A Long Overdue Update

 

    Yes, I have been quiet over the past months.  We have had lots going on in our family and I needed to focus on my kids and grandkids.  The first order of business is that Josh, Lauren, Peyton and Tate moved to Germany for the next 3 years.  That is them in the above picture at a castle with their swords and shields.  They are loving exploring castles and forest trails near their new home.  Before they left, we met them in Montana at my parents' place in May.  We had a wonderful visit with them, my parents, and my brother Fritz.  We also celebrated my father's 88th birthday complete with an applesauce cake made with homemade applesauce from our apple tree here at home.  We made wonderful family memories and brought home Peaches, their cat, to live with us, and Nala, their Golden retriever, to live with Chris, Heather, Bradley and Isaiah.  

    We flew down to see them near the end of June to help them with the last push for their big move and to bring home Josh's truck, lawn mower, trimmer and a few other bulky things to stay with us for their 3 years overseas.  It was so hard to say goodbye to all of them.  I know that they will have great adventures, but still, it is difficult to know that we cannot just get in the car to drive down to them.  We are planning on going to visit them in Germany and do some traveling in Europe within the next 3 years.

   

   Bradley celebrated his 14th birthday in March.  He will be able to get his driver's permit here soon so he and Jeff have been working on getting his car ready (Jeff's car that he is giving to him).  Only a few more things for them to do together, a few more driving lessons (it's a stick shift) and it will go home to live with Bradley.  Bradley is very excited about having his own car and is so appreciative of us gifting him with his first car.  It's funny to think that I started this blog before he was born to celebrate my joy in becoming a grandmother for the first time.  Now here he is, a teenager (and a very nice one at that) and soon to be legal driver!

   

 

   Bradley, Isaiah, Chris and Jeff finally got the long-promised treehouse built at Chris and Heather's home.  Chris had told the boys they would build one, but other things got in the way (like Chris' very hectic life).  One Spring day it was decided that they were going to get it done.  Jeff was there to help with the framing and part of the flooring, and then Chris and the boys took over from there.  They have really been enjoying their treehouse and I know that Isaiah and one of his cousins had camped up there on at least one occasion.

 

   Our Steven turned 9 years old!  He is getting so tall and is a pure delight to have around.  He loves exploring and snakes, yes snakes!  As far as this grammie is concerned, that is his only flaw (just kidding, I really do not like snakes, but this kiddo adores them and even cuddles them.  As long as he keeps them far away from me, it is all good).  Steven spent the night with us 2 nights ago and we really enjoyed our special time with him.

   Our Isaiah is now officially a teenager at age 13.  He loves to hunt, fish, camp, garden and spend time exploring.  He also has his own Youtube channel and has added a weekly bible verse to it.  He finds the verses and shares them, along with some music.  This boy just amazes me with his heart for the Lord.  He also gives great hugs!

    For those of you wondering, we do live south of Spokane Washington that was hit so hard with the fires wiping out neighborhoods.  Please pray for the people up there, as well as all the fire fighters from all over the world that have come to help us.  We had 2 fires closer to us within the past few days and had our emergency plan in place just in case.  Luckily they were able to get those under control and are now doing to mop up and putting out hot spots on one while still working on back burning and things on the other.  Only a few structures have been lost down our way, but I do know at least one was someone's home.  This has been a horrific fire season so far and everyone is on edge.  The smoke has been bad and there have been times that alone has sent me into a huge fibro flare.  Jeff and I have been relying on fans to keep us cool since we cannot run the swamp cooler when the air quality is really bad outside.  Our poor gardens have suffered as well from the heat and the air quality, along with a flea beetle infestation.

   Other than spending time with our family, Jeff and I have been busy cleaning things out and either selling or donating things we no longer need.  I have already sold a vintage hanging lamp and table within the past hour.  We took out our dining room table and replaced it with a large credenza which gives us more storage and opens up our small dining area.  We were not using the dining table and chairs, so they, along with a dresser, were put up on Facebook and currently awaiting new owners.  Jeff and I have become one of those old couples who eat dinner in their recliners, or, in good weather, we eat out on the back porch on our table out there.

   Be blessed all and I will try to update more frequently.

  

Daddy -Tate Golf Date

 

   Tate got his Daddy-Tate golf date and absolutely loved it!  This kid is already an avid golfer and practices at home a lot.  They played a round of golf, hit balls at the driving range and then got lunch.

   The day started off cool, so Josh got the kiddo bundled up so that he would not freeze.  Nothing was going to stop Tate from golfing though.  This kid is obsessed with the game.

