OK, OK..... It's been awhile.....

I am fine, we are all fine.  Phil is now under 180 lbs. which is GGGGRRREAATT!  A mere shadow of himself.  I have posted pictures on my kodakgallery webpage but I'll try to remember to add to this site before I sign off.

I am still in the low 160s and feeling good except when my fibromyalgia flares.  I am truly better than I deserve, that's for sure!!

Dylan is doing well in school this year.  His teacher, Mrs. Stewart, followed her class from 3rd to 4th grade so it was not a big adjustment at the beginning of the year.  Fourth grade expects more from him, mostly more self-control and accountability.  Dylan still goes to his after school program 4 days a week where he continues to cope with his social and peer relationship problems.

Veronica had her 3rd and last child on September 19th.  His name is Matthew Marcus Ebel.  Dad's 1st name is Marcus.  Matthew has done well so far and only had a little jaundice - not enough to do anything about.  In his early pictures, Matthew just looks like he has a bit of a tan!

Roni and Mark are planning on getting married on November 7th.  First marriage for both.  It will provide more stability for all concerned.

Alexis, who is now in the 1st grade, is doing well.  She is a chatterbox.  She is learning to listen better and is getting good marks.  Alexis loves being a "big sister and is a lot of help to her Mom and Dad.

Amanda and Loren are still in the Bahamas.  Amanda is the head of the dive program at Small Hope Bay Resort on Andros.  She is fulfilling her dream.  No financial responsibilities, no kids and they dives twice a day, 5 days a week.  I am planning on going down to visit for a few days in March.

I have begun to ride the H-D on my own.  I rode around our immediate area for about an hour today.  I practiced everything from shifting gears to panic stops and riding in some traffic.  I have my permit, of course.  I passed the written the first time out.  I'll take the road test in the Spring.  I am going to try to get a couple more rides in before we have to put it up for the winter.

Winter......  We are expecting some snow in the next 10 days.  It shouldn't stick, at least I don't expect it to.....  Our sprinklers are blown out and shut off, our hoses are put away and our trees are losing there leaves.  Night time temps have been in the 20s.  We had a blower put in our fireplace and are going to insulate the crawl space, especially over our bedroom.

Well, that is my update

IT IS STILL SNOWING!!!

It is still snowing.......  Slowing down but still coming down....  We got 1 1/2 inches over night.  Today, it has rained, sleeted, graupeled (meteorological term for soft hail) and snowed. It has been around 34 degrees today but last Saturday and Sunday it was 70-72.  Like they say:  If you don't like the weather in N. Idaho, wait 10 minutes.

Mandy and Loren have signed on for an 18 month commitment as Dive Instructors at a resort in the Bahamas.  The place is called Small Hope Bay Lodge and it's on the island of Andor.  Andor is a 15 min. flight by private aircraft or a 2 1/2 hour boat ride from Nassau.  What can I say?  It's the Bahamas.

Communication with Mandy and Loren has been difficult due to trouble with the island satellite internet connection and I guess there are few phones at the resort,  I'm such a Mom.  I finally called the resort and was able to get Mandy and talk to her briefly.  

Now, that I know they arrived safely on the island, I can exhale.  I am not a "no news is good news" person. There is no wireless internet so they are waiting for a computer connection to be put in their room.... 

I don't have too many details about the job but the resort has a website at

www.smallhope.com.  The website has beautiful pictures.

Roni's pregnancy is going well.  We don't know boy or girl yet but there are things I can do or buy.  Mark is protective and Roni is tired.  All very typical.

I will post more pictures from the pro season as soon as I pick them up and scan them in to the computer.

More later.

A Short Two Weeks

The two weeks of Manndy and Loren here is coming to an end way too soon!  we have had a GREAT time.  Mandy has done alot of reading, scrapbooking and going through old childhood pictures.  Both Mandy and Loren experienced heavy snow for the very first time.  We took tons of pictures.  I will post all when I have time.

Roni, mark and Alexis are coming over for a farewell dinner tonight.  I will post more as I have time. 

It Is Still Snowing

Happy Spring!  It is still snowing.  Great big, fluffy, snowflakes.  It is not sticking to the roadways but it is covering the cars and the grass.  It will melt before the end of the day.  It is cold and breezy but the nice weather is just around the corner....

