Saturday, October 4, 2008

Our Little Dog


Some wanted to see a picture of our little Papillon, Piper. Here he is. We adopted him in February. He's a good little dog, but he LOVES to lick.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

The Love of Family and Friends

This has been a good day. The weather has been beautiful for the last couple days, and that always helps my mood. I love the sun.

I've been playing at being a kid again. One of the grands aspires to be a chef. Some time back, I found a little chef's jacket at the Goodwill, so I bought it. I was going to make white pants to go with it, but daughter suggested I make black and white tiny houndstooth pants (she's seen chefs wear them somewhere - probably on Hell's Kitchen on TV or something). So, I bought the appropriate material and made the pants. Finished them earlier today.

Then I went down to my handy dandy computer and got to work. I made a sign that reads, "Miss Hootie Patootie's Fine Dining." I put a picture of an owl on it. In case you're wondering about the relevance, when this particular granddaughter was tiny, she would shape her mouth in a little "o" and make a hooting sound. She picked up the nickname "Hootie" as an infant, and it wasn't long until her daddy added the "Patootie" portion. After I made the sign, I put together a menu. My trip to Dollar Tree and Wal-Mart came next. I bought some aprons, chef hats, utensils, plates, bowls and cups (mostly disposable to cut down on the cost), some receipt books and some play money. I also bought some food items - single bags of chips, soup, lunch cakes, and a couple kinds of juice. When I brought everything home, I updated the menu to include the items I had purchased. I don't know if the kids will like it or not, but I had a ball!

A niece on hubby's side called from Washington D.C., where she now lives, and we chatted for quite a while. I've always loved this sweet girl, and it seems that we're always able to find things to talk about. She affirms me, and Lord only knows how much I need that sometime!

I just got off the phone with niece when the phone rang again. This time it was my mom saying she and my sis were on their way over to see how hubby was doing. They came bearing dessert - fresh peach cobbler and Cool Whip. Yummy! So, I put on a fresh pot of coffee, and we sat around the table and talked for quite a while.

It doesn't get any better than that, does it? Spending time letting the "child" in you take over, and then visiting with loved friends and family. Some probably think I let the child in me take over too often, but I've always been pretty animated, and I don't usually have much trouble developing a rapport with children. Maybe I'm saying that acting the fool is something I occasionally enjoy! (Imagine that!) No matter. I've had a good day. Hope the grandkids enjoy my creations as much as I did!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Proud as Punch

While Don was in ICU at MO Bap, we were quite surprised to learn that they had no age restrictions on visitors. Therefore, our younger grandchildren (aged 10 and 8) were allowed to go in and visit with him. That might be a problem with some children who haven't been taught properly how to behave in that type of setting or are too young to understand that they must be quiet, but our kids were exemplary. The nurses were all commenting on how well they were behaving, and Don and I were about to pop our buttons!! Our favorite nurse, Katie, went on and on about what sweet children they were. Just what a grandparent longs to hear. Of course, they might not have been so quick with the praise if they knew that our grandchildren are all quite shy and never step out of the box very far. Doesn't matter. We were smiling anyway.

Then, of course, the night before I brought Don home, D came by with my grand-dogs. (I'm told I NEVER mention them, so I must make things right.) Our little dog, Piper, absolutely loves playing with Bella. Livvy, who is actually the cuter of the two, doesn't excite Piper nearly as much as his first cousin. They ran and romped and played - almost like watching children interact with each other. A release for the dogs, and a release for me as well - which is much needed after spending several days in a hospital setting.

Don continues to improve. He did have one leg cramp last night, but that's a huge improvement. It's not unusual for him to have 10 or more a night. He rested better and is still going very lightly on the pain meds. He took one tablet (he's supposed to take two) just before bedtime last night, and he felt like it helped. We go to our family doctor today to discuss Don's problems with his blood pressure while he was in the hospital. They may prescribe something for that. All in all, he's beating all the odds. We stand before God with thankful hearts.