   He really does have good form and can hit it pretty far for his age.   Do I think we have the next Tiger Woods on our hands?  Nope!  What we do have is a kiddo is learning golf at a young age and doing something that e enjoys very much.  Hopefully this will carry on into his adult years so he can enjoy many more games of golf with his parents.

Peyton and Tate's Daddy is Finally Home and Peyton and Daddy's Date

 

   Our son Josh is finally home after 6 months serving overseas in Japan.  He has missed so many birthdays and holidays while being deployed in the lives of his young children.  It has been so hard on him, the kids and Lauren.  Lauren has been an absolute rockstar holding down the fort at home during these "work trips" as they are called in their home.  In the picture above, taken yesterday, our Josh had a daddy-daughter date day with Peyton.  The went to see the movie Hoppers.  He is going to have a daddy-son date day also with Tate, taking him golfing.

   

 

   The grandkids had signs ready to greet their daddy at the airport when he flew in last week and our son said it was so special to see the signs and his kiddos holding them.  Our Lauren made sure to make things as special as possible to welcome her hubby home!  All is right in the world again now that they are all together once again. 

   They now start the process of sorting through things that they are going to store and things they are going to take with their move to Germany coming up in July.  We will be heading down spend some time with them in the near future and bring home Josh's truck, some of their items that they want to be here with us, and to bring their cat home to live with us also.  There is a lot to do within the next few months and some big decisions to make.  Hopefully everything will work out the way they hope and the move will go smoothly.

   

And The Treehouse Finally Gets Started

 

   Bradley and Isaiah have been asking for Treehouse forever.  Well, Gpa, along with Chris and Isaiah, took advantage of a beautiful day and got started on it.  The plan is to add the floor, railings and then a roof at some point.

   Apparently, the boys could not wait for the official floors too get on, so they improvised with some wood they found in the shop.  It was another beautiful day outside, so they decided to do their schoolwork in their treehouse.  Our Heather, their mother, knows our grandsons, aged 14 (yes, Bradley is now 14!) and Isaiah (who will be 13 soon), realized that they would be so distracted if trapped inside to do school, let them just do it outside.  Smart lady!  This is one of the many advantages to homeschooling. 😁

   Hopefully Jeff, Chris and the boys will be able to do more work on the treehouse as funds allow.  This has been a wonderful project and the boys have learned so much about building and all the measurements, making sure things are well supported and safe, and patience.  I have loved seeing them all work on this together.

Frugal Friday Wrap Up a Day Early 2/19/26

 

     Isn't God the most amazing artist?  I woke up really early this morning and was greeted with this beautiful sunrise.  I quickly grabbed my phone and took picture after picture trying to capture the awesomeness of it all.  Truely breath taking don't you think?

   I know this post is technically a day early, with this being Thursday and not Friday, but my husband is off at work today and I find that since he is home on Fridays, I have not gotten around to posting much.  I'm not saying that having him home on Fridays is a bad thing, quite the opposite.  I really enjoy spending time with my husband and I don't want to ever take away from my first priority which will always be my family.  I know that everyone who reads this will understand.  

   

   Our son Chris took myself and one of his friends fishing last week.  His friend Jim is 90 years old and is the person that sold Chris's boat to him (and gave him a great deal on it).  I had been looking forward to this day for a long time.  Yes, it was cold, but the sun was out and it felt glorious on my face.  The sun reflected off the ripples in the water and reminded me of the days I would spend at the beach growing up in Hawaii.  I felt totally at peace and I even caught the first, and the largest fish of the day.  Chris took it home, filleted it out for me, and it is now in his freezer awaiting my drive over to pick it up and to drop off some things for him.  The whole day was just what I needed since I had been struggling with SAD due to there having been way too many gray days leading up to it.  Jim and Chris were wonderful company and my heart was filled to the brim with calm and love.

   While I was out fishing with Chris, Bradly, our oldest grandson who will be 14 in 2 weeks, came over to spend the day with Gpa (my husband) and change the struts out on the car that he will soon be gifted.  We had made this promise to both Bradley and Isaiah, that when Gpa retired fully, that they would get the car.  Originally, they were going to have to share the car, but then Aunt Helen gifted her car to the boys before she died.  Isaiah has decided he wants Aunt Helen's car, which made Bradley very happy since he wanted my husband's car.  The boys live out in the country and needed a way to get to and from work.  The deal we made with the boys had been that when we gifted them the car, that they were going to have to work to pay at least part of their car insure (on their parent's plan) and their own gas.  I know my oldest 2 grandsons well and that they would be more than willing to do this to have a car of their own.  So, Jeff and Bradley got the struts changed out and spent the rest of the day having pizza and watching movies before they set out to buy a Valentine's gift for me that I had seen and picked out earlier that morning.  This leads us to a list of some of the other frugal doings over the past few weeks...