I am going to be a grandmother again.  Roni and Mark or pregnant.  This will be Roni's 3rd baby and probably her last.  The due date is kind of up in the air until Roni's first ultrasound on March 28th.  Roni has felt some movement and they were able to hear the ONE heartbeat.   I am guessing around early to mid October.  Mark is on cloud nine as this is his 1st child.  He is hoping for a BOY!

Mandy and Loren are almost done with everything having to do with diving at Neptune's in Manzanillo.  They have employment offers in the Bahamas for a couple and Mandy has aan offer in Cancun with prospects for employment for Loren.  They are coming home first and may make a trip here as well.......

We are making progress on the floor in the kitchen.  We are hoping to have flooring laid in the next 10 days or so with finish carpentry to follow quickly.  I want a floor, I want rid of the mess and I want my house back!

Much love to all!

It's been a couple of weeks

Well, it's been a couple of weeks.....  We still have quite a bit of accumulated snow but it is disappearing FAST!  We have been in the high 40s the last couple of days with bright sunshine.

As the weather continues to warm, we hear more and more bikes.  Just one or two, here and there, but, summer is coming!  We are getting our very own H-D dealership in Coeur d' Alene. The new dealership is Lone Wolf Harley Davidson.  It can be seen from I-90 which is one of the major coast-to-coast highways.  I-90 gets alot of Sturgis traffic so it will be interesting!  We have Shumate in Spokane and now Lone Wolf in Cd'A but my heart still belongs to Gary Bang Harley-Davidson in Atascadero, CA.  Hi, y'all!!!!

No new kitchen floor yet.  Waiting on insurance company.  It shouldn't be too much longer.  I will be glad to have my Subzero out of my dining room and my dining room table out of my livingroom.  I want a real floor to walk on!  It has been aan eventful 2008 so far.....

Love to all!!!

Spring Is Almost Here!!!

No new kitchen floor yet but we do have something to look forward too,,,,,,SPRING!!!  The last few days have been sunny.  We are still in the high 30s but at least the sun is out!  

We may have a day of snow here and there through mid-March but nothing that will stick. That is good considering we still have 3 feet of compact snow on the ground and piles of it everywhere!  Environmental concerns now prevent the cities from dumping snow in the lakes so they find vacant lots and fields to pile it in.  Our ski areas will have great skiing through at least June.

Mandy is in the midst of her IDC training.  IDC training is a grueling 2 weeks of 14 hour days, studying at night and functioning on 4 hrs. sleep a night.  She finishes next Sunday.

Loren, Mandy's boyfriend, lost his Dad to cancer February 15.  Currently, Loren is home in San Marcos and he was able to spend quality time with his Dad before Heavenly Father called him home.  Our deepest, heartfelt sympathies go out to the entire Esposito family during this time of great sorrow.  To Frank we say "God Speed".  

Loren will return to Manzanillo to finish out his training.  We expect both Mandy and Loren to return to the States mid-March.

All else is as usual.......  My weight has stabilized at 165.  Phil is doing well and we are waiting for authorization for his gastric bypass.  Lots of red tape.

Well, that is all that is fit to print.

I hope everyone is well. 

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!!

Hi everyone!

We're back in the house.  We spent 4 nights in a Holiday Inn because the fans being used to dry out the kitchen were intolerable and the kitchen was unusable.  I walked around with my shooting ear protectors on for 2 days until the pressure on the sides of my head gave me a MASSIVE  headache.  Dylan wore a pair too but basically stayed in his room with the door shut. Poor kid!  We were came to the house daily to check on things, let workmen in and plow the driveway and returned permanently on Friday.  Even nice motel rooms get really small with 3 people and only one TV!

Holiday Inn in Hayden is attached to an indoor amusement park/waterslide park.  Although we didn't use the waterslide park, the arcade provided some distraction......  Dylan loves the Chuck-the-Cheese kind of games!  The food is horrible and outrageously expensive, but, you expect that from a tourist attraction.  Actually, when I am being robbed I'd rather have someone stick a gun in my back!

Over the last 2 weeks we have had more than 3 feet of snow!  It is gorgeous but what a pain!  We have wonderful neighbors who all help each other but you get tired of dealing with it after awhile.  Although it has been the biggest winter for us, I am told this is just a little more than normal!   We have at least 6 more weeks no matter what the groundhog in PA says!!!

