W-W-W-W-Wwwwwild Week!

This week.  The mornings were okay.  Regular old mornings.  Slow and steady.  Or at least steady ... the afternoons were ... W-W-W-wwwild.

Not one day, not ONE - did I show up to my office (at my afternoon job) without someone waiting at the door and then one right after the other all afternoon long.  I'm seriously thinking about asking my a.m. boss and my job-share person if they'd mind if we swapped shifts for a week. I could work at my afternoon job in the morning and my morning job in the afternoon ... just to throw people off my schedule.  *lol*  Some of the steady stream were actually relevant to working - others were just folks who needed to tell me that they were bored, or that someone else had texted them, or ...

Well, let's say that even though it was steady and I didn't get everything accomplished that I needed to (I have HUD coming for some inspections in just over a week and I haven't even STARTED my file review or taking inventory of what needs to be done maintenance-wise before they arrive.) - I love my afternoon job and I enjoy my friends that live in the building.  (No-I don't want to come see how your kitty (therapy pet) can climb on top of the refrigerator.)

I snuck out this afternoon early - and Randy and I went to Iowa City.  I've been wanting to stop at the New Pioneer Coop and get some grains and stuff from their bulk-bins.  This was the day!  In addition, we walked around the Coralville Mall - don't know when we last did that.  Had a bowl of soup at Panera (I can't believe my Randy eats soup these days ... he's so different!)  We didn't dally to long as we were needing to stop at Staples while we were up there.  All in all it was a short trip, but kind of refreshing.

Refreshing except for ... Randy makes me do most of the driving anymore.  However, he forgets he is not driving.  His mouth is a constant stream of instruction on what I could do, should have done, and such.  If ever you notice that you haven't seen him around for awhile, it will be because I've reached over in front of him, pulled on the door handle and swung a hard left turn while I sped away.  He'll be in the ditch somewhere ... wondering "why'd she do THAT?"

We went from Iowa City to Wilton - where our white son and our brown son (Nick and Joey aka Money) were playing their first game of the season.  Interesting to watch the game, as BOTH teams had bright orange shirts.  The teams were close and the other team went home with a win - 3 to 2.  (Hey you guys - I didn't notice before, but you're like TWINS in your blue pants and orange shirts.)  GO TEAM.  It was fun to sit at a game (on a beautiful night like this) and root for the team!

Nick (l) and Joey (r)

We came home after the game (it only lasted one hour) to find a couple of boxes in our garage.  One is your new modem mom!* And one is from my Secret Sister.  It said SHARI'S BERRIES on the box ... and inside were six of the LARGEST strawberries I've ever seen.  They are covered in white, dark, and milk chocolate.  Whoever she is - YUMMY!

*Mom and dad's house got struck by lightning last week.  Four TV's fritzed and fried simultaneously.  The garage door got wonky and the modem melted down ... and some other stuff.  But they (the humans) are okay.

We had Women's Ministry Meeting on Monday.  My mom brought some scones she had made.  If you've ever met my mom - you KNOW she is a great cook.  That scone set me on a quest for a recipe that I could make.  So Tuesday night - I made a recipe by Anne Burrell.  I figured she is a famous chef - I've seen her on cooking shows.  You've probably seen her - click here for a picture ... http://www.fooods.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/t1larg.anne_.burrell.jpg 

Optimistic as I went into the recipe - I DOUBLED it.  Thinking I'd send some with Nick to work and take some to work for my co-workers.  They were okay.  A little sweeter than I cared for.  So my quest continues.  Mom told me where she got her recipe - so I'll try it this next week ... maybe.

Thursday night was our card making class.  I only made one of the three cards.  My friend and partner Tammy made the other two.  I'm so glad she did, as my time management this week just wasn't working.  Here is my card ...

The left is the outside of it - right is the inside!

No tiny girl or bitty boy reports.  I miss those little folks.  I think the next time we'll see them is going to be Father's Day.

My aunt Nita is coming back soon -- it will be nice to see her again.  She lives in California.  She's dad's sister.  Mom is having us to her house to eat on May 27.  (MOM?  You need to tell us what to bring.)

I need to go to bed.  I just looked at the clock.  It is 10:21 p.m.  I'm not allowed to stay up this late anymore!  *lol*  My body won't let me!

Love to all.

Vonda (and Randy)

OOPS

Baby Alex arrived February 4, not February 7.

LUDKE-WHO?-VILLE

It's been absolutely so long since I wrote on my Ludke-ville blog that I forgot how to find it and how to do it.  But ... I think I've figured it out.  Am giving it a shot anyway.

A lot has 'gone down' since I last wrote.  How do I know?  Uhm ... it's May 4, 2012.  Looking at my blog there are NO posts at all in 2012.  So chances of me repeating myself are slim to none.  I can barely remember past yesterday much less over 5 months.

There have been some highlights.  Like we got a new little fellow in our family.  He was born February 7.  When we got him he looked like this:

A very tiny man, not quite 6 1/2 pounds. 

