Out My Window

Hi friends,

How is your week going?

I hope all of you are doing okay with the weather in your area wherever you may live.  I see there is an awful lot of flooding in southern England and still a great deal of snow hitting various parts of the USA. In the wee hours of Tuesday morning I caught glimpses of the news about snowstorm in the Chicago area.

In my neck of the woods, we have had two storms over the weekend. One on Saturday evening and one on Sunday evening. I did go out to run errands in my neighbourhood on Saturday evening and the rain was coming down very heavily. It didn't take too long for my "rain" jacket to get soaked. Fortunately I did not have to go too far.

This was my sky on Tuesday February 18, 2014 after a weekend of heavy rain.

Sky overhead on Wednesday, February 19, 2014.

Others in my city had much bigger problems. Apparently downed trees knocked out power for awhile to about 20,000 homes. Huge, old growth trees, came out by the roots in many neighbourhoods to fall on houses and damage cars. The winds I heard rattling through my fireplace over the weekend were so powerful as to uproot humungous trees. I think the storm hit Vancouver Island much harder. Other parts of Canada were also hit hard as the storm that hit the United States travelled north and closed part of the Trans-Canada Highway.



 I was sitting snug in my home.

View out my window late Wednesday, February 19, 2014.

Since mom moved in to the new facility I have been busy responding to emails and phone calls from the new facility about her care. Her wheelchair suddenly stopped working the 2nd night of her stay there and the technician wasn't able to get there for another 48 hours. Fortunately he worked late on Valentine's Day no less and had it ready for her on Saturday morning.  This was a huge relief as the chair is brand new and we weren't sure what the problem was (we do know it wasn't from lack of charging).

A few visitors have been by to see mom.  Last night she was supposed to have a visit from her grandson but he couldn't go up the mountain highway due to road closure.  The highway is still closed today and he is faced with a hefty towing fee for flagging a tow truck to get him out of the snow.  At least he is safe.

I've managed to deal with one of mom's health issues that has been causing me concern for some time.  That is how to get affordable dental care for mom. J Abbott commented on the previous post that it would be good if mom could avail the services of a mobile dental unit. I could not agree more but for the most part such services don't exist in Canada.  I was able to find someone who will see mom and no t charge more than the insurance will pay.  I know mom will need many more appointments with the dentist as well as various specialists.  I am glad this process is finally underway and I hope the dentist works out to be a good one.

Joanne and Kay also commented on my previous post about mom possibly benefiting from having a roommate. This could well be true. We will have to wait and see. Let's put it this way, I don't want to move her again any time soon.  If she gets along with the room mate (and the new ones that will fill the room), then that would be great.  Mom's current room mate seems to spend a lot of time in bed and doesn't talk much, though she can talk.

Other than dealing with mom's needs, I am slowly getting back to normal; resting, lots of laundry, cooking and reading.  Sometimes when I have too much to do and can't focus to get things done, I turn to cooking or baking.  The ham and scalloped potatoes I made the other day were delicious.  Tuesday we enjoyed pea soup with the left over ham. A perfect dish for this kind of weather.

I'm reading two crafting books: one on crochet and one on quilting. I recommend both to anyone interested in these timeless crafts.

I'm also nearing the finish of  Long Walk to Freedom:  The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela.  I've enjoyed it immensely. It is a great backgrounder for anyone wanting an inside look at the history and development of South Africa and the role of one hugely influential man, Nelson Mandela.  May he RIP.

I'm still feeling very tired but will go out this evening to try and make progress on another long book (The Fall of Giants, by Ken Follett). I've renewed this book several times as I keep getting distracted. It is good but as it is yet another book that deals in part with WW1, I'm afraid I haven't made much progress.  Since I will soon be finished with the book on Nelson Mandela I will be able to focus on the The Fall of Giants. I am half way through this very long book it so it doesn't seem so daunting.

Busy Week

Hello everyone, I trust you are having a lovely weekend.

It has been very cold where I live but I've been keeping busy just the same.

Monday night I went to a cooking session with friends.  We made brown rice, white fish with Asian sauce that featured lots of ginger, an Asian salad (red and green cabbage with Asian dressing), slivered steamed carrots and almond cookies.  Then we all sat down and ate together.  It was a nice change to have fish since I don't make a lot of fish at my place.

