Ahhhh.......Blessed Spring!!

Darius and I set our little tent up on the deck.  Since it was nap time, this is where he took his nap.
I did zip the tent flap closed after I took this picture so he would not get a sun burn.

After we picked Olivia up from school, we went down to the park.  It was just to fine a day to stay at home. We played at the park until the rude pre-teens showed up at about five.  I did ask them one time to clean up their language since I did not care for my children to hear it.  Shortly after I did  that, another parent, a dad, got angry with them so I just gathered the kids up and came home.

Darius trying to swing himself.  I gave him a push, then Olivia was telling him how to  pump with his feet.

Olivia's daddy has taught her how to pump with her feet.  She was really swinging!!

Gotta get my shoe back on.

Bumped her elbow coming down the slide.

Modeling the shrug Gramma made her.

One time down this slide was enough for him.  It was too small.

Olivia showing me how to swing around a pole.

Darius the daredevil.   At the top of the climbing structure.

On Saturday there was a Blood Drive in town.

It was in honor of Elliott Carbajal who grew up in town and was murdered a year and a half ago.  His family decided to do something positive in the shadow of their tragedy.  They were able to donate his organs and since then have organized this blood drive.  This is the second year. Because of Hepatitis as a child, I am unable to donate so I bake cookies for them.  This year I made four dozen snickerdoodles, four dozen chocolate chip, four dozen oatmeal raisin and four dozen oatmeal raisin with nuts.

Of course Darius, #1419 had to get into the action too.  But before we got down to serious mixing,

He discovered his reflection in the mixing bowl.  Had to spend a few moment admiring the handsome boy smiling back at him.

He had just added the flour and was watching it as it mixed in.

Almost ready to add the Chocolate Chips

Once the chips are in, it is far to heavy to stir with the mixer

So, we had to do it by hand.

Sorry there are no pictures of the finished product, but I had to get them wrapped and away or I would not have had any for the Blood Drive.  

I have not heard from the kids how they did, but there was a large crowd when I went down to deliver the cookies.  I am positive it was a success.

Stan and I wanted to fly to LA today

But, we could not make the right connections.  Sometimes hard to do when you fly standby.  So we did the second best thing.  We headed East of the mountains in our quest for a little sun and warmth.  When we do this, we usually wind up in this little tourist spot nestled at the base of the Cascade Mountains on the East side.  Warm and picturesque.

Looking back west towards the mountains in Leavenworth Washington.

One of the reasons Stan wanted to go was so he could maybe find a wine he likes.  He spent a little time tasting and did find one he thinks he will like.

Another view of the buildings looking west down main street.  I wish I would have taken a face on picture of one of the buildings, but did not.  The entire town is a Bavarian Village theme.

They have a art show every weekend

I am still learning the ins and outs of the new camera.  I forgot to take it off of scenic when I took the picture of Stan.  Oh well, Practice will make perfect.  There is so much to remember.  It does have the point and shoot capability, but if I use only that, I will never learn how to use the other.  May be weeks of fuzzy and out of focus shots, but one day, I will succeed!!

My Sis and I

Around 1950.  Probably an Easter Picture.

Long long a go, in a land far away, there lived two young princesses

Myself and my older sister Jacque.  We married brothers so that makes our children double cousins. Her three daughters, their spouses and their children are all here in this photo.  This week they received the news no family wants to hear.  This morning Jacque shared her news with the rest of our huge family.  This is the e-mail I found when I checked my computer this morning.

Life's what happens while you're making other plans, eh? 

My grandkids don't know this and I want to be the one to tell them when I have more answers next weekend. I won't have an opportunity to tell Ian until week after next. Please honor my wishes to tell them myself. Lanne has offered to be question answerer but don't post anything to her fb wall, please!

According to Dr Shamila Ahmed, a lovely young oncologist at Pac Med, I have a stage three carcinoma - two lumps (5cm and 1.5cm in diameter) in the upper lobe of my left lung and at least six or seven lymph nodes, some on the left side and some on the right side. That it's on both sides makes it stage three.

This showed up on a CAT scan I had Monday. To clarify the issue and pinpoint treatment needs, I will have a bracheoscopy with biopsy on Monday. Tuesday, I will begin the diet needed to make the PET scan work on Thursday. Wednesday, I will have an MRI and my daughters and I will meet with Dr Ahmed on Friday and the pulmonologist, Dr Oohlut on the third to decide on and schedule treatment probably beginning the next week. At some point, I will meet with my primary care physician and my naturopath.

The tumors are in a place that forbids surgery, so treatment will be an aggressive schedule of radiation and chemo. I'm planning to get a short haircut before chemo begins so I can donate all this long, healthy hair to Locks of Love and, when it all falls out, Celeste and I are planning another henna party here!

The tumors are what's squeezing the recurrent laryngeal nerve and paralyzing my left vocal chord and making my voice funny.

The good news is that otherwise, I'm in excellent health - strong, robust, energetic. I think it's also a very positive sign of my own body's ickiness fighting that these tumors have been there for something more than two years (how long my voice has been out of whack) and have grown no bigger than that and spread no further. That's your cue that there's no need to treat me as if I'm delicate or fragile, OK? XO

I'm scheduling lots of activities every day so I don't sit around and mope and am as always more than happy for company. I don't know if I'll actually save the world from democracy now but I'll keep trying ;-)

As I told the girls Thursday, thirty years from now, I'll still be the worst mom in the world!

It's my job.

Jacque

Like everyone else, I know we do not live forever.  I know the Truth.  Sadly, my sister rejects the Truth and prayers are in order for her.  I do not know what the outcome will be, but I know it is not God's desire for any one to perish.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

 Shay got her hands on my new camera.  The one I said no children could touch.  Since she reminded me that technically she is an adult now, I allowed her to snap some pictures of her sister

 with the promise of total annihilation if anything happened to it.

 She took these pictures in the common area between our houses.  Developers can get away with smaller yards if they designate certain plots of land Common.  I really do not mind this area because there are not many people who use it, so it is an extension of my yard.

 A place the kids can play and I know where they are.

 These pictures were taken right before we left for her Ballet and Tap classes.

I love the healthy glow of her face and her chunky monkey legs.  It reminds me to be thankful for all of our healthy babies.  Life is so fragile and I truly do Praise God for every one of our Grands.  Not just Olivia who happened to be here today, but for every child God has entrusted to our care.

Some of these pictures may be a bit fuzzy, but we are still learning the focusing attributes of the camera.

My Dear Friend

Frizzy, who writes here posted these amazing pictures.  I thought I might contrast what 1000 miles north makes.

My Poppy.  I absolutely love it's huge orange blooms.  Hope I get to see them this year.

My Wysteria.  I hope it blooms as beautifully as the one Frizzy posted on her blog yesterday.  Go take a look at hers to see what they are really suppose to look like:)  Linked above.

Last spring my Cherry tree was so loaded with blooms, I was afraid the branches would break.

One of my Clematis.  If it ever drys out and warms up, I may be able to go out and weed my beds too.

Azalea.  I got this from my mother.  It has the most fragrant flowers ever.

Pink Peony.  So beautiful.  Be Patient, Evy, you know that eventually Spring does come to the Northwest.