Hey,hey it is December

Finally managed to post my pictures from Nov '09 to Dec 22,2010 yes that is a years worth of photos. Never be surprised at what may
show up here. I have almost forgotten how to do this.
I have posted pictures of the grandgirls making Christmas cookies last night Dec.21, 2010. We really have had a great year with visits to texas and to Oklahoma and Utah , new baby Levi in September and our trip to Houston to visit and be there for his arrival. It has been a a year full of fun and surprises.
One of the pictures is of my surprise bloom from the cutting that my cousin gave me in Oklahoma. Hibiscus I just have it in a bottle water to get some roots and it actually blossomed out. I now have a flower pot to put it in until spring arrives. I need to move some pictures of my surprise 70th birthday party with Eric and Erika's family and Melba some of her family and friends that Heidi arranged for me. So much to remember and enjoy through the whole year.
I received two new knees in January 2010 and July 2010. I am doing great. So much has happened I cannot get it all down.
I will just wish a Merry Christmas to one and all and may you have a wonderful new year in 2011.

Summer is gone, Fall has gone by the way side and now. BRRRRR

It is hard for me to realize that we are now in November. Looking forward to next week when Eric, Erika, Alex, Sarah and Levi will be coming to share the big turkey with us. Levi is almost two months old and Sarah will be celebrating her birthday with us. Actually Bayli and Sarah will share a big #2 with our Bayli 's big #3. I guess the slower I go the faster times goes on. It never ceases to amaze me of all the wonders of each new day. My grandones are such a joy to me. I love watching each of them and hearing them laugh and cry and just enjoying their life.
I do have a lot of pictures to post. Really almost a years worth. Can't believe that I have not downloadedmy pics. Come back and perhaps by then I will have the pictures on the computer. Love u ya'll

Can't believe it is August 2010

It has been an interesting summer. I think I actually skipped over most of it. It seems my focus was on July 20, 2010 and the left TKR and yes it is just as painful as I remember the right TKR. It is getting better each day , but still keeps me from doing what I would like to do.

I am hoping to have a much speeder recovery as we are planning on a visit to the E's in September to welcome the newest little guy. We get to spend time with Alex and Sarah while Erika is recovering from the new arrival. We are so looking forward to that time.
It has been a fun summer having special moments with Heidi and her girls. Just doesn't seem like it was enough time. But,, it has been fun when it was happening.

Special Thank you to those who made it possible

Here I am again after a break away time. I just want to say thank you to all those who made it possible for this nation to celebrate the 4th of July one more year. The way this Nation is going who is to say we will be be able to celebrate in the future.

We had a grand day with BBQ at Heidi's with family and friends. Just about the time for the big fireworks to begin a storm moved in with very big hail stones. We did not justain any damage but areas around us were hit pretty hard with broken car windows, house windows, roofs, and broken trees and shrubs. I don't even want to think about all the gardens that were doing so well and got beaten into the ground.

With July comes all the pre-op appointments for the TKR on the left knee. I am prepared for it, but not looking forward to the recover. After the recovery I am sure I will be glad I did it. I must keep moving along as I have so much to get done before the surgery.

Father's Day June 20 2010

After a wonderful Father's Day Church Sacrament Meeting and then home for a Father's Day Dinner per request of the great Dad that resides at this house. Typical Sunday roast with the usual trimmings of potatoes,carrots, celery, onions, garlic etc. Lemon pie and watermelon. Everything turned out to be a really good dinner. Even the vggie terrors seem to enjoy the chicken enchilidas in place of the roast. All the grandones and Heidi, Mike and Shirl went to the park playground and had a fun time with the the girls while I rested on the chaise lounge on the back patio. When they returned through the back gate, I mentioned that it would be a good project to put together a patio swing and it was suppose to be very simple. NOT! sure enough the dads decided that they could do it in a matter of a few minutes. It turned out to be a little more complicated than anticipated and I felt bad they had to put all the little parts together. They actually had it finished in about an hour. Pretty amazing.

Everyone had to take a turn setting in the new swing and it is really comfortable . Thank my SH and Mike for your hard work . I am sure we will enjoy it all summer. It's great to have such great Dad's to celebrate with on their special day.

WooHa! I am found.

For some reason part of the name had just dropped out. Thanks to all who let me know I was not lost. We had a couple of really cool days and now we are back to summer. I am still working on my stripping paint and sanding the little table that once belonged to my grandmother. It is a hand carved table it had some rough spots, after I removed the gunky black paint I found some very interesting wood. I am excited to get it finished. My SH has been working on trying to get grass to grow on some bare spots in the lawn. Yesterday he mowed and it looks pretty good. Oops! he said it looks great and tht is what I should say. Okay , it looks great. Now for some summer lawn food to green it up.

Help! My blog is lost in. I do not exist. ???????