On Tuesday a friend invited me over to dinner, to see his new apartment and complete some paperwork we are working on.  He made a lovely dinner of quinoa with veggies and a delicious tasting beef. In the end we didn't complete the paperwork because another friend who lives out-of-town dropped in to visit.  The paperwork is taking much longer than we had initially envisioned as my friend wanted to complete it in December.  His own schedule has interfered with completion but we are getting closer to being done!

On Wednesday I did a lot of work piecing together the African Flower Crochet afghan I started last Fall.  I did so much work on this project in November that I didn't feel like working on it in December and January.  Now I've got 3 rows left and then I'm done.  It is a smaller afghan than I was thinking it would be not having worked from a written pattern.  But I've run out of the right colour combinations so I think I will live with it.  It is plenty large enough to snuggle up in. I originally wanted to give this afghan as a Christmas gift but that time has passed so will probably now use it on my bed.

The afghan is nearing completion. 

 

On Thursday I cancelled my acupuncture appointment.  Instead I spent the entire day looking after business for my mother.  I will be going up to see her next week and there is always a lot to do before I get there.

Friday I went to the last session of the fashion seminar.  We also had a fashion exchange and it was a lot of fun. One of the nice young ladies who gave the presentations volunteered to modify a jean skirt of mine.  In return I will make her some baked goods with chocolate or bananas. I think I will make her two different items with each of her favoured ingredients.  Saturday I walked to the library to return some books and take out others.  After that I stopped off at one of my favourite neighbourhood restaurants and had a lovely dinner of mixed meat and tofu hotpot and (fresh) lemon bubble tea.

Monday is a holiday here at home. I will be on the road to visit my mom, sort out some of her things and put some things in storage for she will be moving again and this time has a shared room.  Her space is very small but at least she can get back to where she wants to live and she is prepared to make the sacrifice. It is very cold where she lives too but is expected to warm up a bit.

When I get back I have some appointments and get togethers with friends lined up.

Since I will be away for a short while I won't be able to visit your blogs until my return. Keep well and stay warm.

Start to the Week

 Friendship isn't about whom you have known the longest... It's about who came, and never left your side...

- Unknown

Another week begins. I am blessed that though we were having cold weather, it has warmed up a few degrees.  Better still we are having clear skies and lots of sunshine.  This is a rare treat at this time of year and it is supposed to last all week! Yah!

On Friday I bought a new pair of flannel sheets. I already have some neutral coloured sheets but I wanted some plaid ones to change them out when I am doing the laundry. I bought this blue, red and white tartan and they kept me very warm during my first night of use.

I've been wanting something in shades of red and gray for some time.  The neutral pillow cases in the back are also made of flannel.

 
You might remember that on Friday I also went out shopping for a few little gift items and for a food care package for my mom.  I am hoping that she will be feeling a little better by the time the package arrives in a day or two and she will have some thing to eat late at night.  Where she lives they give her a snack after dinner.  But a few years ago she started a habit of having a bite to eat before bed and the care homes do not provide food after 7:30 p.m.  She gets agitated if she doesn't have anything to eat.  My brother and I buy her food for a few weeks during our visits. Once in awhile I post something to her in the mail and other times we have something delivered.  Delivery doesn't work so well because they don't shop for just the right things at the right price. You get what you get.  Sadly they don't seem to be able to provide anything at her residence for late night munchies even though the residents pay a fortune to live there.

On Saturday I prepared the care package for mom and prepared a few other small parcels and cards for posting.  I took them in to the post office though they won't actually get picked up for delivery by the mail man until Monday morning.  It is better if I take the cards and letters in over the weekend.  That way they will go out very early Monday morning before I am even ready to go out for errands.

Parcels and envelopes ready to go. My table is a mess (again).

I am so glad to have some of my parcels done.  Though the real Christmas mail rush has not quite begun I already missed one of the cut off dates for guaranteed Christmas delivery to Africa.  I am still hoping the mail gets delivered earlier than expected.

I spent a part of the weekend resting because I feel like I'm coming down with something.  My tummy doesn't feel quite right and my chest feels very unusual too.  I did get the flu shot but that is no guarantee of anything. My mother got the flu shot too and she is currently fighting a very bad case of the flu.

Saturday evening I continued reading this book I picked up 2nd hand entitled, Below the Peacock Fan:  First Ladies of the Raj. It is a very interesting account of 4 British ladies, all of whom lived in India at different points during the time of British Colonial rule.  It's fascinating to read what their lives were like a few hundred years ago in India.  Soon I will also finish the wonderful book, The Perfume Collector, by Kathleen Tessaro.