~Jeff bought me a one-of-a-kind gorgeous antique stained glass hanging lamp.  It has metal work on it over each lower panel of glass that depicts a lake scene, complete with the shorelines, pine trees and a little cabin at either sunrise at either sunrise or sunset.  Each panel's glass is unique.  It originally was $295 but Jeff walked away at first and she brought the price down to $200.  Jeff rewired it for me and it is now hanging in our living room.

~We have been searching for a recliner that would actually fit my hubby and his extra-long legs. ;)  This search has been going on for months now since his recliner that he did have at that point was so low to the ground, making it hard for him to get up and out of, and was too short for his legs.  We even (gulp), looked at furniture stores, but the one that came closest to fitting him cost over $1000.  That was not something we could afford.  On a hunch, I asked my husband if we could go to the grand reopening of a thrift store near us and guess what we found...yes, the perfect sized recliner for my hubby (and his long legs) that is also the right height for him to get up out of easily.  All in, we paid a little over $100 for it.  That was a savings of $1100 over what the other one at the furniture store would have cost and it fit him even better!

~Our neighbor was gifted 2 apple pies and she gave one of them to us.  It is delicious!

~Our pellet stove control panel went out (luckily, we do have a furnace as a back up source of heat).  Jeff had me go on line and order a new control panel for it.  Cost was $382 after taxes and shipping.  It sure beats the cost of a new pellet stove and Jeff can install the new control panel himself.  Savings over $2000 for the lower end priced pellet stoves.

~I have been trying to cook more from our freezer and pantry.  A few of the meals I have made lately are a rich elk burger soup that used a Bear Creek Beef soup mix along with a pound of cooked elk burger.  So delicious on a cold day!  Homemade Fettuccini Alfredo using linguini noodles since I was out of fettuccini, along with the last of my half and half, and some Parmesan-Roman cheese that I had previously bought on sale and thrown in the freezer.  This is one of Jeff's favorites.  Air friend Panko breaded chicken with Colby-Jack cheese melted on top served with a green salad and rice pilaf.  A sheet pan dinner of baked Italian Sausages (served on buns) and sweet potato wedges.  This was served with homemade applesauce that I had previously made from some apples from our tree and frozen. A shrimp and cabbage Asian style salad with shrimp that I had bought on sale and thrown in the freezer. Teriyaki meatloaf made with venison burger, served with rice and green beans.

~We donated so many bags of things to the thrift store while we have been slowly going through things that we no longer need.  For each donation, we get a 20% off one item coupon.  We use the coupons on bigger ticket items.  We mostly shop on Mondays since that is Senior day and all of our items, except the half off color tags of the week, along with the new merchandise, are 20% off.  I stocked up on some nice Land's End cap sleeved dresses for the warmer months since I practically live in dresses when it is hot.  I also found a long short-sleeved dress which is also perfect for the hotter weather and works great as a beach cover up too.  Jeff found some comfy lounge pants and shirts.

~Jeff and I gave each other haircuts.  He cut mine way shorter than he normally does and I now look more and more like my mother with her short haircut.  I have to say, I kind of like it!  I have always looked like my mother when it comes to our eyes and expressions (I even sound like her), and thus also look like my great grandmother (my Tutu) in the eyes.  Now I look like her hair-wise too. :)

~Jeff got us restocked on another ton of pellets for our pellet stove.

~We took Maggie to the do-it-yourself dog wash in town.  She desperately needed a good bath!  She likes the blow dryer on the low setting there and will even come into the bathroom at home now on occasion when I am blow-drying my hair to get her turn in too.  Silly dog!

~I put away the Christmas decor and have now replaced it with Winter decor that I already have.  

~I picked up a few more classic movies and musicals on DVD.  We really enjoy these!  And yes, I got them at another thrift store.

~I made Jeff a loaf of banana bread with some over-ripe bananas that I had peeled and put in the freezer for such a time as this. ;)  Food is one of his top love-languages and boy did he feel loved!  He was making happy sounds while he was eating. 

   So there we are once again!  Oh, and by the way, my shingles are healing up nicely now and I don't think I will have any scarring at this point.  I still have some nerve thingy going on in some spots, but that is to be expected.  Be blessed and have a wonderful day!

Coming to You from Shingles' Central

😒😩😧😪😫😡

   No actual picture for this post because ain't nobody want to see my Shingles rashes.  They are all up and down my right arm and even a spot on my back.  They are ugly, painful, angry things and have brought with them their cohorts fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, and itchiness. I did go and seek medical help and am on antivirals, which do seem to be helping.  I chose not to get the vaccine for Shingles because it could make my Fibromyalgia go into a really bad flare that could last for weeks, months, or even years.  That was a chance I was not willing to take.  So...I will get through this and hopefully never have them again!

