And the snowball keeps getting bigger .......

Pretty flowers to make me feel better ! From DD and family and the dear Neighbor and her husband !

And the snowball keeps getting bigger ....................That is how it feels around here lately ! Not only has winter hit with a vengence and forgot how to stop dropping that darn white stuff out of the sky , it has turned cold and blustery which makes it even worse ! So our -15 C feels more like -25 C !!! Just darned nasty ! Pretty and white on the ground but the sky has been grey for so many days - so unlike the north in winter as usually if it is cold , then the sun is shining ! Not that I have seen much of the outside for the past 10 days or so ..................

What started out as a mild cold quickly turned overnight to something much worse . I came down with pneumonia .... something I have never had in my life and hope never to have ever again ! Thank heavens I have such a caring husband when things aren't going well . He spent many a night and day checking me as I was so sick . Thank heavens for strong antibiotics so it didn't get worse then it originally was ! Our weekend plans got abruptly changed from a weekend away to a weekend of sleeping away the most part of it . DH did head to his meeting on Thursday and phoned a dozen times to check on me . Instead of staying for his company Christmas party on the Saturday , he came home Friday night as he didn't want to leave me any longer then necessary ..... and the fact that he didn't care to go to the party in the first place was a big excuse to come home ! LOL ! 10 days I have spent either in bed or on the couch and the only ones happy about that are my fur babies ! Even the cat thinks he needs to lay on me ...all 22 lbs of him !!! Add that to 10 lbs of puppies , it is no wonder I am having trouble breathing !!! Tonight is the first night that I have actually felt human enough to spend any time on the computer ........so hopefully this is a turning point !

I need to get better quickly as I haven't done my cards yet ( sorry people it will be store bought this year as I didn't get any made and haven't the energy to even think of homemade at this point ! ) .....hopefully this week and the list is getting shorter by the minute ! LOL ! As for Christmas shopping .....well I really need to get more done but worse comes to worse I can pass with what I already have bought ..................... now to get them wrapped ! Uggg !!! Parcels have to be parcelled up and shipped by the end of next week too so time is moving quickly ! And somewhere I have to find the energy to put my tree up ...........................

Well all in all , that isn't the most exciting things to happen since my last post ....we had our new flooring put in and our new garden door ! I am so stinkin' excited about all of it ( though now we really need to win a lottery ! ) and once I feel better , I am sure I will appreciate all of it ! Now if the magic fairy would just come and unpack those boxes into my china cabinet and curio cabinet ! Ahhhhhh ....... fortunately DD had a friend that was willing to come and give the house a once over to remove all the dust from the flooring ( another nightmare story but it is in now so I wouldn't talk about it ! LOL ) as there was just NO WAY I could ever have got it done ! Thanks Lisa P. for being such a help !

DH had another flare-up just before all this was going on and spent 5.5 hr in ER just waiting to see a DR .( No wonder I refused to go the ER ! ) Fortunately this time they gave him some meds that seemed to help and tomorrow he sees the specialist - again ! DD told us she was going to put our names on the list for extended care at the rate we are going ........................... LOL !!!

So ends my tale of woe ..............hope your life is running smoothly !

" Things I need to do today .... Breathe in , Breathe out !!! "

A few new cards

I love making cards and I love stamping ! The two just seem to go hand in hand ......

November is moving to darned fast !

The First Snowfall of 2007 .... November 1, 2 & 3rd

Where is the month going ? It seems like we just got through Halloween and now November is hurling ahead at a breathtaking speed . Christmas shopping is slowly getting done but with 4 birthdays between now and the middle of December some of that shopping will become birthday presents ! LOL !

I spent Halloween and a couple days with DD's family . Was so fun to see the kids all dressed up in their costumes ...even little Aiden was dressed up like Tigger ! The little grump ( he should have been Oscar the Grouch ) wasn't happy though and so out of character for him .... and popped his first tooth will I was there ! He has now popped his second !!! We had a good taste of winter November 1st and DH had to come get me on horrific roads and we pretty well hopped right in the truck and went home immediately before they got worse . We ended up with almost a foot of snow by the time it had stopped falling . It did actually melt before the next snowfall ....fortunately !

Well our house is undergoing some changes as of late . We had the sliding doors replaced in the dining area with Garden ( French ) doors so hopefully that will help warm that area up this winter . After much diliberation DH and I finally decided what to do about the flooring in this house as the carpets are shot . We have decided on laminate flooring in the living room ( after he has said no way for so long as he isn't a laminate fan ) but after pricing hardwood ...laminate was the way to go . We are replacing our lino in the kitchen and front entranceway with lino as well ....just easy maintainence and with those PEEPEE Puppies it is probably the smartest move ! I can hardly wait for it to all be done so I can at least start re-organising this house from the shambles it is in right now ! Not sure how much I can do myself though as the shoulder is still acting up ( physio helps but not at the progress I would like ! ) and now I have developed carpal tunnel syndrom in my wrists ....... just what I don't need nor want !

So with the shoulder and the wrist , I am sad to say , I have been limiting what I have been doing in my craft room . Many projects I wanted to have done for Christmas wouldn't get done and I will be lucky to get them done for next year at this rate ! It doesn't make me a happy camper being I have have bought and planned some of these projects for a long time !!! Dh & the boys were just away on their week hunt ( they were very successful ) and my week of scrapping and playing turned into a week of sitting and reading !!! At least I put a dent in my stack of pocketbooks !