I'm looking forward to meeting a few friends tonight for a cooking session.  We cook in pairs and work on different parts of the menu.  Then we all sit down and eat together. It is always nice to see friends.

If you are part of the Crochet-A-Long on Thursdays, I probably won't be updating again until I finish the afghan. It may take awhile.


Have a wonderful week ahead!

Red & Brown and Stitched With Love

A quilt is something you make to keep someone you love ... WARM!

Quilting Quote ~ The Stitching Cow

Hello friends,

Since I posted about the quilt I am making for mom here, I've had a lot of wonderful suggestions about colour choices for borders. I wish I could try them all because I know they would all look wonderful. In the end I selected a brown inner border and a red outer border. I'm glad that some of you also suggested this combination of colours.

I also did some on line research looking for more of the sunflower fabric but I didn't have any success.  While I did find the fabric it was in a different colour way.  I even called the out-of-town quilt shop where I purchased the fabric in fat quarters to see if they had any pieces left.  They did not.

So I went out and bought the brown and red fabrics for the borders yesterday. I spent some time cutting the pieces and sewing them to the quilt top.

Here is a lengthwise view of the end result ready for quilting.

I've also been busy at work making my nephew's quilt. It proved to be a bit more difficult because I am recycle a small down quilt of his to use as batting for the new quilt.  I purchased the down quilt for him when he was a teen and I wanted to use it as a way of incorporating some memories for him.  I also wanted to use several fabrics from his grandmother's fabric stash which I inherited and some fabrics which I bought new.  This way, the quilt would have more meaning for him.

It was quite the sight in my home last night. I cut the quilt on one side and had down fluff pieces flying all over the place.  I really didn't believe there was down in the quilt but there was!  I got smart and sewed two seams on the opposite side before cutting down the middle of the seams.  This was a perfect solution and no more down fluff floating around.

I also made a black border for my nephew's quilt last night.  Working with dark fabrics in low light is not a good idea especially when you need to distinguish the front and back sides of the fabric.  I managed but it made a simple job take that much more time.

I got a good start on the quilts now so I can be ready well in time for Christmas. I hope to also cut out a few more quilts that have been waiting in the wings for awhile.

Does anyone have a good Ott-lite or craft light to recommend?  I'm looking for a floor lamp that will cast light that looks like daylight so I can see what I'm doing especially over the winter months.  So far I haven't found a good one at a good price. I've read a lot of reviews on different models but can't find a good one yet.  If anyone has a good lamp to recommend, please do let me know the make and model and perhaps I can purchase one on line.

I have some comments and a question unrelated to quilts for all of you bloggers.  

I like to visit my followers and will often click on the icon in the followers widget.  This doesn't always work.  For google + bloggers it takes me back to your google page.  Sometimes I can find your blog and other times I can't.  It depends on what else you've been sharing.

If you are a blogger (not on google  +), and I click your profile icon, it might take me to a page showing me the blogs you are following (if you've shared that information) but you will be amazed how often your own blog is not linked to your profile.

It makes it rather hard to find your blog if I haven't yet had a chance to add your blog to Bloglovin'.

I'm wondering if anyone knows why a blogger's profile doesn't link back to a blogger's blog?

I'm guessing it's because a blogger hasn't added their blog address to their profile (under General settings for your blog).

It would sure help me to find you if you did!

Have a good few days.

I'm going to an Australian movie based on a true story about four young Aborigine women.  The  movie is called "The Sapphires" and I'm looking forward to seeing it.  It came out last year year but I didn't get a chance to see it then.
Here is a trailer if you are interested. 

A Sunny Project

 One yard of fabric, like one cookie, is never enough!

Quilting quote from Stitching Cow

Hello friends,

I wrote here about my next project. I've decided that quilt will be for my nephew.  I'll make it in the same style as I made one for my mother (see here).  It will be a bit larger for snuggling on the sofa while watching television.

In the meantime I've selected this bright sunflower fabric from my stash for my mother's quilt. It will be larger than the other two I've made her so she can use it this winter as a cover up on her bed.

I wanted something bright and sunny for her and something that would blend with the colours of the standard quilts provided by the residence.

I purchased all of fat quarters over the past year and a half or so at different places. I really love the sunflower print and have been looking for more on line to no avail.

