A Month of Challenges!

Well folks, I can hardly believe a month has gone by since my last post!  However, I must admit, time has been at a premium this last 6 weeks.  So, let me bore you with a few details......
As my last post indicated, I went to Chicago on July 18th to help Danielle out with the kiddos while she did the final preparations and actual performance of Musicology's rendition of Sussical the Musical.  I very much enjoyed taking care of my 2 year old grandson, Brian, and on some days, Sophie.  Some days I would drive her to ice skating and then take her to Sussical practice.  Other days it was just Brian and I hangin' out together;  I found out quickly that a. he can make a drum out of must ANYTHING, b. he loves his "grub", but gum is something he REALLY wants and trys to convince one that he DOES actually chew it instead of swallowing it!, and c. his favorite topic right now is the moon.....he is determined to see the moon at all times of day and is NOT a happy camper to find out you can only see it at night time.  He is the happiest little guy and Grandma has fallen hopelessly in love with his little smile, arms outstretched for me, and the sound of him calling for "Dooty".  Yes, he calls me Dooty, none of us can figure it out unless it comes from me singing "do wah diddy, diddy dum diddy do" to him on a regular basis!  What can I say, I am vocally limited.  Sophie of course had to have her costume completed and LOVED the feathers which were added to her "Sour Kangaroo" costume.  As Danielle and I dedicated several days to finishing the costumes (guess who was doing the sewing?!?) David arrived on Friday the 21st to help out with the kiddos.  It was during that week that my son-in-law, Ozzie received information regarding a job he had applied for in Turkey managing a manufacturing plant.  He met with the son of the owner of the plant who was in Chicago, and he confirmed that Ozzie did indeed have the job.  This news greeted David when he arrived in Chicago; let us just say that he was NOT a happy camper.  Ozzie and Danielle had discussed, extensively, the possibilities this job offered.  They decided if the offer was monetarily a "step up" they would probably agreed to the position and make the move to Turkey.......while I couldn't say this was a shock to us, it was rather emotionally challenging to say the very least.  On Monday, the 24th, Ozzie agreed to the contract, and the decision was made for them to move.......let me tell you things certainly picked up "speed" following that decision.  Danielle made the announcement to her Sussical students during the last performance on the 30th, completed the evening in tears, and started packing the next day.  Their departure date was set for August 24th so they had just a little over three weeks to get their household packed and arrangements made for the furniture to be shipped to Turkey via ocean transport.  That first week of August they packed, had a yard sale, and began the process of closing their U.S. accounts.  Danielle wanted to spend two weeks at home here in MO before leaving for Turkey, so she really had to push herself to get everything accomplished in a week and a half.  Audra and Kylee went up for several days to help her pack and that was quite helpful.
On August 8th Danielle and the little "munchies" arrived here in Fredericktown and did stay one day shy of two weeks.  It was just a lovely, lovely, time for all of us.  Sophie spent the night with her cousins, my three children and their spouses got to spend some special time together, and David and I got to spoil the two youngest of our grandchildren as much as we wanted!  It was great fun.  On Tuesday the 21st of August Ozzie and Danielle left to go back to Chicago to clean out the house, say their goodbyes to their closest friends up there, and finish their packing.  David and I left Fredericktown after my classes on the 23th to take them to the airport on Friday the 24th.  We spent Thursday evening finishing up with some packing, and Friday loading the truck full of stuff we were taking to Fredericktown.  Friday night was the "big night".  We ate dinner at the airport after checking in eight, yes that's EIGHT large suitcases, a car seat, and a electrical converter!  We looked like the Culhanes from Hee Haw all lined up pulling luggage in the international wing of O'hare Airport!  Ha.  Time quickly came for departure.......we all did remarkably well, no hysterical emotions or anything.  I think David and I were still in shock!  So, my youngest "child" and two smallest grandchildren are now in Turkey and plan to be there indefinitely.  However, before they left my son-in-law took me aside and said, "Mom, you know that if this doesn't work out, if Danielle or the kids are not happy, we will be back.  They are MY family and I would NEVER do anything that made them unhappy or keep them somewhere they did not want to be; you have my promise about that.  If it doesn't work out, when we come back, I will look for a position in St. Louis, not Chicago, so that you and Dad can be closer and WE can be closer to family."  Well, what can I say?  I have to trust my son-in-law, who has never done anything to make me distrust him, he is very respectful to both David and I and says we are his family just like his parents are Danielle's family.  Ya gotta love that.
The one thing Danielle wanted desperately to take was her dog, Shelby.  She was afraid, though, that Shelby would not be able to make the 13 hour flight in a kennel in the luggage section of the plane, then have to stay in Ozzie's parents apartment until they got their own place.  So, as I'm sure you've guessed we are now the proud "grandparents" to a golden retriever!  Dumb dog! Ha.  Shelby is a good dog, but let's face it, she had HAIR, and LOTS of it!!!  We are constantly vaccuming.......and now, heaven forbid, she has managed to get some fleas!  Egad.  They are not infested or anything, but if I see 1 crawling on her I'm freaking out.  Damn things.  The main problem, in reality, is that it is causing her to itch something fierce.  The vet says she's probably allergic to the bites and that she's breaking out in hot spots.  Well, no duh.  I mean really, do you know what it sounds like when a dog's leg is thumping the floor repeatedly while trying to scratch a certain itch?!?  VERY annoying.  Well, I have the thing (dog) on 62 mg of Benadryl so we can sleep at night; her included.  I WILL survive this....I think!
Oh yes, in the last week of all these goings on my classes at Mineral Area College began!  I'm sure my students think I am even more scatterbrained than they normally do.....let's just say several of my Tuesday's and Thursday's have felt like Mondays.  But, thankfully, I try to blame most of it on senility and since they think I'm old as dirt anyway, this works fairly well.  Actually, I have a wonderful group this semester, lots of teenagers, and am looking forward to indoctrinating them in the "ways of the world" according to Sue Hanner.  Ha.