"Life is what happens when you make other plans "

A trip of all trips

I am not sure how many years it has been since i went on a trip with my parents and my brother but I could probably say it has been a good 38 years ! This past week found me jetting down to the coast again to my brother's and then driving up the Fraser Valley to pick up my parents so we could could head onto Vancouver Island early Friday morning . The storm of the century didn't happen - thankfully - and we had a smooth ferry sailing across Georgia Bay . As I haven't been on the Island for 26 yrs years it was amazing to see all the growth in population there and yet there seemed to be a lot of open , unused land . The natural beauty is something to see and I love the oceanside communities . As we went from Nanaimo to Comox we took the scenic route through all the small towns of Fanny Bay , Oyster Bay , Qualicum Beach and a cute little town with a great ocean side cafe called Bowser ! Was fun to get out an smell the sea air and to stretch every hour or so . As Dad had hip surgery in January it was very necessary to do that .... and besides the fact 4 adults in a mini van need to get out !!! LOL ! We headed into Comox and found that my Uncle's was right on the main drag and easy to find which was a bonus ... not that you could actually get lost there I don't think !
My parents stayed with my Uncle ( Mom's brother ) while my brother & I stayed up the street in a motel . That gave us a breather from the family and a chance to explore the town .

These photos are of the ocean and if you look hard enough you can see where my #4 granddaughter lives ...so near and yet so far ........ the temptation to hope the ferry and go there was a great pull but I just didn't have the time to go on a wild goose chase . I love the ocean and it is so peaceful to walk along it even though the wind was cold and blowing ! We had an awesome visit for 2 days with my Uncle and I even got to see my cousin ( another Uncle's daughter ) whom I haven't seen in over 30 yrs ! It was a great trip to the Island but Sunday found us heading back to the mainland where my sister and her husband came to collect my parents from my brother's .


This is heading south down the Island highway into Nanaimo on Sunday morning ...in a rainstorm !






I spent another 2 days with my brother and got to see a good friend that recently moved within a few blocks from my brother . Unfortunately she had to work the 2 days I was there so we only had a short visit but a good one ......

Well I am now home and trying to catch up on things around here .... I feel like I have lost a week somewhere and we are heading into Friday again ! Sheesh !!! This has to be a sign of getting older ! LOL !

On another note , BIL is back in the hospital after a series of seisures . The specailists think it is from the combination of radiation and chemotheraphy he has had this year but they are running further tests to see if they can find the cause . I am sure he and his wife are just wishing they would get some GOOD news for a change ! I know we are rooting for some too !

" Nothing is worth more then this day . Make the best of it . "

And life goes on .....

Early morning fog on Lac la Hache , BC
Our little maple tree is growing !










The motorhome is winterized and put away for the winter so it must mean we are done camping after 45 days of actually getting out and using it ! The men folk are talking about their Fall hunt up North and rehashing last years ........

It is already past our Thanksgiving and that is so hard to believe ! What ever happened to September ? It came and went so fast ! The colors of our trees this year were beautiful but so sad to see everything turn so fast . The cool weather also hit fast and furious but AFTER DH & I managed a week of holidays . We just camped within 3 hrs of home and managed to stay in 4 different places and 4 different lakes . The one photo of the fog coming off the lake is at Lac la Hache , BC ..... I think this was a definate start to the fall !
Our little grandkid maple tree ( the 2 middle grandgirls gave it to us out of their yard ) has grown a lot this summer and sprouted a few more branches and leaves . It managed to survive the summer and the pups . lets hope it survives another winter as I love the tree and hope it grows quickly so it will shade our deck .... if we ever see a hot summer again that is !
Our fall has been very busy as DH has been away on 2 business trips and our week's holiday . I leave again next week for a trip with my brother and parents to Vancouver Island to see my Mother's last surviving brother and whom I was named after . His wife of 40 yrs passed away in September after years of fighting brain cancer ...she was 80 and survived for over 25 yrs after her first tumor ! Amazing !!! DH's brother is still fighting and has been getting some very good news from his specialists so lets hope after such bad news at the beginning of the year that he can beat the cancer completely ! Miracles do happen ! Dh seems to be feeling a lot better too which is wonderful ... makes the stress of the past few months a bit of a blurr !
It is nice that some of the stress has left and that I had a lot of time to myself so I could get the creative juices flowing and play with my " toys " ! I did manage a couple layouts and a few cards even though my rotator cuff has been giving me major problems for the past 6 weeks . Physio has helped but I wish it would just go away as I hate beeing in pain as much as the next person ! But like most injuries , it takes time to heal ....... I did receive some very nice stamps in the mail today as I was one of the 1001 people to be drawn for a promo set of " family " stamps from Inque Boutique :-) I can hardly wait to play with them !

Happy Fall everybody , get out and enjoy the crisp air and the beautiful colors as winter isn't to far off !

" Autumn is a second Spring when every leaf is a flower " ~ Albert Camus ~

WHAT ?

How can it be the end of August already ? We never even had summer for all of August and it has done nothing but rain and be gloomy ! But life goes on regardless and we are going to go camping this weekend regardless to the weather . It is a LONG weekend after all !!! LOL !
So first off , Happy Anniversary to my parents for tomorrow ... 56 yrs ! Wow , that is a LONG time ......... Congratulations and know I love you both so very much . Distance doesn't make a difference as I am there with you in my thoughts .... and will see you in October !