I cut out many of the squares and came up with the layout above.  Far too small.  So I have to add a few rows of coordinating fabric to make the quilt larger.  I purchased the sunflower fabric out of town and it's doubtful I can find more of  it.  I looked on line for it but whatever is available is in the wrong colour.

I've  already had one compliment on this work in progress.  I am hoping it will be a hit with my mother. I think this will be her Christmas present so I have a bit of time to finish it.

Here is the finished quilt top (sorry for the poor lighting).  I just need to trim up the edges a bit. I laid it on my bed to get an idea of appropriate length and width and to see how much "hang" there is.  The very top row which you "just see" in the photo, is exactly like the bottom row in the photo (which you cannot see).

The bottom row which you cannot see is the same as the top row (which is cut off in the photo).


I hope to find some coordinating border fabric soon. I'm thinking of two colours to frame the center and make it pop. Once I frame the quilt top it will be plenty large enough for mom's bed. Now I will get back to making my nephew's quilt top before finding batting and backing material for both quilts.

Dear reader, I'd like your help. 

Let me know what colours you would recommend for a) the inner border and b) the outer border. 

I'm thinking of brown as the inner border to pick up the colour in the center of the sunflowers, and red on the outside edge.  White might be nice too but that would get too dirty. I'm thinking there is too much orange but perhaps that would also work on the outside edge. 

I'd like your thoughts or other colour suggestions.

This is my world today for Our World Tuesday.

Move # 2

I've just returned after a long 3 days away. I was moving my mother for the second time in the space of two months.  You might remember I moved her from one facility to another in early July.  At that time there was no room available on the ground floor which she had requested.  Parts of the ground floor were closed to residents due to flooding and it has taken two months for all the repair work to be done.  So this week was the 2nd move and I'm glad it's done. 

I found the move from one floor to another to be more difficult than moving from one facility to another. Even though I was better rested this time, the move was still a chore.

The temperatures were still very hot at over 30 degrees celsius so that made errands and moving rather draining.  Thankfully the residence has fairly good air conditioning. Even at that it was even too warm indoors at times.  Just imagine what it would be like without air conditioning!

I spent the first day moving from one floor to another and unpacking and putting most of the clothing and personal items away.  The next day I concentrated on arranging things according to mother's specifications; hanging more photos and making lists of everything that needed to be purchased.  Today was devoted to a Care Conference with all the staff, completing a number of forms and settling financial accounts as well as following up on medical supplies which are still outstanding.

The good news is that I had more thinking time to complete forms, make enquiries, make phone calls, meet people, tour more of the facility, make lists and purchase things for mom.  I also had a bit of time for my own personal business and got to take mom for a very short walk.  We didn't stay too long outside due to the excessive heat. 

It is always difficult to leave mom because I cannot visit her as often as I would like.  But it is also good to get home. The facility was having a special event tonight so it made it easier to say goodbye  knowing that she had something to occupy her mind tonight before sleep. I hope to visit her again in about 6 weeks.

Sunset on the freeway to Vancouver

Join Skywatch Friday here. 

Have a great weekend!

It's Friday!

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.

Chief Seattle (c. 1786 - 1866)

At long last my mother's new room in the facility will be ready in the middle of September. This is one month later than the original date we were given.  It is a shame because it means I won't be visiting mom until after her birthday. I'll also be attending a care meeting with staff after the move so I will at least get a chance to visit with mom over a longer period of time than usual. She will like that because she gets lonely with most of her family members living far away.

I'm hoping that things will improve for mom's state of mind once she moves into her room and that the new staff on the floor will be more compassionate and sensitive. I haven't been impressed with things at the new facility so far.  If it weren't for the knowledge that many people are praying with and for me, I would be feeling very stressed out about the entire situation. In fact a few weeks ago I was very stressed out .  But after much prayer, I have calmed down and am trying to take things day by day. I also talk to mom daily.  Sometimes several times a day. When her anxiety levels rise, I just try to keep her calm and talk her through it.

Some of you will remember that mom is also still waiting for several pieces of medical equipment.  These have all been on order for awhile but they are slow in arriving.  I'm hoping by tomorrow (they didn't and neither did we get a phone call) she will have most of the items.  I don't think the Occupational Therapist ever ordered the over the bed hospital tables that she can get on loan from the local Red Cross. I haven't followed up on it yet because there are so many others things to follow up on and deal with.  The big ticket item we are waiting for is the demonstration model wheelchair.  It should be delivered next week if all goes according to plan but I'll believe it when I "see it".  It is a demonstration model so it won't be customized.  But it will have some features that should make mom more comfortable.