Well, now this is interesting. The Stewarts by the sea has disappeared and so has The Stewarts by Pikes Peak now what do I do?

A lovely and WOW! May and now its gone.

Happy June! I can't get my mind around the fact that my May has turned into June. Time is marching on. I love the month of May as it is a time of change of season. Of course it is also my birthday month. This one was some birthday. My sweet daughter and son and all the family conspired to make sure I never forgot that I was turning 70. I never thought 7 could be such a big number when you add the zero.
I had the surprise party of surprise party. Heidi sent out invitations to everyone and I received cards and happy wishes from the whole family. Then the big surprise party.

My sister called the week before and said "we are going to make a quick trip to spend Mothers Day and your birthday with you. We have not done that for several years." I was really happy to have them come from Utah for a visit and to help me celebrate. Then.... Heidi called and said the grandgirls wanted us to come for cake and ice cream at 7:00 . I did think that is pretty specific on the time, but with their crazy schedule I could accept that. Melba, Davy, Crystal, Klara, Avery and Stephanie arrived from Utah and then we went to Heidi's house. Skylar met us at the door and as we walked into the kitchen and family room a big SURPRISE! was shouted and there was our son Eric, Erika, Sarah and
I had Alex wrapped around my knee along with very dear and loved friends that we had known in Germany. Tom Spillaine, Ashley, her husband and daughter, Cory and her boys. Heidi, Mike and the four grandgirls. I was one very surprised 70 year old Birthday Girl.

The buffet was loaded with wonderful foods for chocolate dipping in the Chocolate Fountain and refreshing punch from the Punch Fountain and one super delicious chocolate birthday cake. Thank you Heidi and everyone that traveled and took time to celebrate for me and made my birthday one to remember for always. I never had a surprise party before in my life. I must remember too that one of the big surprises was that I would be getting and new grandson in September.

On the Spur of the Moment

We made a decision to make a between snow storm trip to Utah. We had great weather and clear highway. We also had a wonderful visit with all the family. I spent several days visiting with my sister and her family and then we spent several days visiting with my SH's family. It was so nice to just be able to spend time together with the ones we love and to know we are loved by them. Thank you all for taking such good care of us.
We even took our pup-dogs and they were welcomed by everyone. They were pretty good doggies and did not create too much havoc. Even the Poquito adjusted pretty well. It was not until we were back home that I realized that I was having so much fun that I forgot to take pictures. I did get a couple , but not as many as I had planned.
Of course we both returned home with very annoying coughs and snuffy sinusus. It was a fun, fun trip for us.

PT today three more to go

Tried to post yesterday events and they would not post. So now I am finally back in posting and so........ Had PT today and it went well, the only problem being that I am stiff and sore all over from my little nose dive in the living room floor yesterday. I have taken it pretty easy the rest of the day. I am just so grateful that I did no damage. When I think of what could have happened I am just one very lucky person.
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Sunday March 21,2010

I just can't believe that this is my eighth week from my TKR and I am doing really good. Still doing my PT for another three sessions and then that will be done.

I did not even take the cane to church with me and I did just fine. But then...........after I was home for about 30 minutes. I let the puppers in and with all their excitement and toys on the floor. I did not see the rolly toy , stepped on it and turned my ankle and pitched forward did a little bounce routine with the glider footstool and then did a crash landing on the floor with both knees. Oh! Ouch! I was stretched out on the floor and afraid to move my knee. But, everything is okay. I broke the fall with the footstool so I really did not have a total crash on the knees. I do have a couple of bruises on each knee and the heel of my hands. Poor SH was very concerned but he helped me back up on my feet which was a feat all it's own. Just trying to get me up without putting pressure on the knees it was kinda tricky.

Happy Days !

My cute funny little Gizzy Pig and my very sweet Bay keeping me company during my recovery.

Monday was my seventh week of recovery and the doctor was very pleased with my progress and said he was surprised at how well I was doing. He said I could start driving again and swimming (now I just need to find a place to swim). I will continue my PT until the end of the month and by then I should be pretty much back to normal as far as my recovery goes. He also indicated that I could have the other knee done whenever I felt I was ready. I was thinking next year, but now that I really think about it I have pretty much used up a lot of this year with the surgery etc and perhaps I should look at September and then I will be past the hard part by the end of this year. Maybe I will call 2010 the Year of the New Knees and I will be done with it.

A Grandgirls #8 Ice Cream Birthday

Saturday was an early celebration of Skylar's #8 birthday. It was a fun family event with most of the family and a group of Skylars friends. Some fun games for the gang of kids and of course the famous Ice Cream Pinata that was one really strong pinata. Those little girls really whalloped that ice cream cone and it just did not want to crack. Finally after everyone had taken several turns it finally gave up and sent candy flying. Everyone got to make their own ice cream treat and the ice cream cupcakes turned out okay. YEAH! Happy day for all.

