October

One night the ambulance needed a new computer and 

the grandkids daddy was the one to install it.

I entertained the troops while he worked.

Guess what we got!? She has been a wonderful addition to our family--I think. 

She loves everyone and is always happy to see you.

Our friends decided that now was not the time to add a dog to their family and asked if we would take her. She is a Cavashon-poodle.

One day we did apple sauce...

Hudson decided --like Ramona ---that "the first bite tastes best".

One thing about this dog...she wasn't quite house broke, this necessitates many quick trips outside in all sorts of weather.  She is suddenly my dog when she needs a trip in the dark.

Even dad likes her.

I finished and sold my first leather bag this month. 

I ordered another "cow" so that I could make a few more pieces.

We'll see where this new hobby takes me.

While internet addiction is very real (more on that later) it is good for something.

Two of the girls are learning a new language. Faith is taking Spanish at school and Hope is boning up on Mandarin. I think I will probably need to use Duolingo to help me. I used Pimsuelers before and it works, but you don't learn any characters with that method.

Thanks to the new puppy--oh she came with the name Eden--

I am now Grandma "woof" according to Hudson.

We had a Chinese meal at church the other Sunday.

Your's truly made a bunch of dumplings for dumpling soup.

There were many other wonderful dishes.

I was surprised at our PA Dutchmen and how well they took to the food.

Folding dumplings goes much faster with help.

I found a huge leather trench coat at a thrift shop...we will see what it becomes.

That girl and her/my dog!

Safety glasses for sweeping--don't you use them?

New bags in progress

It feels fake to write a whole blog post and not post about the biggest concern that is a constant hum in the back of my mind. We are realizing how strong addiction to a smart phone/computer and its games and mindless you tube videos can be. If you occupy your mind with a constant "noise" you don't have to think. There is a point when the need for the noise and constant input starts controlling all corners of your life and you can't think. I believe from what I've read and from what we are living that it really does change your brain pathways. What remains to be seen is how hard it will be to free oneself from the addiction. Will he ever be able to use a smart phone even a little bit?  It has affected school and work to the extent that we as his family aren't the only ones noticing. There have been some positive steps, but we are very much in the middle of a battle. Since we are in the middle of a 6 week challenge (he and I) I won't be on FB to read your comments (I'm off FB for 6 weeks and he is on a flip phone for the same amount of time)...put them in the comment section of the blog post or e-mail me...I'd love any help you would have.

Monthly Post

I'm not doing very good at blogging these days, sometimes because what is going through my mind is not for a public blog. And other times I am just a bit too busy to get my thoughts together for a post.

We have a grand daughter! She made her appearance about a month ago.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around Ben being a daddy, but he looks like he has a pretty good idea how this works.

 

This little guy is growing up way too fast! He really loves his aunt Faith,

and no wonder, she caters to his every whim.

We practice extreme safety when cracking hickory nuts.

My parents went on a trip to Europe and they brought these back home for our family. There were just enough for each of us to have two. You would have thought the decision would affect us for the rest of our lives by the time it took each of us to decide.

QOTD: Shekinah getting up one dreary Monday morning--"Mom! I'm still so sleepy! You should have left me sleep longer!"

Crawls up on my lap and sniffles her slightly whistly nose, "SEE, even my nose still sounds like it's asleep!"

Another one so I don't forget (I'm finally doing my photo book for 2017 and am including my blog posts. I am having fun reading back over these quotes)

Hope is still driving on her learner's permit and it's a running joke between us that she drives SOO slow. Truly sometimes she is below the speed limit by quite a bit! Shekinah was riding along and Hope noticed a police cruiser coming toward us and mentioned the fact. Shekinah pipes up from the back seat "Well Hope! were you going too slow again!"

Shekinah, Faith and I helped cater a wedding reception one Saturday, I couldn't resist taking a picture of the cakes.

I'm going to try a new hobby, yes I am.

It is a learning curve, I doubt I'll post any pictures of completed projects for quite awhile.

Faith is enjoying calligraphy, it is amazing the number of pens the girl empties.

Bugs and Digging a Hole to China

We like bugs. DIL and I took the kids to a customer appreciation thing at our insurance company. Parker found a bug, he was a little worried about picking it up with his bare hands, but a handy fork helped him out. We didn't have our helpful bug book along to figure out what it was.

One of our chrysalis hatched. We have an abundance of Monarchs this year.

We lost electricity one evening and hooked up the generator. 

The younger two were surprised by how many things required electricity..I was a meanie and didn't allow my computer to be hooked up to the generator.

We got the bright idea to take photos every 15 min while a caterpillar was making a chrysalis . 

Found out later it is mostly done under the skin and when he is finished he pops off the skin and out comes the unique Monarch chrysalis. We gave up after about two hours.

Went to the milk weed patch to collect some food for our caterpillars and

 this guy hitchhiked in on my shoe string.