A HUGE Happy Birthday to my older sister for the 1st !!! Thank you for all you do ...and I don't have to tell you what that is ....just wait for the doorbell to ring for a surprize ... and no it isn't me ( tried that once and just about gave everybody a heart attack and don't do that with the age everybody is getting to now ! LOL ) ..... all I will say , is the surprize will smell pretty !

August has brought some very good news too ...and we could use it with all that has happened this year ! BIL has had his brain cancer go into remission ! That is a miracle but after radical radiation it is everything we all hoped for . Now if they could just get the cancer in his stomach to go away ........... BUT miracles do happen ! Who knows , he may outlive us all ...we can only hope ! MIL had a brain tumor many years ago , went to Sweden and had the gamma knife ( ray ) done and her's has never completely gone away but it hasn't grown either .... and she is 86 yrs old ( think ) ....her sister is 99+ this year though longevity runs in the female side !

Dh is struggling daily with health issues but is back to work full time . We are hoping to take another week off soon to go camping for one relaxing holiday before it is time to pack the MH away for the season . I am having rotator cuff problems so have been going to physio trying to get some strength back into it ....which limits what I can do or for how long . I did manage a couple scrapbook pages and a couple cards this week though ............ it has been a challenge just to sit for any length of time at my desk . So many supplies and no mojo .............. does not make me or DH a happy camper ! More supplies coming in then I will use in a life time ! LOL !!! Oh well , those 100 pocketbooks sitting here are getting read at least !!! I am working on #4 already this week ! Crappy weather certainly helps too !

Happy Labour Day everybody and I hope the sun shines for you ! I figure we had September weather in August so we should get August weather in September ....RIGHT ? Play safe and enjoy your families and the end of summer !

Where is the sun ?

It seems the past 4 weeks have forgot it is supposed to be summer and we have had nothing but rain , gloom and cool weather . Occasionally Mr Sun does come out but it seems that the dreary days out number them . We have been camping but it is so hard to admit that the season is coming to an end within the next 6 weeks . I sure hope we get a good Indian Summer here though as we really deserve it ! Last night we had an amazing light show of lightening here ... it lasted for over 4 hrs and it was all kinds from the jagged to the sheet ... and the the rain that came with it was really something . No pictures though as Mr Rebel is in the camera hospital ..........We are loaded and ready to go camping regardless .
It has been a busy summer regardless . Dd & family have been up a number of times and it is great to see our Little Man growing so quickly and now getting active ! Wouldn't be long before the dogs will all be running from him as he will be crawling ! The girls are becoming such little ladies now and one evening we had the 3 granddaughters have a sleepover her ( well DD was here too ! ) . That was a good time but next time Grandpa needs to go away so we can really party ! LOL ! We really have been blessed with great kids and and a full load of grandchildren . We even received more photos of the " lost " granddaughter . She has turned 5 and will be starting kindergarten in September ... hard to believe as she was only 8 months old the last time we got to hold her ....maybe some day she will come looking for us . We do know where she is though and by all indications she is a happy , well adjusted child ............ We still miss the physical contact and it is sad that she will never " know " her cousins as they grow up or her Father ...though he may never grow up ! LOL !!!!! Just kidding but it is a hard situation all around .
Dh is slowly starting to feel better and isn't so tired . He is working long days though and that isn't good but it is his decision and he will have to live with the result of such ! I can't do it for him !!! He plans on sleeping all weeknd in his lawnchair and I am more then happy to let him as I have a book I am reading !!! I have managed to injure my rotator cuff of my right shoulder so have not been doing much except for the necessities ...no scrapping , no stamping and little computer time as it just hurts too much . Physio seems to be helping but it also seems to irritate it ! Gosh , I hate this getting older as everything feels like it is creaking or hurting ...... LOL !

Time to get in that motorhome and bump our way down the road .... hopefully to some sunshine ..............

Have a great weekend and I hope the sun shines where you all are !!!

Holiday photos

Finger Lake
Tatuk Lake at the resort there . Nice grassy resort and a BIG lake ...

Lavoie Lake . Years ago Dh and the boys fished this lake before there was a public access to the lake and a forestry campsite . The fishing was also good and the fish a fair size ( some rainbows trophy size ) . We heard that the fish are fewer then years previous and the large ones are a thing of the past !

Gr#1 with her trophy fish ! Once she got in the boat then she wanted to fish and these are the two she caugh - and ate ! LOL !

Rattle , rattle , rattle ........

That was the sound of the motorhome coming back from Finger Lake on the gravel road ...for miles ! LOL ! We had 2 warm days and 2 rainy days at the lake and the fishing wasn't the greatest ...very small rainbow trout was what we did catch . Dh & I got caught out on the lake the second night in a rainstorm and got just soaked to the skin ...took days to dry everything out we were wearing . I had on my floater jacket so at least part of me stayed dry ! The one thing we did leave behind was a gallon of blood each and fattened up the mosquitoes and the black flies ! They were horrible !!! Grd #1 hates bugs of any kind so it was not fun for her at all ...... but she will handle fish ! Go figure ! Was nice to spend time with DS and GrD#1 though .....