Mom's new wheelchair will have 6 wheels like this one.

We are most excited about her move and the arrival of the new chair because living on the ground level will give her more freedom to get outside for fresh air.  She misses that so much.  She doesn't like getting into the elevator due to poor eye sight.  Once she is on the ground level it will be a little easier for her to navigate on her own to get outdoors.  What a simple thing it is for most of us to go outside and yet I wonder if we fully appreciate the blessing that is.

Fresh air won't address my mother's loneliness at not seeing her children so often. but it will help her a lot.

I get lonely too but for different reasons. If you've been a caregiver I'm sure you know the loneliness of shouldering the burden of care for loved ones. We want to look after our loved ones but sometimes it just takes so much out of us.  In part, it explains why I've been posting a lot lately about my financial and health matters. Though it is rare, there are times I just want to reach out and share my heart and experiences with others and feel connected to others by hearing from them.

Isn't that what the blogging experience is all about?

When the response is resounding silence, it can exacerbate the lonely experience.  When the response to a post are great comments, encouragement or shared experiences, suddenly the world doesn't seem like such a lonely place. It's nice to make blogging friends and sometimes those blogging friends get to be friends you meet in real life. Now that's special!

I love the pink in these flowers and wanted to share them with you.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Update - August 18, 2013- I learned that my nephew & his girlfriend will be visiting my mom at the end of this month for her birthday. God is good!

Note: I wrote this post for  5 Minute Friday but discovered later that the prompt word "lonely" was for last week :-0

I'm Making Some (Slow) Progress

Hi everyone, I want to thank those of you who have been praying for my mom and for me. I thought you might like an update on what has been happening.

Mom is still waiting for most of her medical equipment. If the word we've been given is true, she will have the trapeze and the parachute sling on Wednesday. She had the commode but can't use it just yet anyway. There are other more important things. There is no word yet on getting hospital table trays for her use. I left word with the OT about that about one and a half or two weeks ago. These tables are easy enough to get as they are on loan at the Red Cross. It just takes the OT to write something up. I guess she is too busy or something.

As for the largest need of all, the wheelchair, there have been some ups and downs on that front. The first step is to get a demonstration model. That wasn't so straightforward for the local supplier but it now seems as if they were ultimately successful but the chair won't be arriving until August 20th. Mom has already been in so much discomfort for so long that the demo chair couldn't come fast enough. Even when it arrives however, it won't be the chair she really needs. The point is to assess her specific and precise needs when the demo model arrives. Hopefully the demo model will be more comfortable for her than what she is currently using. She is in a high state of anxiety about the whole chair business. I try to keep her as calm as possible.

When mom moved into the care facility she moved into a second floor room until a room because available on the ground level. I've been dealing with the General Manager on that front and have been trying to get a move in date now for over a week. Just last Friday I was able to get a list of unassigned rooms on the ground floor but still no move in date. Then mom heard a rumour that there isn't going to be anyone moving in just yet as there aren't enough residents to fill the ward. That may be true as it requires the facility to also staff up and they aren't going to staff up until they have enough residents.

Mom is desperate to move because then she will have access to the outdoors more directly and the fresh air walks she craves. I would ask you all to keep this need in prayer.

 I'm busily preparing a bunch of things mom needs as I haven't seen her now in a month. One thing that has become readily apparent is that her wrists no longer can hold the telephone. This is troubling as she has arthritis very badly and the only real tool she has to keep her sanity, reach out for prayer and family and friend contact, is the phone. I've done some research on line to find a suitable head/ear piece for her. I'm not sure yet whether it will require a new phone. She just got a new phone within the last few months. I will let my brother look into what is really required.

Now on to me. I thank those of you who encouraged me and are praying for me too. I have to say I've been doing quite well this past week with tracking my food intake and my blood glucose levels eight times daily. I will only be tracking this extensively until I feel confident that I know what foods trigger my blood glucose spikes and by how much.   I had one scary moment of very low (for me) glucose level and day by day I see my glucose level is indeed levelling out to more normal levels.

This plane is advertising a website which I can't read because it is backwards from my vantage point. Or, maybe it is only backwards in the photo. I'm not sure.  Anyway it is probably not that important. We get bombarded everywhere it seems with commercials and advertising.