So, we have been trying to make the adjustment to knowing out daughter and her family are living "across the pond" so to speak and we will only be seeing them a couple of times a year.  Ozzie is sending us tickets for our first journey to Turkey this December following Christmas.  I am getting somewhat excited as things in Turkey are going VERY WELL for all of them.  David, well, actually, David is not allowed to tell me how he REALLY feels about this anymore. (ha)  Excitement about the trip for him? not so much.  But he and I are both doing fairly well and lean on each other to bolster or spirits when we get down.  Our children here, Audra and Brian, and their families are VERY helpful.  My little Kylee and Michael and Kirsten and Christopher fill us with joy and make our lives interesting and full.  They were all here last night to celebrate my getting a new phone (that's our excuse anyway) and playing with it.  Audra and Kyle got it for me so I can have "face chats" with Danielle.  It's called a "Note" and has quite a nice large android screen.  I'm still not used to it yet, but I LOVE the size of the font and the graphics; so bright.

That pretty much brings everyone up to day on the comings and goings of the nutty Hanner Family.  While we may be a "little left of center" we are so glad you all are our friends and family and we hope that life is as good for you as it is for us.  Thanks to wonderous technology, I am still connected to my "baby dolls" in Turkey and they are getting to know their Turkish grandparents much better.  They are by the way, WONDERFUL, WARM, LOVING people and my daughter is so fortunate to have them.  I can't begrudge them their time to establish a relationship with their grandchildren, just as I have been able to do.  They are my "in-laws" too.

Oh, on a local note, many of you know my brother Michael.......he has (finally) decided to admit that perhaps his leg/knee is not doing very well at all and perhaps he should do something about it.....Doctor says he will be having surgery on Oct. 2 to replace the knee.  So keep him in your prayers with special emphasis on Carol Lee who will be LIVING with him and nursing his back to health.

Have a wonderful weekend all!  And remember, Life IS good; sometimes we just have to look a bit for the blessings, but certainly they are there.

Oh, oh, updated news......Danielle and Ozzie now have an apartment of their own in Bursa, Sophie has a new, beautiful private school to go to (English speaking), Brian can do there too, for day care/pre-school, and guess what?, Danielle begins teaching there on Monday!!!!!  Can you believe it?  I can't wait to see a picture of them all going to the school, are you ready for this, they are riding the SCHOOL BUS, each day, even Danielle.  Soooooo hilarious to think of her on the school bus.  Should be a hoot.  Keep them in your prayers as they begin this new "journey" in their lives.

Grandpa and Brian off to the garden.

Sophie in Kylee's zookeeper outfit from when she was little and we went to the San Diego Zoo.

Sophie at a restaurant in the mountains above Bursa, Turkey

Ozzie and Danielle's apartment building in downtown Bursa.

Sophie's new school where she, Brian, and Danielle will go each day.