Randy and I were very happy.  Let me say that again.  Randy and I were VERY happy to be able to be able to be part of the arrival process.  Rhiannon's doctor said "if he isn't here by this date, we will induce labor on that date".  So we strapped ourselves into the Mama-n-Papa-Mobile and headed that direction.  We met up with a very hugely pregnant mommy and a daddy who was all set to meet his little boy.

Oh ... and dare I forget that there was a tiny little girl waiting for us too?  Now THAT was fun.  While poor mommy and daddy had to leave for the hospital at something like 4 a.m. - we got to sleep in until we were awaken by a cheerful little imp climbing onto our air mattress bed announcing that it was morning.

We had such fun - the whole day was absolutely a joy for us.  After she took her nap, I got the privilege of turning her into a Princess for a princess ball.  Fortunately her little brother had cooperated by arriving in time to allow their daddy to rush back home, throw on a suit and tie (he cleans up real good!) and transform HIMSELF into a Prince.  It was a daddy/daughter Princess Ball.  I think it is safe to say that both our Prince (daddy) and Princess (Jaimee) had a ball. 

I'll show you a picture of the Princess, but first I have to tell you that my sister-in-law Deb told me I could have been a fairy-godmother!  Isn't that the coolest thing to say to someone?  *smile*

While they were at the ball - Mama and Papa made the trip to the hospital to meet Alex for the first time.  I have to tell you .. he was adorable!!  Ryan brought Jaimee from the ball to the hospital while we were there still.  She climbed up on the bed with her mommy and Alex, leaned real close to him and told him "Alex, we have a room for you."  Needless to say she loved him from the start and after 3 months, she is still pretty enamored with baby Alex.

On January 13 I had surgery on my left foot.  It's amazing how they do things anymore.  I had to be at the hospital around 7 or 7:30 a.m.   They did all sorts of stuff to get me ready, put me in fine hospital gowns and blue booties and matching hat.  Gave me a shot in a nerve under my knee ... you know the nerve, right?  It's the one that "is shaped like a sailboat".  (I was at the University of Iowa - a teaching hospital and I think I was the first nerve block this young anesthesia wanna-be had done!  Never mind - it worked!  I could feel NOTHING from the knee down for about 24 hours!)

So after I was prepped they hauled me down the hallway on my wheeled chariot and turned the corner into the operating room.  I met some of the team that would be working on me, they gave me something and ... that's all she wrote!  At least I didn't hear or feel them "writing" - but during that time they fixed a bunion on my big toe by cutting two wedges out of the toe (suppose they tossed them onto the bone pile) screwed it back into one piece with some titanium screws.  They shortened the toe next to that one.  And to correct some abnormal movement in my foot they put some titanium bars across the top of my foot, again securing them with screws.

They stitched me up, put a little plaster mini cast on it and once I woke up - I was free to go home by three.  All that for only $48,600.  Imagine that!  What a bargain.

It's been a wild ride and I'm happy to say that most of it is behind me.  It's been sixteen weeks today.  I'm still tender and swollen.  Thank goodness for Birkenstocks!  I can usually get my foot INTO them in the morning - by noon or mid-afternoon its pretty tight and by evening it's quite a chore to slip it off my fat foot. 

It's so much better to walk on two feet than it was to ride the knee scooter or use the walker. 

Fat Foot at Sixteen Weeks.

Ewww!  We didn't want to see that!

Sorry!

Let's see -- what else?  Surely SOMETHING can get the image (above) out of our minds ... Hmm?

My mom and dad are doing okay.  Mom had a rough go of it with some kidney related issues.   Very sick mom.  She's a fighter and seems to have put most of that behind her.  Now we're looking forward (with some fear and trepidation and some 'can't wait to get it over''d-ness') to having a surgery for mom's knee.  I know it's going to be another rough patch - but she'll have less pain and I hope she will be happy that she had it done.  Dad seems to be doing pretty well too. 

Oh, here's some more stuff ...

My grandchildren are two babies with one face:

Jaimee on left and Alex on right at about the same age.

Cool screensaver, huh?

Nick loves his niece and nephew!

  





I left this note on a red car:

Because I did this to it: 

Randy and I are fine - and loved the time we've spent with our Orland Park family last weekend.  We got to babysit while mommy went out with some girlfriends and daddy had to work.  We did so much stuff ... planted flowers in a pot, painted, made smoothies, caught butterflies, walked to the park to SWING!

We've also enjoyed the time we've got to spend with Nick and his friend Micayla this week.  Not sure what you call this friendship yet, but we do like her.  She seems to like us!  So as far as we are concerned things are going well!

Hope all is well. 

Signing off ...

Randy and Vonda ... a couple of folks who have a couple of reasons to be happy!

  

 





PS  I've got $3.27 here to give to the first person who can figure out a way to get those little folks closer to us!  *smile* 



HOT (HOT-HOT) TIME IN THE SUMMERTIME

I think everyone in the US can understand me when I say that this has been a really hot summer.  We, fortunately, have now had a break from the heat for several days.  So thankful.  Have tried, the last few summers, to tough it out and not put the air conditioner on (much) - but this year's heat brought us to our knees.  We were fortunate that our A/C for the upstairs (we have 2 central heating/air conditioning systems for our house) even ran.  It's been pretty unreliable at times!