Going fishing at Finger Lake on Day 1. Grd #1 was a little tenative of the boat and ended up coming back to shore . Took until Day 3 to get her comfortable enough in it to actually go fishing ...then she didn't want to stop !
This is the cabin DS and Grd #1 stayed in called the Grizzly Den ...very rustic , no running water , only outhouses and limited powers supply
This is my favorite photo of DS & Grd#1 walking into a lake that we stopped to look at called Tatuk Lake . This is also a forestry campsite which means what you bring into it you have to bring out ( as in all garbage ) . The spots aren't big enough for the MH even though it is only 27' ...great for a camper or tent though . Pretty lake but we found out it is a big lake and it does have a very nice resort on it . One afternoon we went for a drive and visited a few of the area lakes .

A little smoother ride....

DH went back to work on Monday and it has been a slow and steady ride so far . His mornings are rough but he feels better as the day progresses ...funny thing is , he keeps forgetting to tell his boss that he is on holidays next week and that he wouldn't be there for a week ...he cancelled the second week out of guilt !!! Tonight we even went to visit friends and it has been a long time since we have done that - camping doen't count ! LOL !

DD & her family were here overnight on Tuesday and Granddaughter #3 saw the pediatrician for a year check-up after her illness last year . She has developed a lump on her eyelid that one Dr says is scar tissue and another says it is a sty ....but she will be referred to another specialist over that . Who knows how long it will be until she gets into that Dr as this appontment took 7 months to get in ! Crazy ! For the most part , she was given a clean bill of health ! Was so much fun having the kids here even though it was a short visit . They are all growing up far to quickly - including our smiley little guy ( who went for his second haircut already and he is 4 months old ! ). Such a happy content baby and the girls doat over him ......as does everybody else too ! Such a wonderful miracle that was 7 years in the making !

The MH is to be loaded over the next few days as we will be heading out fishing for 4 days .....and I hope the rain lets up soon or we may get mud bogged down on the road into the lake ...but at least it wouldn't be dusty ....bumpy regardless ...but that will be a mild bump in the road !!!!

STOP THE WORLD......... AGAIN !

I need a breather ! This past 6 weeks has been just a little to hairy for my mind so I glad to say that DH has returned to work as of this morning .... for how long is anybody's guess as he will NOT cut back on his hours . This morning he left the house at 3 am and never returned until almost 5 pm . Call it devotion to his work or call it NUTS but I am NOT pleased with him ! He still isn't well as he has now picked up a cold and is hacking all night long ...he isn't sleeping and I am not sleeping ! Then that darned HR department he works for dared to ask him for some forms to be filled out by his DR ( at $35 a pop ) as they don't want to pay him his full benefits for the last 4 days he was away ! Yeah like they are paying him to work 14 hrs a day and then never mind the calls at home or anything else ! He has 60 days of holidays coming to him so they had best not make any waves or they may find him taking them !!! BUT it was nice to have a day to myself at home ... just playing with my stamps , ink and adhesive !!! i do love the house to MYSELF on occasion .......now if the HOUSEWORK FAIRY would just come do her job it would be VERY nice of her !!! LOL !

We are slowly packing up the MH as we are heading off for a few days of fishing with the oldest son and Granddaughter . We are so looking forward to it ...just not the temperature that is to be in the 30's again ! The fishing will be lousy and it is a ' new ' lake we are going to ! Bah humbug ! I was hoping to outfish all the men again with my new fly rod and reel that I got for Christmas !!! If it is that hot we wouldn't be on the lake much either ...maybe the weatherman will be wrong - AGAIN !!!! LOL !

But a few days of no cell phone coverage will be good ..... DIL and DD will both have a contact number and I sure hope they don't have to use it ! I can not imagine a rush trip home on a dirt road !!! Never mind what the MH would look like !.................................

More pretty flowers

Dh was the recipient of another beautiful bouquet of flowers from one of his clients . They are beautiful and will be going camping with us this weekend ! Another rough night for DH and still he hasn't made it back to work . He is getting frustrated with feeling lousy . He says he is going in to work Monday morning if he has to crawl there ( funny he said the same thing last night about today ... and didn't go ! ) . This is the first time he has ever missed work for longer then 2 weeks and that was for holidays when we went on our cruise to the Panema ! He tried to gt into his Dr today and the Dr is on holidays until August 2nd ! Hopefully DH will be feeling better by then as this has been a long drawn out bout this time .......


but at least he has some pretty flowers to look at !

Life such as it is .....

With more bumps then smooth sailing lately it will be nice to just relax and be able to complain that life is boring ! Not sure when that will happen though . DH is still home with his UC and has been trying to get back to work all week which in turn makes him anxious and then he feels worse ! It seems to be a viciuos cycle . His trip to see his brother last week settled his mind as to how Br was doing but with brain cancer being diagnosed and radiation treatments just finished , it is again a waiting game . No family drama happened either while visiting as MIL and SIL behaved themselves .... for the most part ! LOL ! At least DH had one day to visit before M arrived ! The trip alone was hard on DH as sitting for long periods of time just aren't a good thing ...the flight was over 5 hrs with a layover in Vancouver .

DD & family were here for a swim meet on the weekend and it was good to have them here . It was good for DH to have them here when he got home ! The girls swim like fish and they are beautiful swimmers already . I hope they stay with the swimming . Granddaughter #3 lost another tooth while she was here and that one cost Grandma $15 ... I had made a deal with her that if she lost the tooth while they were here that I would give her $5 ....well being the older 2 granddaughters " helped " her loose the tooth I had to give them $5 each as well ! Guess Grandma needs to stop making these deals !!! LOL ! Our little man is growing and such a cutie ! He was weighed yesterday and is weighing in at 13.5 lbs and 23" long at 3 months old . Just a small little guy ! But so happy and he likes to sleep !!! I did manage to throw together a dinner ( thanks to Costco ) for our whole tribe on Sunday night . It is nice to do that in good weather so we can throw open the patio doors and us the patio as well as the kitchen . It is cramped otherwise ! LOL !

