Hello again. Yesterday tried to post and computer was not letting me, so all I got was the title!  One of these days I am going to need a new laptop!  This one is at least eight years old.  Having a great summer here in Washington,  plenty of sunshine this year.  The spring was not so rainy either, so I have been able to get the yard looking pretty good.  Little garden spot fenced off from the chickens, lots of flowers, pretty nice.  When we came back from Oregon in June we brought back the picnic table and some outdoor planters, garden swing and my lawn chairs.  so with the nice weather, we have had many chances to eat at the picnic table outside.  I feel like it is a vacation every day that the sun shines!  Cara has some outdooor water toys, slipnslide, little pool, so she can get wet and have fun in the back yard.  We have gone to the lake a few times, twice with Maddy and yesterday with Wyatt.  So great to have kids just playing in the lake having fun on a nice day!  We go to the gym every norning and she is in the playroomn while I do the water classes, so that starts our day off.  We are going to the tutor on Tuesday and Wednesday right after that, so we are done by noon.  Last week I rushed her to Everett for Theatre Camp from 12:30 to 3:30.  It was a little hectic, so I was glad we only had a 3 day camp.  she had fun, they were great with the kids. So this week, no tutoring, and enjoying the break from driving!  I am a little tired this morning, so I amn going to stop now.  Will download some photos on here once I get them off my camera.

Already July, and summer has been great!

Memorial Weekend 2013

Well, it is Memorial Day Weekend, and cloudy and misty.  Rained during the night, so pretty wet out there.  Should have mowed yesterday while it was dry, I just mowed on Monday!  Pretty and green and the rododendrons are great, mostly in the places I drive by, although I have one big bush with red blossoms in the yard.  Heather and Cara left for Wenatchee for their yearly trip to sunshine and swimming pool,  Have to keep an eye on Jenna,  she gets fed 2x day now.  Getting thinner but seems perky enough.  The cancer will get her sooner or later, at least she seems not in pain, and eager for her homeade dog food!  I was going to bring her over here for the weekend, but she is so comfy at Heather's with her dog pillow and couches to lay on, just have to go over there and make sure she has enough bathroom breaks. 
Last week I started on the HCG diet drops, so I am hoping that they take my weight down 30-40 pounds as advertised.  Following the program, doing better than I thought on 500 calories a day.  Without dairy or wheat I am not stuffed up so much anymore, which is interesting.  I sure look forward to my meat, veggie and fruit meals twice a day!  Have not even had the Melba toast or Wasa bread yet, because can't find it in the store.  Next Wed have a colonoscopy, so for a few days, no raw food and lots of liquid............first time for me. maybe the last?   We will see.
Actually, it is about time to eat, and looks like the sun might come out!  So hoping that I can get some compost added to my mini garden spot, finish the fence around it and plant the squash, cukes, pumpkins that are started under a window and ready to move to the garden.
On a side note, Thursday night the bridge on I-5 over the Skagit River between Mt. Vernon and Burlingon collapsed into the river.  No deaths, three were rescue from vehicles, quite a miracle.  Now the roads going into Mt v. will be a challenge.  Don't have to go until next week, so will see how it is.  Thanks to all those who serve and have served in the Military.

Well, hard to believe that it is the last half of April, and my intent on blogging more often has fallen short!  It is spring here in Washington, and yes, it is raining today!  But there have been sunny days on and off that have given me a chance to get outside and plant in the yard.  OIn March 1 we got some baby chicks, and now they are grown into small teen-age chickens.  Moved then out from the bathroom into Jenna's old dog pen (that must have originally housed chickens)  after only three weeks!  The chicks do not stay small very long!  Yesterday I saw more chicks at the co-op and hard to believe how cute and small they are!  I am waiting for my first $400 egg, probably late July!  
Cara is doing better,  after Dr. Appt in January, started increasing Lamictal so we could lower the dosage of Depacote.  After about 3 weeks, she became hyper manic, and was hard for teachers, tutor and us to keep her under control.  Called Doctor and was able to take away one dose of Depacote in the morning.  so now she gets 125 MG of Depacote and 40 MG of Lamictal 2x day.  she seems to be doing alot better on that, and no seizures happening.  Also we are giving her two drops of Frankincense oil in the am.  Dr appt this week and she said to stay on course with what we are doing.  Originally we were supposed to increase Lamictal to 55 MG morning and night!  So, glad that we can stay at the lower dose.  She will get another EEG this summer to check the brain activity.  She is still "Cara" , but not as hyper and teachers and tutor say she can focus better now, and not quite so distractable.  She is back at Miss Augga's studio for dance class, and still at swimming lessons once a week(until mid May). Also, she goes to Girls Acheivement night twice a month at church and has a good time!  Still likes to play "school" in the afternoon,  dance around with Grandpa Tom, and play baseball inside with a dust pan bat and nerf ball!
Big news for me, I am going to go to a week long seminar for dyslexia testing and become a screener and a tutor using the Barton method.  The seminar is in Seattle mid-June, and then i will have the tools I need to help other children and parents with the same problems that we have had with Cara.  Found an incredible book called The Misunderstood Child which deals with learning diabilities and ADHD and honestly is the best read for anyone with a child in that situation.  I am so excited to have a new career for this stage of my life!  Our "cabin/playhouse" is going to be my schoolroom!  
I have been helping in Cara's classroom since January on Tuesday afternoon's and there are so many students who need extra help,  Cara is lucky to have been put into the special ed for reading and math, although the way they teach math now is really confusing to me.  tried to help some of the kids with a math test they took and they sure don't solve problems the way I am used to!  and they don't seem to "get it" either!  Will  need to learn how to help with math,  Cara has meltdowns over math problems!
Today the school is giving a breakfast for the volunteers, and then an assembly,  so will miss the pool time today. 
In February I went to Myrtle Beach when my mom had foot surgery.  It was great to help her for ten days, got to be her caregiver, cook, house cleaner, it was fun.  Also got to watch all three seasons of
Downton Abbey while I was there.  Great show!  Cara got to go to the Green Acres Daycare just up the road from us.  She loved it.  Now I have a back up place for her to go, and it helps knowing that I can take off when I need to.
Went to Baker City earlier this month and met the tenants in Balm St. and Second St.  Also interviewed potential renters for Rock Creek.  Dutch and Marna moving to Georgia in June.  Will go back when they leave and camp out in Rock Creek a few days.  Well, time to get ready for Cara to come this morning, will post more often!