Today though I was in a lot of pain. I had to cancel a long anticipated dinner at friend's because of stomach issues. My radically new diet has caught up to me today and everything is backed up. I drank so much water yesterday but that didn't help. Today I was in a lot of pain probably caused from intestinal gas. I don't have flatulence just a lot of abdominal distension, pain and a feeling general malaise. I'm surprised by this as I've been fairly careful about the level of fiber I've been taking (not too much or too little) but I guess it stands to reason that there will be some issues arising as my body is adjusting to drastic changes being made. Yesterday  I felt rather good (normal) for the first time in ages. I hope to continue with that feeling after getting over today's bump in the road. I know it will take a lot of work and I haven't developed the good habits yet but I'm working on it.

There were some gentle colours in the northern sky last night. Usually you only get these colours (and deeper) to a western view. I don't have a western view so miss out on a lot of good photo opportunities. Nonetheless I get a great mountain view.

If you read this blog on a regular basis you know that I don't blog details about my health issues other than the knee issues I've been having.  Right now though, I feel the need to write about my diabetic challenges and blogging is what I do. Hopefully it will help me get this stuff down in writing.  Who knows it might even help someone else who is dealing with the same things. I hope also to continue writing about progress and challenges concerning mom's medical equipment (and other needs.   Updates probably won't be more frequent than once or twice a month or when there is something really good (or bad) to report.  Thanks for reading.

If you have a parent or loved one in a senior's facility and want to share your experiences, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section. Maybe what you share will also be useful to my readers.  Or, if you are dealing with diabetes like I am and have a story to share about how you manage it and what works for you, let me hear from you.

I am still hoping to raise funds to help Elvis finish university in Kenya. If you can help, please see my gofundme button on the right of my blog. Thank you so much!

It's a New Week

A visit is like rainwater; you pray for it when it stays away and its a problem when it rains too much. ~ -Hebrew Proverb

It's a new week and wow what do we have? More rain!

This was the picture weather-wise this morning. The sky looked ominous.

Rain  means I don't have to manually water the garden which has only recently been planted. I haven't even completed all my container gardening but the geraniums are looking water logged. They should do fine when the sun comes back.

You could no longer see the mountains by afternoon.

The hostas in the garden and in the containers are growing very quickly.  This is the first year I am growing them. I heard they grow easily and they didn't disappoint.

The tomatoe plants are in their cages. I am growing both regular tomatoes and a variety of smaller tomatoes.

The crows have been up to mischief. They pulled the plastic liner out of my planter box. The crows have also been using the bird bath as their personal spa every day.  They have damaged the bird bath and destroyed the finial though I am not sure exactly how.  Perhaps it was actually cold weather that damaged the finial more than the crows.  But the crows are annoying me.  When they are around the little birds do not stay to play and enjoy themselves.

My garden went in very late so it is no where near the mature gardens I am already seeing on line across the nation. The rain will help establish it. I hope it will grow well this year and I'm looking forward to harvesting tomatoes and peppers for salsa, salads and other meals.

Despite the rains I've got a busy week ahead. I've been contemplating lasik surgery and have had several appointments with different laser surgeons as well as my Dr. of Opthamology.  Based on everything I've learned, I don't think I'll be moving forward on laser surgery given my advancing age. The cost involved at a later stage in life when one may soon have to deal with cataract surgery just doesn't make it practical. My Opthamologist suggested early permanent lenses (to avoid cataract surgery later) and though initially appealing, I really don't like the thought of getting my eyes cut until I have to. The laser surgery option would have been what they call "no touch" and somehow I thought that would be better though I realize there are great risks in that approach also.  Not everyone who goes through laser surgery has a good experience and some people come away with lasting damage.  So for now, I put the decision on hold and have gone ahead with getting my year's supply of contacts and a new pair of glasses. My word, I could not believe the cost of glasses since the last time I ordered a pair a few years ago. Unfortunately my prescription has also gone up which increases the cost also.

Some of you may remember my short experiment with vegan eating some time ago. I did enjoy the food but didn't enjoy all the preparation involved. It seemed like all I ever did was buy veggies, wash veggies and chop veggies.  But now it is summer again and in summer I love to eat salads and fruits. I've ordered a book on vegan eating from my local used bookstore.  I only ordered in on Saturday evening and they already called today to say it is in so I hope to pick it up tomorrow.  I can't wait to read and learn  more about vegan eating and to see what recipes I might learn to enjoy.