The weather has turned HOT here ( 30 C ) and is to stay like that for a few days and then just cool down slightly ! Who was complaining of it being too cold ? We are heading out camping ( if all is well with DH ) on Friday for the weekend .......... so we can use the AC in the MH !!!

More projects

More projects done ! These are the altered letters for the granddaughters

A GOOD bump........

I FINALLY got some projects completed !!! Life has been so crazy here lately that is good to just sit at my desk and just let my mind relax and wander .

Visit http://lisasscrapshack.blogspot.com/ for more of my completed projects . Lisa doesn't have a Design Team but does post projects that have been completed with product that she sells on her online store . So submit to her as you never know what will show up on her BLOG !

Right now I am waiting for some Modge Podge to dry on my last set of altered letters for Granddaugther #1 and then i will be completed my altered letters ....now if only I could get some scrapbooking d0ne ........

Canada Day 2007

While camping we had Canada Day so it was time to bring out the flag ....which went in the flower pot I had taken with me ! LOL ! Was a beautiful sunny day for a change and DD and family came to join us for a few hours . Grandpa did the weinie roast for the girls and it was fun ...more fun watching Delaney lose her marshmellows into the fire though or burn them to a crisp !!! LOL ! And spoiling our little Man is always a priority ! Hard to believe he is already 3 1/2 months old ! What a good baby and a sweetie ! DD left in the afternoon ( dogs at home that had to be let out ) so we visited with our neighbors - who are also camping down there - for awhile before relaxing back at our campsite . Just as we finished supper friends pulled in with their trailer and got one of the last spots available - which was right behind us ! We had a nice visit then the owner of the campground put on a wonderful display of fireworks for all to enjoy . It definately was a better July 1st then we usually have - which means we got NO rain !!! LOL !

Be loud , be proud as we are Canadian !!! Happy Birthday !

Bump , bump , bump .....

It has been a stress month but we have managed to move into July with hopefully less stress then June . DH is actually taking a short medical leave in order to get his UC under control . That alone tells you how sick he is as he NEVER takes a day off just because .... and now he is paying for it ! These beautiful flowers with the huge flowers in oranges and yellows were sent by the company he works for ! They are just beautiful ! And the beautiful arrangement with the butterfly was sent by my good friend Lisa as she was trying to cheer us up ! She is a good friend ! Thank you !!! These beautiful flowers have actually lasted over two weeks and the two roses just died yesterday and had to thrown out - sad ! They are my travelling flowers though as they have put on a few miles .as they came camping with us and definately brightened up the motorhome .. LOL ! When DH finally decided that he needed a few days of rest we headed out camping not far from town ( 45 minutes ) for 6 days . Was a wonderful relaxing week for the most part . The black flies and mosquitos almost ate us alive but we survived with a camper's perfume -OFF SPORTSMAN !!! I did manage to read 3 large paperbacks too and DH slept on his chair ... I threatened to duct tape him to it and duct tape his Blackberry if I caught him looking at it !!! Was a strange camping trip as well as DH & I both had our cell phones turned on the whole time ( usually we " lose " them immediately ) .....

The reason for the cell phones is that DH's brother was diagnosed with brain cancer and was not doing well . More stress ! Right now he is finishing up a round of radiation ( 12 treatments ) and then it will be on to chemo . The cancer is aggressive so lets pray that he gets some positive results today when he sees his DR . DH actually flew out to see him when we got home and will be gone a few more days . MIL and SIL & her husband are there as well ......... but we leave that right where it is ! NO COMMENT !!!

I am hoping DH will stay off work at least all of next week ( his Dr signed a 4 week leave ) but he is a stubborn man and feels so guilty about not being at work and having others cover for him . I am not sure what he will do about our holidays either as we have 2 weeks booked at the end of July with the oldest son and granddaughter to go to a lake for some camping and fishing ...................

So the road is bumpy again .................

Father's Day

I didn't " forget " about Father's Day , it just wasn't a pleasant one here with DH being sick . He actually went to bed after a quiet weekend camping . He wasn't into visiting and just didn't encourage our friends to visit for long ...... and I totally understood that ! They might not have but they aren't the ones suffering either ......

However , Father's day does mean something to me . I have a Father that means so much to me . He is a quiet person who shows little emotion but is an old softy when you get to know him . We were terrified of him growing up but that was because Mom always threatened us with " WAIT UNTIL YOUR FATHER GETS HOME ! " ...Years later we found out he was a teddy bear and a pushover ... only it took the grandkids to figure that out . Go figure !!! LOL ! I Love you Dad !

And then there is my DH , my rock , my partner , my life ........ he is a silent strength that pushes me through life in an unseen way , he has stood by our children through thick and thin and he is their supporter in all things . He has shown them about confidence in ones self even when he is so unsure of himself most of the time ( and he should be so proud of what he has done with his life and the wonderful person he is ) , he has shown them about work ethics and how to be the best in their field and to strive just a litle farther ...... even though one offspring keeps slipping on this but some day he will find his footing and then look out - he is his Father's son . He has shown them that a life altering disease should stop life but to make it mean more and make the best of each day and to enjoy those little things . His shining light is his grandchildren and he gets very emotional when one gets a good mark in school or wins a swimming race or even if it is just their first smile . He loves me , he loves his kids and their spouses and he loves his grandchildren - all 5 of them ! He is the Best and he is so dearly loved ...so Happy Father's Day................... and I hope next year you can enjoy it !