Mandy is officially a Divemaster!  She passed her Divemaster exams on Monday and has one more level to go!  She will be in Mexico until at least mid-April.  Her e-mail is hamsterranger@gmail.com.  You can use this email to go to her MySpace.com page and look at her pictures.

Well, I have some housecleaning and laundry to catch up on!  More later with some new pictures!

Inundated

Well..... this has been the roughest of the three winters we have spent in Idaho......  Heavenly Father, I love the snow, just not all at once -- Thank you very much.  And, while you are at it, don't let Phil slip and fall as much -- he has hit the ground no less than 4 times in the last 3 days.....  Even in the snow, it still hurts!

We had over a foot of fresh powder in less than 24 hours.  It started Saturday afternoon with a moderate but steady period of falling snow.  It seemed to be never ending.....  It snowed through the night.  We awoke Sunday morning to over 13 inches of undisturbed snow.  We use an old-fashioned ruler to measure.  Usually, we use the top of the car since we know it was clean before the snow started to fall.  At 2200 feet above sea level, we get more snow then the city of Spokane and Coeur d' Alene.

Phil and I started to try to clear the driveway with the ATV/plowblade but there was too much even for the ATV.   A part on the plowblade broke but I MacGyver'd it (an homage to my daughter, Amanda) with wire and a piece of flexible tubing.  Hey, my middle name is Jerry-rig...... We then started with shovels to clear the berm left by the snowplow.  Finally, one of our neighbor has a huge snowblower (exactly like the one we SOLD this summer) and he came over and blew out the majority of our driveway while I went and helped another neighbor with their driveway by hand.  What the heck, I need the exercise!  It was neighbor helping neighbor however we could.....  I got stuck twice trying to move the truck and other members of my "ward family" helped me get back in the driveway.  After helping me get "unstuck", they then went 2 doors up to clear another driveway of a month's worth of snow because the house is unoccupied.  See next paragraph..... 

The snow continued to fall throughout the day, so, we went out again around 5 pm and cleared the driveway, sidewalk and then went to the house 2 doors up and tried to finish their driveway so other members of my "ward family" (displaced by a broken waterpipe) could get to the house to move things in to their temporary home until theirs is repaired.

All of us are running put of places to put the snow.  the piles of snow on our property reach as high as 5 feet in some places.  The community mailbox is inaccessible which is one of the reasons I use a P.O. Box......

Dylan is on his second snow day in a week......  I think we have a couple built in to the school year, but if not, the school year will be extended.  For the first time since 1996, Spokane's main school district is shut down,  As a matter of fact, most schools in the Spokane area and Northern Panhandle of Idaho are shut down.  Code red is in effect which just means stay of the road unless it is essential to travel.  The snowplows, salt trucks and deicers have been running continuously since Saturday night just to keep the main roads clear.  The snowplow has only been up our street once since Saturday so our street is impassable.  

Neither the car nor the truck has 4WD or studded tires, but, we don't really NEED to go anywhere......  Being housebound gives me a chance to catch up on things around the house. Only bad thing is we still have the huge fans and dehumidifier running to try to dry out our kitchen walls and under the cabinets from the broken pipe on Thursday. (see previous post)  The noise is tremendous.....  I have to go in our bedroom or bathroom to talk on the phone.  We can't hear ourselves think most of the time and cooking is next to impossible.  Thank goodness for the microwave!  We have a good stock of food that can be microwaved and Dylan loves cereal, yogurt and PB&J sandwiches.  When will we be done?  It is a day to day process and we want to make sure that the moisture is completely gone from the walls.  I have taken advantage of the moving air and dehumidifier to dry wet jackets, boots and hats.  I put a drip dry rack in the kitchen.  Most things are bone dry in 30 minutes! I mean, my power bill will be HUGE, might as well take advantage of the air in every way I can.....

We have had our trials but we are luckier than alot of people in EVERY aspect of life.  We have wonderful friends, neighbors and "ward family".  We are different in N. Idaho, people call us rednecks and hillbillies.  I wear those labels with pride.......  CALIFORNIAN BY BIRTH, IDA-BILLY BY CHOICE

North Idaho and Pipes

Well, I told you it was cold.......  We had a small pipe burst in our kitchen thanks to the subzero temps and shoddy workmanship.....  The plumber didn't insulate said pipe and it has frozen for the 3rd year in a row.  It gave up the ghost all over my kitchen.  Lucky for me I was standing in the dining room and heard it blow.  Trust me, it's EXPENSIVE sound.  The water shutoff was buried under 3 feet of frozen snow but it took the city crew just 15-20 min. to get here and they dug it out and shut it off.  

