beautiful really, I do love how the snow makes everything white, clean & really, breathtakingly lovely.  In my younger days, it meant, heading over to a friends’ house, usually Allison’s & maybe some sledding.  It hardly ever meant a day off school, seemed like those school buses could make it through anything!  I do remember when we lived in Glendale, OR, & we were often snowed in.  My step dad showed us how to start a fire in the snow if we were ever lost or stranded…funny the things you remember.  I remember my pup, Snoopy, taking a leap off the front porch & going down so deep in the snow that you could barely see him!

Jim is still recovering wonderfully!  His blood sugar continues to be “normal”!!! Oh, how glorious!  He has shed about 12-13 lbs & is feeling great.  Tomorrow he will start driving again..yea!!

Mom’s working her morning crossword puzzle, I help once in awhile by looking up a clue online:)  I  am useful for something, (I  say smiling:)

Take a good look at God’s wonders – they’ll take your breath away.

 

On the Mend & Other Things

Jim with his morning coffee(in the mug Cathy sent, it has a chicken holding a sign that says, "Get Well, Eat Veggie Soup"

Well the patient is on the mend….he is feeling very good, & enjoying his morning coffee….here is the balloon that came with the mug..

the balloon that came with the mug(Tanner wants this!)

Anyway, Jim is doing very well, he can’t drive for another week(that is what he is looking forward to, driving again)…it’s been two weeks today that he was discharged from the hospital.  Tomorrow we go to see his cardiologist, I’m sure he will tell us everything is going well…

Mom goes to see the eye doc tomorrow as well, to get her perscription for reading glasses…these two keep me running!  Here she is playing with the new shredder she ordered(she likes gadgets:)…

Mom with the new shredder...

We woke up this morning to snow on the ground & about29 degrees out!  It’s warmed up already & the snow is mostly gone..I should have taken a picture for you, but I was just enjoying looking at it in the early morning quietness..

Since Jim can’t lift yet, I’m busy keeping the Mama in wood for the woodstove, chopping kindling & all the other things that require lifting:)  I’m building muscles(I hope), between that & keeping up with Jim’s exercise routine, we should both be in pretty good shape by the end of the summer!  Anyway, that’s the saga for the West clan for this week!  I’ll quit rambling…til next week…bye……

 

A Bypass & I’m Out……..

Well, Jim did it, this last week he had a 3 way heart bypass.  We were both pretty nervous about it, many told us that bypasses are done routinely now & quite successful, which is good.  But let me tell you, it’s a whole ‘nother story when it’s you or your loved one!

Jim went in last Thursday & surgery was at 8am…after they finally gave him some “happy juice”, ( he was quite funny:)  He made all the nurses & anesthesiologist pray (he did the praying) with him before they started surgery.   Just before they wheeled him off to surgery he said, “mare, this stuff is making me pretty bold!”…

He wouldn't pass a drug test!

After surgery Jim was taken into ICCU for the rest of that day.  When they let Allison & I into see him he still had the breathing tube in place, so he couldn’t talk to us.  Our pastor, Steve came in & prayed with Jim too, that was great.

The next time we went in to see him, I fainted…Well, it was a very stressful day, to say the least.  I was a bit dehydrated & mostly overly stressed!  So I was carried out of ICCU & taken to the ER.  Our daughter, bless her heart, had one of us on each end of the hospital!  Jim was in ICCU, Room 18 & I was in ER, Room 18.  They kept me there for four hours while they checked out my heart & gave me fluids!

We’re home now, Jim is walking 4 times a day, 10-15 min to start out.  This now has to become a lifestyle for us.  I read online today that diabetes really should be classified as a cardiac disease.  You don’t realize what damage it can do until you come up against something like this…

Our church family has been great, praying for us, watching over Mom while we were at the hospital & now preparing meals for us.  We have never felt so loved & cared for.  Our praise goes to our Heavenly Father, Who has brought Jim through this & continues to give us strength for each day!  Thank You Father!