First day of school! two seniors , an 8th and 3rd grade students

I took a poll on Facebook asking what I should spend my day doing on their first day back to school. Most of the people told me that tea and a book sound like the best option. I did manage about 10 minutes with these two books. I'm trying to figure out why the book on the right disturbs me when she actually says a lot of the same stuff as this book

but something just doesn't sit right. Maybe a post on that later.

I spent most of my day working on this quilt and listening to myself think. 

Friday was a short day at school and these two needed something constructive to do.

Friday I also got a call from the MRI imaging place telling me that we have to reschedule Hope's MRI of her knee because their machine is down. It was not the thing I planned to do with my 3 hours until school was over.

Our insurance this year is a bit on the quirky side, we have to use up our entire deductible before our insurance kicks in for things like x-rays, meds etc....so we have been seeing exactly what our insurance gets charged before they knock the price down with their "allowable" charges for things.

We got our first taste in January with my meds that keep my Ulcerative Colitis under control. Last year I paid $50 for three months worth, this time $1740! Sticker shock? Oh and since I paid my deductible, the refills were $15...couldn't we spread it out a bit?

Anyhow we had heard there is a vast difference in what different labs charge for blood work and other place charge for x-rays and MRIs so we shopped around.

And on Friday I needed to start shopping again, this time I kept a record of what I was told.

First off, if you need a price estimate, you need something called a CPT code, it stands for  "Current Procedural Terminology" it is NOT on your prescription, that is your diagnostic code.

When you call your physician's office to get your CPT code, the people who work there may or may not know what a CPT code is . I think I spoke to the third person before I found one that knew...meanwhile I was using Google and had already found it..and it was the code she gave me.

Then of course the billing offices are not the publicized phone numbers. 

After almost two hours I found out that an MRI in my area can cost anywhere from

$280 - $697.86 (if it is an estimate why didn't she round it?) - $884.81- $925

or if you were self-pay from the "Plain community" it would have been $600-cash

I guess I paid myself about $600 for my 2-1/2 hours on the phone as the closest facility to my Dr office would have been $884.81. I am going to drive 44 min south in order to save the $$ but I think it is worth it.

You hear that you should be a good, responsible consumer of medical care, then why is it so difficult to find out what something is going to cost!!!?

QOTD:The other night when Shekinah was climbing into bed, she asked "How are we getting to China, by plane or are we going to dig a hole? (She saw "Big Bird Goes to China")  I laughed at her and told her that would be a cheaper way to get there but it would still take awhile.

She said she would be the leader and thinks we would make a stop in Europe to visit Grandma and Grandpa first.( They are on a trip there right now)

Cabins, Monarch Butterflies, and Butterfly books

Cabin with cousins, we should have taken better pictures as everyone 

managed to be there for at least part of the time this year.

Next year our family hopes to be in China for part of the summer and my brother hopes to spend some time in Canada so next summer will look a bit differently.

Cousins

Hudson and Grandma selfie

Chick Fila free food day!

Hubby worried that I would meet someone who knew him....didn't -as far as I know.

Band of merry...pirates, princes, and princesses

When it rains and rains and rains, you need umbrellas.

So Parker discovered the butterfly book that was his daddy's.

We gave it to his daddy for his 6th birthday and now Parker drags it everywhere.

Grandpa was re-living the days when life was a bit simpler....at least I think it was.

Madam Shekinah has a dishwashing job, but she HATES

getting a wet belly. So I got a brainstorm and made her a waterproof

apron. I should have made it a bib-apron,but we just tie it up high enough.

The heat got to me the other day and I cried "Uncle"...Uncle Leroy that is.

He sells reconditioned air conditioners. Started the season with 90 used air conditioners 

and when I called him, he was down to about 7.

Excuse the mess, one side is a pile of wedding gifts,

 Zeke is invited to 5 weddings in the next several weeks.

The other half of the "mess" is a certain person's that doesn't see the need to clean up.

And this is my mess, I was praying we get some beans to "put up"

Uncle Leroy to the rescue again, he planted more than his children can use

and I get the leftovers...this year at least.

How can he be 23?

I guess because the older one turned 27 and you know....I turned--never mind.

Some of our crop of monarch butterflies...well the chrysalis...chrysali? 

Those tiny white dots are monarch eggs....we know because DH watched the butterfly deposit them...we'll see if they hatch into caterpillars.

Chicken Paws?!!

It's just hot! We picked this year to leave the pool in the box.

Shekinah was grumpy and I discovered a big plastic box when I cleaned off the porch.

(It originally held pool supplies)

We filled it with water and she enjoyed her afternoon.

Went shopping at an air-conditioned store and saw these!

Guess I should have bought them, they appeared to be on sale!

She has been practicing her sewing skills

QOTD: When heat-addled brains and Junie B Jones collide. "Mom, I hate trying to make smoothies in those "Osh-Kosh" blenders--or whatever they are called. You mix and you mix and 'wowie, wow wow', you get a lumpie smoothie."