I've also been busy with a lot of business concerning an upcoming move for my mother. She will be moving into a brand new facility in the not too distant future so there is a lot involved with that. She is excited and I am excited for her.  Though she has only been in her current home for just over 3 years, it really is time for her to move on to hopefully greener pastures. I think that the new place is going to be very different for so many reasons not the least of which is the style and material of the building.  The building where she lives now is quite old and is a sprawling one level building.  The design of the new residence is a multi-story building and has been designed with the landscape in mind.  The design has a lot of natural elements like wood, stone, natural rocks and natural colours. I don't have a photo yet but I've included an architectural drawing.

Besides having a different and brand new, pleasant space, there will also be some nice changes to her services.  Mom will continue to have the usual benefits of a doctor, podiatrist, hair dresser, launderer, meals etc. but she will also have access to a dentist and dry cleaning service which she currently does not have. I only wish that the developer would have incorporated a guest suite or two for visiting family members.  It costs a lot of money to visit on a regular basis and stay in a hotel.  (A day after posting this artist's sketch, I got some photos of the new facility.  The photo below is the front of the building and it looks a lot like the artist's sketch.  However it doesn't have stones on all the exterior walls, only in the center where the entrance is. I have now seen a number of photos from various angles of the building and the structure looks quite enormous. It isn't quite completed but should be soon and most of the parking areas are paved and some of the landscaping and planting of flowers is now complete).

My mini e-reader that I mentioned here, arrived last week and I've set it up to sync with my computer and also put some e-books on hold at the library. It looks like I'll have a wait for the e-books I want but that is okay. Once they are available it will be a simple process of downloading them rather than making a trip to the library to pick them up. Fantastic service!  I was so excited about this that I finally made some efforts to read e-books that I'd previously downloaded once I synced them to my mini-reader. So far I'm reading Tess of the D'ubervilles which I enjoy a lot but haven't made enough time to finish reading it.  I'm also enjoying The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I'm amazed at the genius and creative mind of Mark Twain. I read this book way back in grade 7 but appreciate it in a different way now. If I have time and energy when I'm finished I may have a comment or two about the book, or I may just want to keep reading.  Now that I've got several books on my mini-reader, I'm finding it easier to read a few pages here and there.  When I am on a roll with my reading, I don't like to stop. Is anyone else like that?

Many other things are happening in my world.  Most of it good but just too busy these days.  Too much to get into but just wanted to touch bases with you all. I wish all of you a very wonderful week ahead!

I'm linking up with Our World Tuesday today.

A Whirlwind of a Time

Thank you to my new followers. I appreciate you and hope you will find some interesting posts in the weeks and months to come. I will stop by and visit you too if you have a link on your profile pic.

I've been away for a few days and am home for the day before heading south for a short tour.  In my short visit, I had a chance to visit mom several times, attend my eldest nephew's wedding, meet his little boy for the first time, and visit my niece who came to the wedding with me.  My hotel was located next door to a quilt fabric shop so I had time to squeeze in some shopping. I was across the street from a mall so I also ran some errands for mom and managed to stumble upon a used book sale run by the local SPCA. I bought several new books, including "Out of Africa" .

Here is a little peek at my weekend.

First my mom's birthday. We always have a small celebration with a fruit cake and real cream. In this case the filling is made of bostom cream and the top layer has whipping cream and fresh fruits.  There is a little plaque on it which says Happy Birthday since we cannot write on top of the fruit in a legible way.  We had a feast of deep fried chicken, a couple of salads, french fries and gravy as well as sodas. Whenever we visit, mom wants to eat food she doesn't usually get and we always try to make her happy.

My mother's small birthday cake and her home made birthday card from one of her granddaughters. The cake was delicious  and so filling after eating dinner.  Though it was a small cake we couldn't eat it all and just like last year we provided some pieces for the elderly residents.

Here is some of my shopping. As you can see, I have added to my craft stash and to my reading hobby.

The wedding of my eldest nephew was the other main reason for my recent journey.

My nephew is a cowboy and he absolutely loves the lifestyle. He and his new wife both love animals and it was an obvious choice for them to have an outdoor wedding with a western theme. The weather cooperated very well.  The day was quite warm.  There was an intermittent breeze and we were happy to have the cloud cover.  Otherwise the sun would have been unbearably hot.

These two tipis (traditional Indian tents) belong to the groom's aunts. One of his grandmother's stands in traditional regalia.

The arbor under which the officiant and the bridge and groom said their vows. You can see the two saddles in the background. both the bride and groom love animals.