Busy fun with mother-in-law

Anne flew from Nashville, leaving in the afternoon on the 13th and finally getting in via the shuttle at 12:45 am.  Her first flight was canceled,  her second flight was delayed, finally made it to Phoenix for connection and then hoping to make up time so as to get to Seattle in time to catch the last shuttle of the day at 11:30 pm!  Then when she got to Seattle, the bags were on a different plane, and she waited more, but finally got her bags and cought the shuttle.  Meanwhile, back at the house, we are waiting to hear from her about her arrivals, and if she will actually make it to the shuttle so we could go get her in Marysville.  Gary was willing to go pick her up and take her to Sammamish for the night, if things didn't work out for the shuttle.  Gladly, it all worked, except then on Friday there were three zombied out people that didn't get much sleep.  We got through it and had a nice time at the Ward Christmas Party/Dinner on Friday night. 
Saturday I was up early baking the peanut butter/hersheys cookies, sure love the Kitchenaid mixer!  Then Anne and I went to Arlington Hardware to pick up Tom's Carharts that were on order.  Managed to find a few more things while we were there, clothes for Caidoc, something for Cara. 
Sunday was a marathon, church, tithing settlement, then Anne and I went to Mt. Vernon for the Magical Strings Celtic Yuletide Concert at the Lincoln Theatre.  It was wonderful in every way.  Too marvelous to even describe it.  Just say, it may become a new tradition every year. 
Tom was home for dinner Sat and Sunday nights, we all sat down together.  Don't think it will happen at all the rest of the week tho.  As usual, he is working non-stop to get two kitchens done and people are breathing down his neck, didn't help that he took on another job to squeeze in before Christmas.  But typical of him, we will not see him much from now on and he will be too tired to even converse with his mom, much less get anything done for us for Christmas.  Should be used to it by now, and I am, doesn't help much when the Holidays go by with no effort from him.  Oh well.
Glad Anne is here.  We went to Kohl's on Saturday early evening and shopped.  then went to the Mt. Vernon Kohl's yesterday while Cara was with Sommer.  The dogs now have two really soft cushy dog beds, and they are enjoying them, esp DeWalt, who is getting older and bonier!
I will be paying off the Kohl's bill for a few months, but feel that I have gotten good bargains there, and for just a few weeks it is good to feel like a normal person and go shopping!  I should be about done, and now just want to finish up baking and making up the plates for people!  Gave a few out on Sunday at church.  So, another trip to Mt. V today and then done with tutoring til next year!

Feeling hyper and having fun!

This is a photo of Downtown Baker City that I got from Facebook from Eastern Oregon Visitors Assoc.  It speaks to me of the magic and beauty of the downtown area, and I feel very peaceful when I look at it!  I am in the Christmas hyper-mode right now,  having fun but feeling drained of energy at times due to adrenaline rush/crash!  Have had so much fun with Cara, singing Christmas songs in the car on the way to Mt. Vernon or around town.  I have good memories of doing the same thing with Heather when she was small and we drove the VW beetle!  Yesterday on the way to see Buckwheat, and then to Kohl's for shopping Cara read to me "Green Eggs and Ham"  quite a moment, as she was so unwilling to even try to read last year, and would get frustrated and cry and shut down.  At koh's she was shopping for her mommy for Christmas, and also something for Sommer from her.  She took forever to make her choices, in the end, mommy is getting a very pretty sparkly dinner ring(costume jewelry) and Sommer is getting an angel ornament with LOVE spelled out in separate letters that the angel is holding.  Cara wanted a fleece blanket that was in a bin, so I told her if I got it, would have to wait til under the Christmas tree.  She was ok with that.  When we got home she wrapped the ring box, Sommers gift and the blanket, using yards of tape as usual, but had fun doing it.  She loves to wrap!  Just have to put tape on my shopping list for today!  We watched silly videos that I made on jibjab and she laughed hysterically over them and that entertained her for at least a half hour until Heather came.  Traffic must be bad now, Heather has not been getting here until 6:15-6:30 pm.    Lucky for me, besides the 50% off at Kohl's, I had a 30% coupon and also a $10 card to use, so got away with less that $40 for the haul of stuff!  gotta love that!    Tom's Mom is coming tonight, so she will be on planes all day, and then get the shuttle from Seattle.  We get her at Tulalip around 10:15 tonight.  so, yesterday was cleaning the bathroom, changing shower curtain liner, etc.  Doing what I could with the laundry room,  Tom needs to put up a shelf for me to get the soaps, etc off the floor.  today change the sheets, as she has to use our bed.  Washing the comforter, bed coverings, etc, remaking the bed and sweeping out the room.  she did fine in there last year, once she arrived, unloaded her travel bags and I didn't go in the room again until she went home.  She is kind of messy, like Tom, so chaos is the order for her. so I keep out of it, and just try to keep the living areas of the house tidy as I can.  Well, I better go now and get the flannel sheets on the bed.  First load of laundry is going!  12 more days until Christmas!

Pictures from Nativity Festival 2012