A BIG BUMP IN THE ROAD......

If life hands you lemons then go drink taquilla !


It seems that just when you think life is going to start running smoothly and the road is straightening a big pothole sucks you in and you have to crawl out of that hole . That has been the last month since we were on holidays . First our Kandi , cocker dog , took so sick and we thought we would lose her to the big puppy playground in the sky . Well she has fooled all of us and is off her meds and seems to be holding her own . Actually she is quite spry for a lazy 11 year old !
But that was just a pebble on the road as to what we are facing right now . My DH has had a major flare-up of ulcerative colitis http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colitis/ which has left him weak and very unwell . As of this weekend he will be on medical leave from work and on strong meds to try get this horrible disease under control . The next step will be hospitalization and possible surgery . If I can get him to stay at home for a week then I will consider myself lucky as he is a workaholic and HATES being " lazy " and resting ...as he calls it ! He feels guilty about leaving his staff in the lurch ( but that is what head office has people making big money to look after not the peons in the company ! ) which in turn will give him more stress and that is a LOT of the instigator in this disease .
To top off and to compound the problem , we just had word that his brother has been diagnosed with brain cancer . We aren't sure of the severity of it but the word is not good . I am a fatalist to a point though and I feel that he will fight this with all he has in him . My aunt that just passed away at age 80 had brain cancer 25 yrs ago and was a survivor and lived through 3 bouts of it ! DH is so very upset about this news though and once we hear the news from down east later in the week , we will make plans as to what we will do . We had hoped to just head out camping and sit and relax for the most part of next week with the motor home ( yes , I know that is not REALLY camping ! LOL ) but it will be away and we will relax ...... providing we aren't doing a trip that DH shouldn't be taking right now !
So if somebody has some ashphalt laying around or some gravel , could you fill this pothole so we can get back out of it ..................

We made it through another weekend !

Well after the week we had here , the sun came out and it turned HOT ! Of course this is the weekend we didn't go camping with DH not feeling well , one sick cocker ( but she seems to be getting better and holding her own ! ) and 2 puppies that not only got tattoed ( for ID ) , teeth pulled ( and I think we just paid for a world cruise for the vet on that one ! ) but they got neutered ! How is that for adding insult to injury ! Seems Ryder had low blood sugar in the morning so they pumped him with gloucose before doing the surgury ( at $64 for the bag of gloucose ! ) .... all was well when we picked them up and by today , they were pretty much back to normal . Ryder seems to be walking a little gingerly but I think he is more embarrassed about the shave job they gave him on one leg , one ear and underneath ! Of course , he is the one that has the long thick hair so it really shows !!! I can see a short haircut coming up before to long for him - providing he isn't tramatized by all this !

Seems the bad news just keeps getting worse instead of better . BIL was waiting the results from the chemo he has had for the past while and he got the news on Friday ... not good ! The tumors stopped shrinking and has now started to move agressively . He will find out this week what the next step is to be ... and they say this round of chemo or radiation will NOT be easy and he will be sick with it .... We are thinking of you BIL !

Dh is pretty upset with the news about his Br but as usual , he is trying to be tough and not have it show ... that could be why DH is having a major flare-up ! He can't get into to his specialist though until June 19th- CRAZY !!! Lets hope that will be good news as he remembers nothing of the procedure or what the specialist told him last week .........

Well there are clouds in the sky now and the weatherman is predicting more rain this week , more flooding for the south and DH said we may go camping next weekend .... GO figure ... IT is going to cool down to the mid teens and it is going to rain right through the next weekend .............I hope the weatherman is going to be wrong about the rain .....................

Am I crazy ?

This is beautiful Lac la Hache ( not the greatest photo ) but the only one I could get to upload on here ! Go figure ! LOL ! This lake has the most amazing sunsets on it ( and no I did not get a photo ! ) . The name means Lake of the Hatchet and there is a story that goes with it but I think you can figure it out ... it involves a man and a hatchet and the man loses the hatchet in the lake ..... HOW TYPICAL !!! LOL !!!
And this is the female eagle that I walked up on to take it's photo ... to about 3' of it actually ! Too bad the eagle blended into the building as it was a magnificient site !

Call me crazy ...................

Do you ever feel like you are in prison ?

The dogs camping ......... not much fun to be penned when 2 big dogs are running around lose and you have to penned up ... oh well , better safe then sorry ! Camping with our three dogs and our friends each had a dog was really something i can't say I would want to do again ! Don't get me wrong , they are all lovely dogs but it was total bedlam ! One very ambitious 9 month old Border Collie that ran away twice ( yes once right across a busy highway ! ) and a very spoiled , childlike yellow lab that her own lawnchair and blanket by the fire ...........and then our pups who have a barking problem !!!!

I think I will take the pen any day and have my dogs in prison .......

Home again , home again.....

We met friends from Alberta for a few nights of camping . How " rough " is it camping in a motorhome though !!! LOL !
The mountains around Valemount BC ........ Beautiful to look at but darn cold at night ! Even the water in our hose froze one night !
Another rainstorm coming in !

