Where does the time go???

It is now August...not sure where June and July went!! Lots of things going on.
My husband and I bought our daughter and her husband's home in Waldo and they moved to Olathe. So my sister and I spent a month cleaning, painting and preparing this little house to be sold. It needed some TLC and looks really cute now. This picture was taken a while back. So that took a lot care of July.








Our sad news it that we found out our other golden retriever, Phoebe, has lymphoma and they say she probably has a 2 to 3 months left with us. We have her on medication to put it in remission and we will see. She seems good, but I know she doesn't feel like her old self. It is hard for us to get our brains around. She is 7 and should have had a lot of years ahead.
So now we are in the midst of August and it is getting hot...finally. It has been a strangely cool summer. Kids start back to school next week in our district and that officially ends the summer in my mind.
We are thinking about selling our home and downsizing. It is a huge stretch for us...but something that we want to do eventually. We have been here for 25 years and it will be hard to leave...but we will be ready.

Memorial Day

And another month has sneaked passed me. I have pots planted around the pool, mulch spread, patio furniture cleaned off, and had the first of hopefully many small gatherings on our back deck last night.

There are 6 bluebird eggs in one house, and 3 nests for the purple martins! I love this time of year!

Our baby turned 25 last week...WOW! How does that happen!?? She shares her birthday with my great niece who turned 3!












We have put the "selling the house and moving" idea on hold for right now. Market is low and so we are going to wait. But we are sure enjoying the cleaning out the clutter part...it is such a freeing feeling!

Where did the 3 months go?

I can't believe I have not posted for almost 3 months! The loss of Norm has hit me much harder than I would have ever expected. I found out how lonely it was not having him by my side all the time.
In the mean time Paul and I have celebrated our 30th anniversary and we did it in style. I surprised him and flew him to Chicago for 2 nights where we went to a play, ate fabulous food and just enjoyed ourselves. It was such fun planning everything without him knowing about it and he was amazed I planned it all.
We are toying with the idea of selling our home and downsizing to a condo. Now that we are down to one dog, we are able to start the wheels rolling on the process. It is a bit overwhelming, and a lot of things that have to fall in to place to make it happen.
So it could be a crazy summer for us.... Hard to say.

Our hearts are healing.

What happened? Where did December go? Must have been here...but a bit of a blur.
It is now January and 2009 and time for a new start.

Our Christmas was really good...had the whole family here on the Sunday before Christmas and it was a good day. The craziness, the food, the kids, it was great.

As the house cleared out that day, it was with deep concern we noticed our wonderful old golden retriever, Norm, had not been himself all day. We loaded him in the car and headed to the emergency vet. Within the hour we knew we would not have him much longer...he had a mass around his heart that would only extend his life by months if we chose to have it removed. At 10 1/2 years old, we decided Norm's life had come to an end and it was time to say good-bye. We picked him up the next day and took him to our vet and said our tearful farewell.
His ashes have now been spread in our back yard where he loved to be.







He is deeply missed.

The next day our sons came home for a week and we had a good time with them. They were a good diversion from the sadness we were struggling with. If you are not a pet person, it is hard to understand the loss you feel...the heartbreak.

On a brighter note, Phoebe, our other dog has now fallen into the "favored" dog position for the first time in her life and although you can tell she is still looking for Norm, she is enjoying the limelight with regular walks and regular brushings. She is not ready to eat out of his bowl...but that will come with time.






She is so our cat!

January is busy with travel and knitting and trying to figure out how in the world to get rid of a bunch of weight!!! Time to get busy with that.

I knitted slippers until the cows came home..for Christmas gifts!


I think the total was 7 pairs...I could do them in my sleep.
The kids loved them though - so it was fun.






Lastly, my Christmas gift was sitting in the driveway,

my new SmartCar! It is quite a hoot to drive and a lot of fun.
I am working an a vanity plate for it...and have a list of ideas that have been given to me....






Hope you all had a really good holiday season.
The best to everyone.

Moving on from the Shop

As of the 1st of November, I have been layed off (temporarily) from the Shop. The Boss says she wants me back in the spring. I will have to see where my life is at that time. In the mean time, I keep getting as to fill in here and there. Also, I am knitting a cabled scarf for the shop...will finish today and be done with that!
Can't believe that the holidays are right here...wow, where did it go. I am ready for the cold...had my chimney swept and firewood delivered...now I just need the thermostat to drop! It is November by the way!!!
I have sorted my stash of yarn and am blown away by the fact that I have soooo much!

I made a pair of slippers, only I felted them too much and now they are too small. I am going to wet them again and stretch them out.







I am working on the next pair...they will be more colorful.

Time to get busy. Later.

Swinging through September

This month has flown by, in more ways than one.
My husband and I went to New Zealand for 3 weeks to celebrate his 60th birthday. His one thing he wanted to do on his birthday was to bungy jump! Not only bungy, but to bungy from the original Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown, New Zealand where A.J. Hackett started the sport. And bungy he did! When we got to the bridge, we watched other jumpers ahead of us and it looked so easy. My husband looked at me and said "you need to try this"...to which I responded..."I think I will". He just about fainted...I NEVER intended to jump...but like I said...it looked so easy!

Yes, that's me...dangling above the river current! I was petrified the entire time. Yes, I'm glad I did it...just to say I did. No, I would never do it again...the fear that shot through my body as soon as I got on the platform is hard to describe.
My husband on the other hand...loved doing it and would do it again. Now that he knows what to expect, he thinks he would enjoy it more the next time.
We had an amazing trip and saw a beautiful country...but it is good to be home.

Aw - August!!!

The emotions of August:
2nd - Pride that makes your heart want to burst!
My son graduated with his PhD in Chemistry Education from Purdue!

4th - Exhaustion and weariness:
Driving 11 1/2 hours from Indiana to Atlanta in a 22 foot moving truck and moving my son to Atlanta where he will start his post-doc at Georgia Tech!

5th - Relief:
Flying home for a day of recuperation after a day of unpacking boxes.

7th - Excitement:
Flying to Chicago to crew the 3-Day Breast Cancer walk.

8th - Exhaustion and enjoyment:
Working the walk in a Pit Stop where the walkers come for food, drink and potties. It is really hard work but such a thrill to be there for them and their weary bodies.

10th - Laughter and tears:
Being at the closing ceremonies for the walkers and survivors of breast cancer. It is so touching and heart warming and happy all at the same time.

11th - Worn out!
I don't know when I have felt so tired...2 weekends of solid, hard work. My bones feel weary.

13th - Back to normal...if there really is one!
Whew...I pulled through the last two days a bit slowly...but after a couple of nights of good sleep...I feel like myself again.

Now I have 2 weeks of doing my usual and then on September 1st, we leave for New Zealand!
What a way to end the summer.