   Jeff has, as usual, been my knight in shining armor, taking off from work to get me to the only available opening to see someone at one of the clinics in our system here.  It was the furthest one from our home.  We got to the small town about an hour earlier than we thought we would.  We had left early because you never know what you are going to run into on these farming route roads.  The drive there only took us about 45 minutes.  We had not been to this particular town in years and a lot had changed.  There were some new shops open, including a thrift store, which thrilled me to no end.  We took a quick look in there and ended up getting some brand-new Fall themed fabric napkins.  We also met lots of really friendly people and one of the ladies actually makes the drive over to our little town every Sunday for church.  She is good friends with one of our dear friends and carries honey from the farm of one of my former students.  Such a small world!

   I don't know how many disaster movies Jeff and I have watched to keep my mind off the Shingles blisters.  My dear hubby knows that I am a natural disaster movie fiend.  I know, it is strange, but it relaxes me and I get a kick out of how bad some of the special effects are on the, shall we say, lower budget ones. ;)  I've taken numerous naps and have had some sleepless night.  I am finally getting my appetite back.  Jeff is going to have to make a grocery shopping trip for us tomorrow before he comes home from work since the gastrointestinal issues are keeping me homebound.  Yep, having IBS is not helping either.  

   Jeff is working another 3 days in a row week (he usually only works 2 days a week) since they are moving into the new expanded area of their store at work.  He has been really busy with that and comes home tired and sore.  I have been missing him while he is gone.  I can do the 2 days a week, no problem, but you throw in an extra day, and well, I just get to missing him so badly.  You would think I enjoy spending time with the man or something. ;)  I can also see that that extra day tends to take more of a toll on him also.  I wish he could fully retire, but there are still bills to pay, car repairs to be done, savings to get built back up and unfortunately, our social security checks alone do not stretch far enough to do it all.  Hopefully once he gets the repairs done on his little car, we can give it to our oldest grandson as promised since he will be able to legally drive within this year.  Bradley is going to have to get a job to help pay for insurance on the car and gas for it.  Hopefully he can get one at the grocery store that his uncle manages.  That will still leave us with my car and the truck.  We will also have Josh's truck here for 3 years come this late Spring, so we are going to need the space in the driveway.  

   Anyway, I wanted to check in.  Be blessed my friends and I pray you never get Shingles!

   

  

Only a Few More Days

 

   It's only a few more days until Christmas is here.  My tree is decorated, gifts that needed to be sent out in the mail have either arrived or are on their way. Gifts for the youngest two grandkids, Tate and Peyton are safely tucked away at their home now, along with gifts for our Lauren.  Hopefully Josh's gifts will arrive in Japan soon so that he has gifts to open on Christmas too.   We have done our annual lunch and shopping trip with Bradley and Isaiah (it was so much fun).  I love spending time with the two of them!  Steven will be coming over this coming Monday, and we have a Christmas craft of painting a snowman mug (or we could use permanent markers which may be a better option and then bake it on in the oven).  If time allows, there will also be cookie making with my "King of the Sprinkles" grandson. 😋  All that is left to do now is bake the cranberry-orange bread and get Steven's gift wrapped along with the finishing details on the family gift bags for Jaysn and Rachel, and Chris and Heather.    

   Jeff has a dental appointment tomorrow and a doctor's appointment for his knee Monday.  The plan was to go and fix the damage at Jaysn and Rachel's home from the huge windstorm that hit our area on Saturday.  However, our Chris went over today and fixed the shed and the house roof for them.  He also took over a gas-powered generator to run for a few hours to keep their freezer stuff frozen and he took them a propane heater.  They have been out of power since yesterday.  Jaysn did take time off work to be there to help Chris.  Chris let Jaysn know that they were going to need a new roof soon. That is going to be a huge expense.  Luckily, Jaysn and Rachel are very good about budgeting for big expenses and paying things off as quickly as possible.  I am forever grateful that my kids are all amazing at helping one another out.  It takes a lot of pressure off of Jeff, who whether he will admit it at times, is not as young as he once was.  Things take a bit longer to fix now that he is getting older and the arthritis, degenerative disc disease, along with some other issues, make it harder on him to do what he once did for everyone.  He is still there as a wonderful guiding and teaching source though.  If he can't figure it out, there is always YouTube.  LOL!

   If I do not post again until after Christmas, I do wish everyone who reads my blog a very Merry Christmas!!!