Dutch Lake at Clearwater BC .... and finally some sun ! Too bad the campground was a fine dirt that clung to everything .... the dogs especially ! We even had to find our own fire wood as a small bundle of wood ( 6 sticks , some kindling and a piece of paper ) was $6 ... and lasted about half an hour ! We did stay for 2 nights though before heading further south by ourselves .

On to Chase BC where we met my friend Lisa and her son Brayden ( what a sweetie and he is going to be a charmer when he is older as he is now at age 4 ! Look out Lisa ! ) . Lisa and I had a great gab session all afternoon and I even managed to feed them a half decent supper before they had to head home to Salmon Arm . DH enjoyed the two of them emensely and Brayden tired him out too ....it is hard work pushing the swing all afternoon !!! Hopefully we will get together again soon .... and she had better bring Wayne the next time too !!!

The next morning I woke with a raging headache and upset stomach but after a nap felt like pulling up stakes and heading on to Lac la Hache to Kokanee Bay . This is where my parents spent many a day camping on their travels to and from the North and this is where a few years ago the family threw their 50th wedding anniversary / family reunion . just about time to have nother reunion there !!! By the evening DH was feeling punk and we hit bed before 9:30 ... unheard of for me ! During the night Kandi , our cocker had an accident on the floor ( so unlike her ) and she crawled in on our bed ( something she never does ! ) .... lucky me got to clean up the mess in the morning and smell her breath too ......ewwww . DH still wasn't feeling well but we headed on up the road to Quesnel and Robert's Roost to spend a few days there with kids .The granddaughters are both turning into such beauties and the little guy is so handsome ! What a sweetheart . ....

Kandi had still not got better but still had accidents and was now vomiting . ( We put it down to the container of ginger snaps she stole off the seat - my fault as I forgot it was there ! ) Dh is not feeling any better either but insisted we would stay until Sunday morning ...we were home just at 10:30 am though ........ By Sunday night Kandi is shivering and listless but we decide to leave her until morning . Monday morning DH is still ill and doesn't go back to work ( that is something he NEVER does ! ) but spends 95% of the day sleeping . He got up long enough to take Kandi to the vet where they ran blood tests and we found out she had elevated ( off the chart elevated ! ) liver infection . So now she is at the clinic on IV antibiotics and we can only hope that will help . I went to see her this morning and she was up and wagging her little tail so she definately was feeling a bit better so hopefully the antibiotics are doing the trick . Otherwise we will be having to make a very hard decision at the end of the week . DH still isn't feeling 100% but is insisting he is going back to work tomorrow ............... and me , well I think I will sleep for the rest of the week ..............................

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mom's Day !
Happy Mom's Day to those out there that have a child or more , natural , adopted or step or otherwise . Whether the child is minutes old or hours old or years past . I am one of the fortunate ones to have a Mother still with me but each year you have to reflect back on past years and how many you may have left with her . She has silver in her hair now and probably more then a few caused by me . Of 4 children she gave birth to , only 3 of us remain . A daughter passed on so many years ago ( 1966 at the age of 5 ) but she has NEVER been forgot on Mother's day as she was born on Mother's Day in 1960 . The past has shaped us into who we are today with our own families and hopefully has made my sister and I better Mother's for it . One of us holds her children and grandchildren tight as where one of us has let her little birds sprout their wings and make it in the big worlds . Two have flown into their lives and embraced their lives and the offspring as where one seems to have trouble finding his path out of the nest . Someday his path with straighten and he will find the way ..... but he is my Baby regardless . And some day he will make a connection to his own little girl and have come full circle .A Mother's job is never done from that first second of life until her last breath but she leaves behind her a legacy for those she leaves behind . We do the best we can and motherhood does not come with instruction manuals . Some times it is a thankless job and sometimes it is very fulfilling ...being a Grandma says it all !

Old friends

When friends meet , hearts warm .

Not old in years but in the number of years we have known one another ! In the past few months a few old friends have reconnected and we have managed to get together twice for dinner . Some of these ladies took me under their wings and kept me sane while my kids were teenagers ! Looking back , we were good friends and reconnecting has just made life come a complete circle . One of our dearest friends , Marlene passed on a number of years ago to cancer and there isn't a week that goes by that I don't think of phoning her then remembering that is impossible . We remember her each time we get together ... and it is like she is there with us . Time passes by but the bond between friends remain , sometimes it is months or years before the connection is made again ...but it is there .
Tonight one friend brought her 93 year old Mother with her as she was up visiting . If I have that stamina that this lady has at 93 I will be out dancing ! This woman is so young for her age and doesn't miss a beat ! What a sweetheart ! Some people get old before their time and then there are those that never grow old .......Positive thinking pays off or the fact that she has been a widow for 26 years maybe kept her young ......just kidding .


Make new friends but keep the old . One is silver , the other is gold .

Birthday flowers

" A friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart ".

What a pleasant surprize on my birthday to receive some beautiful flowers from my friend Lisa . Lisa and I met online over a year and a half ago and she and another online friend , Patti came up to visit me last June . It is so strange that we all had an instant repor and how much alike in a lot of things we are . We have our differences in that we are " age gapped " , me being in the middle ( just like in my family ! ) , we all have different lifestyles , one being a divorced Grandma and single , one with a loving commonlaw DH ( but who needs that paper to say they aren't as devoted to each other ) and a 5 year old son and then me ...married FOREVER and a Grandma to 5 ! Although these flowers ended up in the garbage this week ( they lasted almost a month ! ) our friendship is still going strong ! And I can honestly say , they brightened my birthday and they brightened every morning to see them . Thanks Lisa !