Fourth of July was fun - a church friend who drives a semi cross country - picked up a truckload of fireworks on one of his runs.  He asked mom and dad if he could set them off out at the Atalissa farm and invite the church family out.  We had haystacks for supper (and some other yummy stuff) and then when the sun started to dip out of site - the show began.  It was very nice.  That is such a beautiful place to gather - out there on the farm.  Some call it the "cottage" - but to me it is the farm and HOME!! - not a cottage.  I think that is why I like it out there so much - because it is where I grew up.  I never lived at the house where mom and dad live now.  All the other kids lived at their current home.  (We stayed there when we first moved back to Muscatine - but I'm talking about as a kid.)

The farm was the setting for another event this summer - a farewell soire' for our little Kate - who has moved to Georgia.  She is now engaged to her boyfriend Chase and we look forward to their wedding, whenever comes around.  She has a job there - and Chase took a different position with the company he was with here in Muscatine.

Tonya - Mark's daughter - had a new baby our most recent "grand" addition to the family.  HIS name is Holden.  He is the (1. Dayton  2. Reese  3. Jaimee  4. Tanner  5.  Holden)  FIFTH "grand" addition!  Our family is growing!  But WAIT -- speaking of growing ... there is another little "grand" perking away over there in Orland Park ... Ryan and Rhiannon are expecting their 2nd child in February - one week before Jaimee's 3rd birthday.

We had a super fun trip to Pennsylvania/Maryland a month ago.  Deb and Jill (Randy's sisters) and their families live in Gettysburg, PA and Myersville, MD.  We hadn't seen either family for a few years (yes, I said YEARS).  Thanks to Rhiannon and Jill's expert planning service - Randy, me, Ryan, Rhiannon and Jaimee all climbed aboard the Kia Sedona Express and drove out!  We had hoped Nick could join us, but he couldn't get off work.

It was a long drive but not horrible (about 15 hours) - when we got there we were greeted by sisters sitting on the front lawn of Jill's house waiting for us!  What a sight for sore eyes!  It wasn't too much longer after we got there and it was  time for us to take our SEGWAY tour of the Gettysburg battlefield.  I rock at SEGWAY!!!  (I say that proudly because I'm not the most physically adept person that walks the earth ... and I knew if there was going to be a hiccup in the plan ... it would be me being involved in a tragic SEGWAY accident.)  I envisioned being on the front page of newspapers across the country because of the freakish nature of whatever doom would befall me on that SEGWAY! (and the accident would of course be caused by ME ... of that there was no doubt!)

But I Seg'd this way and that without a problem.  I want one!!!  I can see me now walking to the garage, stepping onto my segway and riding all the way to City Hall.  I'd seg right into City Hall, press the elevator button and ride up - segging again to my office.  It would be so cool - and I would LOOK so awesome doing it.  Alas!  that dream died when I GOOGLED THE PRICE of the Segway ... a mere $6000.  Not happening!  Sigh!

There were other fun things that we did - a boat ride through a cave and visiting.  We were so thankful that Deb and her family were willing to drive to meet us at Jill's so many times.  That was nice!  We loved every moment of our all to short time!

Last weekend we went up to Red Wing, MN - to Randy's 40th High School reunion.  Whoa!  That was a LOT of old folks in one location!  Uff da!  *smile*  But a good time was had by all.  Thank goodness Gene and Kathy Littlefield were there -- Kathy and I 'hang out' together when the guys have these things.  She's fun to chat with and lets the guys flit around and be social without their wife anchors!  Note the Mardis Gras beads ... they passed those out to the women, but I gave mine to Randy!

This is Randy and Clark (back) and Ken and Gene (front).

Dave couldn't be there ... but the guys called him and chatted a minute!

We drove to the Twin Cities area after the reunion was done - and checked into our motel - a GORGEOUS place.  We were so happy when we walked in - because our Friday night accomodations were not nearly that posh!  And imagine our discouragement when the guy said they made a mistake on our reservations and there was NO ROOM for us.  Here it is after midnight ...

But they QUICKLY added that they had made us a reservation at the Fairfield Inn that was next door and the night's stay would be FREE!!  They were in the middle of remodeling (this was in Eden Prairie, MN) but the room we were in was done and it was okay - and AWESOME when you consider the FREE part of it!   SCORE!

The next day was extra fun too ... we met up with another of Randy's sisters (Joannie) and her family at the Mall of America where we had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.  Joan and Kirk's little girls are adorable and it was so nice to see them.  We'd only met Scarlett one time - when we were invited to her ONE YEAR birthday party ... and she is six now!  Josie we'd never met.  So we felt very happy to spend time with them all.  We can't let so much time elapse ...

And then there is our Jaimee -- naturally I think she pretty much tops out the adorable meter ... here are a few reasons why ...



   

She's going through her "dress" phase ... loves to wear dresses!  And don't you love her little flip flops?  We got those (Jaimee and me) at JC Penney's cuz they light up when she walks!

Tomorrow we're headed out their way after church - it's been a month since we've seen them and it is time!  Gotta get our Pharr-phix!

Love to all!
V