Week Seven and I can almost do an Irish Jig

Yesterday was my check up with the doctor on the progress of my new knee. He was very pleased and surprised at the range of motion I have and that I ws doing so well. Here are a couple of pictures of the ugly. But it does seem to be working pretty well.

So Ready for Spring

Surprise, the Crocus and Tulips are breaking out of the ground. YES! does that mean Spring is not far behind? I was so excited to note that just in this last week the flowers have begin to pop up. Last night we saw two of the little wild pigmy bunnies running around our neighborhood.

Today is our Skylar girls #8 birthday party. We will be going to Heidi's to celebrate with an ice cream party. I baked the Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes last night and just need to add the frosting and some sprinkles and they are done. I am cutting 24 ,2 inch holes into a cake board to transport them. Hopefully without a master disaster. The cupcakes came out really well. Love those cones. Check in next post for results.

I can't believe it is Saturday again. It has now been four weeks since my TKR and I am doing really good. I do still have a lot of discomfort in my leg and I am a bit surprised at the level of pain still. I do know my knee is healing and getting better and stronger every day. I am being very faithful in doing my physical therapy and yes it does sometimes hurt. I have stopped taking the vicodin and percocet and depending on Aleve for pain control. It keep things more tolerable and yet does not fuzz out my brain so much. I am starting to do a little more of my housework and I have been able to do the laundry and help in the kitchen. My SH has been wonderful in keeping things up and me going. He is the ice pack man and makes sure I ice the knee through out the day. He has become a good man with the dinner menu and does a wonderful fried fish and broiled chicken. I am so grateful for him and appreciate all that he does for me. today we are going the Bayli Sit so Heidi and Skylar can enjoy some time together. We enjoy taking the Bayli to Petsmart and looking at all the critters and then since we are the Grands we take her to McDonalds for chicken nuggets in her kids meal. Grandpoppa always treats her to an ice cream. She keeps us laughing with her unexpected comments. Like "I really love the purple candle" "Oh, mgosh!" I love the ....whatever pops into her head. Life is a challenge but, oh so rewarding!

Moving right along

Yesterday was my third week out from the TKR and I am moving right along. I have managed to walk without my cane with out a problem. Today will be my last day with Home Physical Therapy. I will miss April my PT. She has been great. But, I am looking forward to going to out-patient therapy, just to get out of the house and to be able to work on some of the equipment. I even was able to get into the little "Mitzi" and hit the gas and brake pedal without a problem. I will soon be able to drive . I still have some pretty good pain episodes, but they are getting less bothersome as the healing continues and when some of the nerves wake up it really gives me a super electrical zinger. Ouch! We had snow again yesterday afternoon just a predicted and it is cold about 24 degrees this morning.

Planning on going to church Sunday and enjoying our Madison's 11th birthday family party. My sweetheart thought we should go out and celebrate my progress. It was good to just get out of the house and enjoy the sun and nice lunch with my BigRed. We went to Taco Bell (one of our favorite ) I feel like I have been so blessed with wonderful husband and dedicated daughter. Heidi has been great to come by and squeeze in her busy schedule time to clean my Piggy cage and to vacuum and clean my floors. She has also brought apple fritters, fruit and home baked goodies. For such a busy girl she has managed to make me feel loved . I am truly blessed by my wonderful family. I know the super "E's " have kept me in their prayers and have checked on me. I appreciate the concern and love that I feel from them.
It is a beautiful Friday and I plan to move back upstairs to my bedroom this weekend. I have missed having my sweetheart sleeping next to me. I just hope I do not disturb his rest with my moving around so much. I have a crazy sleep pattern.

Made it one more time.

After a wee set back I am up and going again. The knee is progressing nicely. The doctor took x-ray and everything is looking good. I still have a constant ach, but it is getting more tolerable. The staples are out and what a relief . In a few more weeks I will be able to move much better and will start out -patient therapy. That will be sooooo much fun I am sure. At least I will be able to get out of the house every couple of days.
Love to all

Well that was fun!

Well, all is well. I am so grateful that I am finished with the first phase. Now to get through the second phase. The part that feels like a loaded garbage truck ran over me a couple of times. I have a beautiful varigated leg in everyshade of purple you can imagine. The pain is, well let me just say a major Pain in the knee. Ouch! I finally made it downstairs this morning as I could not sleep any longer. The knee said get up and hurt rather than stay here in bed and hurt.

I am really doing great and so grateful for all the prayers and happy thoughts sent my way. My sweetheart and family and friends and neighbors have taken good care of me. I do a great job of getting up and down the stairs and am getting better everyday. Today my physical therapist (name is April) will be coming out and putting me through the torture routine. I have been excercising with the little peddle machine and the tens unit. I still have a way to go before full recovery. It will come I am sure.