" Some people come into our lives and quickly go . Some stay for awhile leaving footprints on our hearts .... and we are forever changed . "

A few cards

I have been busy making cards , just not scrapping my pictures which are piling up all over this room ! I have stamped somewhere on everyone of them ! I don't know what I did before i started with this hobby . Love it and that I can use it with my scrapping as well ! I had a few girls on a message board ask me to teach them how to make cards like I do ...I am flattered but really every card is out of my head with no planning . Don't have a clue how they come together but they do ! They are from my head and from my heart ...each is unique and each made with love ....

Easter has come and gone.....

After a very busy March things haven't slowed down any but just not as stressful . I spent 8 wondeful days at the coast with my family , leaving DH behind to tend the dogs and the cat ! LOL ! His idea I leave on the plane on Good Friday and then come home on the following Saturday ! Got to love that one hour flight as upposed to a 9 hr drive ! I spent Good Friday with my brother and enjoyed every minute of it . We had a late breakfast being I got in a 8:30 am ( yes , I had to be up at 5:00 am to get to the airport in time ! That isn't fun ! ) , we spent a few hours snooping in a few stores and then I got a tour of a neat area called Queen's park in New Westminister ...many older homes and history on every street corner . Some day I am going to get down when the heritage home tour are on so I can see the inside of those old homes . We had lunch at Judy's a quaint little hideaway that was recommended to him . However the guy that told him about it forgot to mention that it is a Granny teahouse ...or that is what it seemed like as everybody in there but my brother was over 70 ( except me ! ) and female !!! LOL ! Good food though . Then a drive up the valley to my family's residence where I spent the next 7 days shopping , visiting and eating .....and admiring all the Spring flowers and green grass ! Yes , we still were getting winter when I left here . Since getting home last Saturday , I have been on a cleaning frenzy trying to get rid of some winter grime and dust . Mind you what gets cleaned , gets dirty almost as quickly as the pups are bringing everything in on their coats .....nice we can finally let them outside though and they can leave most of their business outside instead of wherever !!! They will turned 6 months old this coming week and weigh about 4lbs each now ( give or take an ounce or two with their hair ! ) . I was glad to be home though from holidays . It is always nice to get back to my routine , boring as it may be to some , it is my routine , my animals , my bed and my PHONE ! Our little guy is smiling now and Grandma is having baby withdrawl and really needs to go see our little munchkin ..he turns 6 weeks on Monday !!! DH is going away again on Monday ( he was away Monday and Tuesday of this week ! ) until Wednesday so I wouldn't get down there this coming week ...well maybe !!! Anything is possible !

Was nice to find out Ashley , Christina's little girl is on the mend much like small children do ! It may take some time for her family to get over the horror of the past few weeks though . Ashley , you have a parcel coming your way ! Enjoy ! Ashley's disease sure brought to light what we went through last year at this time with our Granddaughter #3 and just inforces that when a child says they are felling well , something hurts or bruising and marks that appear that shouldn't be ...... then get that little one to the Dr immediately ! By the grace of God both children pulled out of their nightmares and hopefully neighter will have any future ill effects from them .

So here is a final thought , sit back , enjoy life to the fullest , don't sweat the small stuff and most of all , cuddle with your best buddies or loved ones as you never know what the next moment in time will bring .........

Scary stuff

You never realize how close online friends become to being real life friends until something happens that makes you realize that although you don't know these people on a day to day bases other then through the computer , that they have become friends . When something happens to one of their children it brings our world so much closer and that friendship becomes so important to all of us . A few years ago I met online a lady by the name of Sue and we had some good chats online . Heck , I even bought her Sizzix from her and had it shipped to Canada from California . Through Sue , I met Christina and invited her over to LP to join the ladies there . Last night Christina happened to post her DD had small marks on her body and then they started to turn to bruises . Today she took her DD to the Dr and they have diagnosed her small Dd with ITP
http://www.itppeople.com/aboutitp.htm ...... scary stuff !!! Tonight this small girl is have a blood transfusion to build up her depleted blood platelets .........Our thoughts and prayers are with you Christina and your DD ( and your family ) .........

Well you could have knocked me over

Our wonderful Dd gave birth on Monday , March 12 , 2007 at 8:24 am to a beautiful , healthy BABY BOY ! Aiden Richard is our first grandson after 4 beautiful granddaughters . He weighed in at 8 lbs , 21 " long and such a cutie with his full head of black hair ! So far he is a very good baby and loves to sleep ! His sisters adore him and love to help and hold him . They don't even mind the smelly diapers ! Grandpa & i had a busy week as I stayed down to help the family while Grandpa came home to work so Grandma could spend more $s on baby !! A boy is a novelty for sure to shop for - and a bit of a challenge !! grandpa came down to visit and grandma ended up coming home with him as it seems all is going well there without grandma's help ! Not a bad thing though as i wouldn't want to wear out my welcome as I have a baby Boy to go spoil !!


Welcome baby Aiden and know your birth was anticipated for so long and you had so many people pulling for you for months . You hung in there when we thought you wouldn't and I think you have shown us all that you are boy to be reconned with . You are so loved and adored ! Hugs and kisses !!