We have wonderful neighbors and one of them is on a commission for the city so he was the one who got the city workers out here so quickly.

I won't know the extent of the damage until the water damage people come out tomorrow.  My wood floor is toast but the appliance people had already agreed in principle to replace the entire floor because an installer drug my Subzero across the floor gouging the heck out of  it.  I have wet insulation, dry wall, baseboard, etc.  Water seeps up through the cracks in the floor when you step on it.  Thankfully, the damage is confined to the kitchen. 

Frozen and broken pipes are part of life here in the Inland Northwest.  There are things you can do to try to prevent it, but, it happens anyway sometimes.....  Add'l insulation will be this Spring/Summer project.

Even with this latest little disaster, this family remains truly blessed beyond words.....  I thank Heavenly Father for great friends, wonderful neighbors and my ward family.   All of the kids are healthy.  All the grandkids are happy and healthy.  I have more than I need, better than I deserve.

I have my days when I feel like I am rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.  Pity parties if you will.....  I have heard and seen too many things lately that remind me how truly fortunate my family is....   Everything is gonna be OK! 

I had my 6 mo check-up for my G-bypass today.  I am within 10 lbs. of my goal weight.  It's those last 10 that are the hardest to lose.  The diet is 1100-1300 cal a day.  My BMI was 27.4 today.  I am shooting for a BMI of 25 or lower by April.  I have to kick up the exercise and knock off the sugar.......   I can do it!

Love and hugs y'all!!

Hi, there...

We are still very cold here.  2 degrees above and 6 below with wind chill at present.  Any exposed skin turns red after just a few minutes of exposure to the cold.  The kids still go to school.  They just don't go outside if it is below 10 degrees above.  Dylan did have a "snow day" a couple of weeks ago when we rec'd a number of inches of snow.  We have had a grand total of 74 inches of snow so far with 25-30 more inches expected.  It could be more, it could be less.

Clearing the snow is a family effort.  Phil rides the ATV with a plowblade attached and I clean around the edges and where the ATV can't go.  Thankfully, that isn't too much.  Just as soon as you finish plowing, the city snowplow comes through and puts a 2 foot high berm of snow in your driveway. We try to wait for the plow to come through so we don't have to plow the driveway twice.  Also, the city snowplow hit the Scion XB last year doing about $5000.00 in damage. Rathdrum's City Administrator and his staff took care of the damage quickly.  But I digress...  The ATV also allows Phil to move large amounts of snow and clear the sidewalks and driveways of our neighbors.

A funny thing about clearing snow......  It is mandated by city ordinance that you keep the sidewalk in front of your house clear of snow or face being fined.  BUT, you are not allowed to shovel snow into the street either.  We have drainage culverts called swales instead of parkways like California.  We push the snow into the swales or onto our now DEAD lawn. Each Spring, our landscaper comes out and resets our sprinkler system and replaces any sprinkler heads that have been damaged by overzealous man on ATV/snowplow....  Having to pay landscaping company only 6 months out of the year more than makes up for the cost of sprinkler head repair.  We also do not use PVC pipe for sprinklers opting instead for flexible hose that doesn't freeze and BURST.

We have one frozen waterline to the master bath toilet.  When the temperature falls below 20 degrees, we let faucets drip and purposely make toilets run to keep them from freezing up. Being a born and raised Californian, it absolutely KILLS me to waste water in this way.

I got out of California in time.....  I saw on the news where Orange county is recycling water from sewage for drinking water.  I think they call it "toilet to tap".  The powers that be "floated" that idea (pardon the obvious pun) in San Diego a few years back...EEEEEWWWWWW!  I use bottled water when I am out and about because it is easier. The tap water here is wonderful and extremely cold right out of the tap.

All else is well.  No one is sick.  We are far more blessed than words can say......

We miss you all.

A BLOG IS NO SUBSTITUTE

A blog is no substitute for individual e-mails, phone calls, notes, etc.  I promise to get to all of your e-mails as soon as I possibly can.  Until then, I do hope you enjoy reading my ramblings about daily life.