Thanks for all the prayers and love sent my way. Have a grand day and remember to keep happy .

Today is the Day

It is finally here. Today, at 1:00 I check into Penrose Hospital and then at 3:00 the TKR is to begin. I was hoping for an early morning surgery. I don't think it will make much difference for me as I will be out of touch for several hours.

Today is a snow day and along with the snow we have fog. I just worry about Shirl having to be out in the bad weather and the messy streets.

Last night Bishop Smith came to our house and he and Shirl gave me a blessing. I appreciate him taking the time to do that.
All should go well, and I will be home and sporting a new knee. Along with a new scar to add to my collection.

My latest project, Redo Heidi's snuggle

You might call this the" before" and watch for the next coming event of the "after" .

Keep on checking the post as there are a lot here

Bayli and the dancing pony.
Poppa with Christmas Gifts

Some more of this and that.

Honey Bun the Gizmo Pig

Pretty PaBu
Poquito checking out PaBu new "do"

Sugar Plum Ballet

These pictures are pretty much standing on their own.

Bayli on a pony ride.

More Christmas and fun stuff

A little of this and a little of that 12/09

Nov 2009 Sarah First B'day, Texas Visit

Poppa with Alex and Sarah

Alex with Self-photo

Sarah and Alex Frozen Moment

Momma Erika, Alex ,Sarah


Alex and Sarah,sharing time on the sofa with Christmas Tree.

Jan 2010 Current Photo

Christmas at our house 2009

Okay, I have met all thats required now for Pre-Op

Today has felt very cold to me. I have been working on a number of little projects that I hope to finish before the "saw bones" event takes place.
We attended a class this afternoon to cover all the details and answer any questions we may have regarding the TKR (total knee replacement) procedure. I am anxious to get it done and over with so I can start enjoying my new knee. I did give PaBu a trim as she was sooooo matted, from rolling in the snow and dry grass. Then my SH scooped her up and took her to the groomer. They did a teddy bear styling on her and added little pink ribbons on her ears. She was so fiesty when she came out of the groomer. She knew she was looking good. I will post a whole bunch of pictures after I finish with this . That is if I can get them downloaded. I have some from November and December . I have also been working on repairing (remaking a Snuggie Quilt for Heidi) Her Aunt Carolyn made it for her . I think it was part of a wedding gift. Heidi and her whole family have loved that quilt to death. I am just trying to resurrect it. I should have taken a picture before I started. Maybe I can get a picture for a before and after. It has taken me longer than I wanted as I have been also trying to get some other projects out of my way before the TKR
It has been a bit of a challenge as I am totally clueless about quilting anything. Now to try and download the pictures from my camera.

Righteous Doctors

I had a unique experience when I had my pre-op appointment with my primary care doctor. After going over all of my results and his giving me the go ahead for the surgery. He asked if there was anything else he could do for me. I just made the comment "say a little prayer for me" he immediately said. May I pray for you right now? Will you hold my hand? He took both of my hands and then he proceeded to give a most beautiful prayer for me and for the surgeon that will be doing the knee replacement. It was pretty amazing all the things he included in that prayer. I have always prayed for the doctors , but it is only the second time I have had a doctor pray for the patient. When my sweetheart had his heart surgery his heart specialist prayed for him and for herself that she would be able to know the right choice for her to repair his heart and that she would be able to use her skills and training to help him and that he would heal and not have any infections.

Good News I have been approved!

That is I have passed all my health exams and I have been approved for the TKR this next week. My doctor said I am only a medium risk bacause of health issues and age. I am a bit "freaky" about the thought of having my knee bones sawed off, but I am looking forward to having a new prosthetic knee that will let me walk without having to worry about all the pain and a possible of fall. Oh, YES! the doctor assured me I would be able to dance again. I will be getting the latest and most up to date replacement that will give me more freedom of movement than previous ones and it is gender specific for women. I just wish it was a done deal.

Wishing a wonderful New Year to everyone.

I hope to be able to get my pictures sorted out and then get them posted as they are great memories to have and to share. Why do we enjoy them so much? They help us to remember and to relive those special moments. One of the miracles of this magical time that we live in. What a grand time. We are now living in a time of instant communication and instant vision of all that is going on around us. We must remember to keep it all positive and to hold on to the "good stuff" and not get caught up in the negative and destructive things that are also available.
Enough of my wandering and wondering mind . Love to all and Happy New Year. We are off a running to the next great adventure.

January 2010

We all enjoyed a wonderful Holiday Season starting with our Thanksgiving and Sarah's first birthday celebration in Houston and then we slipped into December with all the wonders of this special season. We had some wonderful family get togethers and some good times sharing, laughing and just being together. Now we are looking forward to all the wonders of a new year, a new month and a new decade. It is hard to believe that this past 10 years has actually past. I wonder what this new time will bring to us.