A close up of the saddles and the stunning pendleton blanket.

The Commissioner of Marriages is having a word with the groom while they are waiting for the ceremony to begin.

The groom, my eldest nephew,  waiting to make his entrance. His groomsmen were dressed in complementary western attire and also saddled up for the entrance.  I love this young man so much. He has always been a very responsible and loving boy and now a handsome and responsible young man.

The weather on the way home was perfect. This was the scene as we crossed the bridge on the last leg of the journey home.

I hope you enjoy this sneak peek at my weekend.  I hope to have at least one more post of the wedding once  I get the photos organized. I'm also making a video for my nephew as I managed to capture some of his unique day on film and want to put it together for him along with some of my stills.

I'm linking up with Our World Tuesday. Please click on the link and join in for wonderful posts from all over the world.  A big "thank you" to all the ladies who keep this meme going in memory of Klaus.

Day Trip to Kamloops, My World Tuesday

Driving to Kamloops, BC. We are at the highest elevation of the mountainous highway.

Passing by Merritt, BC.  One hour left to go before we get to Kamloops.

Today my brother, my cousin and I took a day drive to Kamloops to visit my mother.  We left around 7:45 a.m. and arrived in Kamloops at 12:30 p.m. after a leisurely drive and several stops. I only took a couple of photos along the way.  After stopping for some lunch we arrived to visit mom. She was waiting in the dining hall anxiously keeping watch for us and was so happy when we arrived.

We visited for a time in the dining hall and I showed her the shawls and dresses I had brought for her. She loved them all.  After visiting for awhile my brother went to pick up my niece who lives about a half hour from where mom now resides.  When he returned, we left my brother to visit my mom in private while I took my cousin for a look around the facilities and took my niece to see the new rose garden that is now open at the facility.

As soon as we opened the door to the garden, the fragrance of the roses was heavenly.  I took a few photos as the blossoms were so lovely.  There were about 6 or 7 varieties of roses in the garden but I took photos of these beautiful red blossoms only.

Afterwards, my cousin and I took mom to her room where we tried on her dresses as best we could given she was sitting in her wheelchair. My guess is that the staff will cut the new dresses up the back to make them easier to wear. Hopefully they won't wash them. I will have to retrieve them later and sew some seams up the back.  She loved both dresses but I think the red one particularly caught her eye.  While we were trying on her dresses my brother drove my niece back to her home.

We visited awhile longer with mom and took her back to the dining room for dinner before calling my nephew to come and meet his auntie for a quick visit. We visited with him briefly in the parking lot before we departed at 5:45 p.m. for the drive back to Vancouver. He usually wants a real quick visit so we were careful to take little of his time. This time he asked why the rush, lol. We may seem him this weekend when he makes a trip to the big city.  Soon he will be moving to my city permanently as he has given up his job to return to university and complete his Bachelor of Arts degree.

We made it home at approximately 9:45 p.m.  We were all very tired as none of us slept well last night but all in all we had a fruitful and pleasant visit.

For more scenes from around the globe please click here.

Family Matters

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I will be away visiting and helping an elderly family member for the next several weeks. I will be busy sorting, purging and packing for a move. If I find something of interest to blog about in my sorting and packing or in my visit, I will pop in again. Otherwise, I expect it may be a bit quiet for me on the blogging front for awhile.

In the meantime, I encourage you to search around my blog as there are many different subjects covered within it's almost 300 posts. If you have time please also check out Missions of Hope website and blog here.

While I am away I hope to have more time for study of God's Word and meditating on it. I've been somewhat lax in that area of late.

I hope that each of you finds something of joy and usefulness to do with your hands or your mind or both as we transition into a new season weatherwise. All the best until I read you or hear from you.

Thursday

Yesterday I

had an early shower,

enjoyed coffee and a christian morning program

visited with my niece

ordered take out for an enjoyable lunch with mom and niece

had a luxurious nap (ssshh, I had more than one ☺)

made an early dinner

visited with mom and one of her friends

who came over bearing delicious red apples

mended mom's red sweater

and turned up the sleeves of her red fleecy housecoat

and hemmed her seafoam green dress.






It was a good day and I wasn't too rushed.

Now I'm feeling the shortness of time before I have to return home.

It has been a good visit and a lot of things got done that we don't
usually have time to do. As well, we had some nice chats.
Something I need to cherish more.

Joy xx