We have settled into some of the colder weather we have seen this winter season.  Temperatures like 6 degrees above is not my idea of balmy weather.  Because we are DEATHLY afraid of falling, we walk like little penguins when we encounter ice on the road or sidewalk.  Phil has fallen several times and I have fallen once so far.  Fortunately, no serious injuries to report as of yet.....  I usually just stand up and do an ice skater's curtsy when my falls are witnessed.  Gotta have a sense of humor about these things, it's all part of winter.  We are going to be getting snow until probably about mid-March.

Alexis turned 6 today.  We are having a party at McDonalds in Post Falls this coming Saturday the 19th.  Hey, why not?  They clean up the mess!  Alexis likes Barbie and Princesses and Bratz.  We are adding to her educational toys.  I will post pictures on my next blog entry.

Otherwise, there is nothing new or exciting.  I am trying to catching up on my sewing and crafts.  My embroidery machine is getting a real workout lately.

Take care, y'all.

Snow!

We have had a great deal of snow this week, so far.  We had 10 inches yesterday which pushed our snow amount for this season to a hefty 73 inches!  This is the heaviest year for us so far and the heaviest in the last 5 yrs. for the area.  In Rathdrum, we get a little more snow than Coeur d' Alene as we sit at 2200 ft. above sea level.  Anyone above 3000 ft has triple the amount of snow currently.  

Our ski resorts have over 100 inch base at the summits.  Our resorts will be open well into April with good to fair conditions!  We are in for a long winter. 

All of the local schools were closed yesterday which is actually quite rare.  The schools are prepared for snow so when they close. the roads must really be bad.  I ventured out to go to the post office about 3:30 pm yesterday and, although it was slick, the main roads were clear.  It is the side streets that are treacherous!  You learn quickly to drive slow, leave plenty of room for slowing and stopping and make no sudden moves.

Phil turns the big 6-0 today!!!  He wants no cake, no party but did get 2 new Limbaugh ties bringing his tie collection to, in my opinion, 23 really ugly ties!  Currently, Phil is outside clearing snow with the ATV.  He says it's just another day.  I still reminded the kids to call him and wish him Happy Birthday.  Let's see who does......

Settling in for the Winter

We are settling in for the winter.  The tree is finally down and most of  Christmas is put away.... Artificial tress never fit back into the box the way they came out and each year it seems to be worse.  I would love to have a real tree but the fire hazard and the mess prevent me from getting one.  Here in the wild and wooly NW, we seem to have a huge number of house fires which start with the good ol' tree......  No thanks!

Santa was good to all of us.  Phil spoiled me as usual with a digital picture frame, jewelry and a Nintendo DS.  He also bought me a full-spectrum light to help with the SADD because of the decreased sunlight.  I bought Phil an autographed football and display case and other STEELERS stuff.  Dylan and Alexis rec'd lots of nice things from Santa.  No coal this year!

Today, Saturday, we launched ourselves into the insanity called the mall.  Even worse, we decided it would be a good day to go to Build-A-Bear Workshop.  NOT!!  Between stuffing, birth certificate and paying for it, Dylan and I were in line over an hour!  Everyone was polite and civilized so it wasn't too bad......  We are still trying to get Dylan to understand the concept of "your money is gone" and making choices.....  Asperger's prevents him from grasping these concepts.  He did pretty well and we didn't have any meltdowns......  The Shrek triplets will have to wait until February's allowance.  Oh well.......  Collecting sets of plush or stuffed animals remains an obsession, so much so that I had to buy a used port-a-crib to corral most of them upstairs in the playroom.  We have a playroom that looks like Toys R' Us or Build-A-Bear threw up all over it!  Oh well, it makes him happy and they are all his "friends".  He usually drags R.J. the raccoon from Over the Hedge and the plush d'jour with him everywhere we allow it.  Only R.J. goes to church......

We are heading into the hardest part of winter.....  Although the shortest day was 12/21/07, we are still dark before 4 pm.  Daybreak is around 7 am, so, you do the math.....  We did see some sun today.  We have been above freezing for the past week so a good portion of the snow has melted.  You can see the rooftops but that won't be for long.  More snow is on the way for next week.  January and February are our snowiest months.  this time of the year no one buys Algore's global warming theory......

Mandy is enjoying herself in Manzanillo.  She posts new pictures regularly on her MySpace page.   You can look her up by name.  She and Loren have some terrific underwater pictures.  Ignore the pictures of drunken debauchery......  Remember, she is an adult without any responsibility.  She will settle down someday......  I hope!   Anyway, she looks like she is having the time of her life!