Traveling & Snacking

Made my way to Chicago suburb of Glendale Heights today!  Nothing eventful happened along the way, however, I believe I have had an epiphany regarding traveling and eating at age 65!  Perhaps a bit of background is necessary..........
Being a "Dean" by heredity, I abide by my Mother's rule of 'something to "mince" on while traveling is absolutely necessary.  Consequently, I started my journey out by purchasing a McDonald's Mini Meal, which I have never had and thought the word "mini" to be meaningful; wrong.  I just looked it up...670 calories and only God knows how many of those fall under that dastardly three letter word, FAT!  I rationalized that this was really no big deal, because it was the first I had eaten today.
Unfortunately I had to stop and get a Wal-Mart gas card to save my 3 cents per gallon, and while I was there the Twizzler's "spoke" to me, screaming, "buy me, buy me"........so, naturally, I did.  (mind you at this point I had not even opened my mini meal, but, one must be prepared for mincing!)  After filling up with gas, I proceeded up the highway happily eating my mini meal and looking forward to my twizzlers....which were, by the way, the $1.00 bag; not the little bitty stuck together candy they sell by the candy bars.  I managed to complete by mini meal and get a nice start on my Twizzler's by the time I reached Meramac Bottom Road (few miles south of 255 going into Illinois) when I stopped at a Cracker Barrel to purchase/rent a book on tape to aid in my entertainment as I travel.  Wellllll, after eating 8 oz. of Twizzler's, I felt the need for something salty!  I purchased, along with my book on tape and a new scarf, a bag of buttermilk potato chips (had never heard of these, so thought it would be unnatural not to try them).  Yum, need I say more?  Do you know how many potato chips you can unknowingly consume while traveling down the highway at 70 miles an hour listening to a book on tape?  I do.......approximately a 12 oz bag!  Oh dear.  Well, when I realized I was nearly to the bottom of the bag, I did close the bag and refrain from eating any more!  That is until I arrived at Lincoln, IL where they have a Russel Stover's chocolate store.  After having eaten all those chips I was slightly parched......I had drank my diet coke, including chopping all the ice cubes, several miles back.  I needed liquid refreshment!  What better place to "refill" than the candy store.  They had a major sale going on, 70 per cent off the Easter candy........well, WHAT A DEAL!!!!!  I purchased coconut chocolates, mints, and chocolate bars, all for $4.30!  Whoopee!
Need I tell you what happened to some of those bargains as I made my final leg of the trip?!?  Yep, I ate a bag of the coconut goodies; quite tasty.  Finally, I arrive at Danielle and Ozzie.  As I got out of the van and began to walk around, I noticed a bit of gaseous concern.  Well, let me tell you what, you can't eat enough junk food for an entire impoverished community in one afternoon while sitting on your "hinny" and not expect RESULTS!!!!  OMG as the kiddos say.  I have NEVER had such flatulence in my life!  And what did my kids want to do the minute we had the car unloaded?!?  GO OUT TO EAT!!!!  Oh my goodness, there was just no stopping it.  I probably passed enough gas to fuel a small rural community while at that restaurant and on into the evening, including shopping for groceries.  Even my son-in-law was impressed, which, let me tell you takes a lot as he is the "king" of flatulence!
So, I'm writing this down for posterity in my blog so that NO ONE will allow themselves such "mincing" freedom as I took today.....it is disastrous, not only for oneself, but for all others in your vicinity!  Having said that, I had a lovely evening with my children and grandchildren and look forward to a week of fun and frivolity!  Hope the same for you!

Summer.........flying by!

I just love summer, however, I can't exactly say what I do all day, but, as my sister-in-law Carol says, it takes me all day to do it!  I will admit, I takes lots of breaks in whatever it is I'm doing......gotta play a little solitaire, a little Words with Friends, check the travel station on TV, eat a little lunch, clean up the dishes, take a nap, check my emails and facebook, talk on the phone with some of the kiddos, read a little, oh yeah, have an afternoon snack, or wine and cheese, finish up what I might have started in the morning, and then, dinner and nighttime TV!  Whew!  Just takes it out of me!  Ha. Audra and I continue to have fun with "putting up" the garden stuff.  She and David picked blackberries at a friends, so we were able to make blackberry jam; quite yummy!  

We have had some excitement this month as our son-in-law Kyle came across a timber rattler in the gravel driveway by the house!  He had to kill it as it was very much a danger to Kylee, who plays outside and rides her dirt bike on that very spot!!!!  Thank God it was Kyle that came upon it, not Kylee.  At any rate, Kyle managed to kill it, and then, as is the Hanner way, of course, WE ATE IT!  Not bad, at first Kylee was not going to taste it, but I badgered her some and she agree to try it......she ate three pieces......what a hoot!

The first week of July Danielle, Sophie, and Brian came to visit.......always a BUSY but rewarding time.  We got to have not one but TWO tea parties!  This is a tradition which Sophie and I started when she was about 2 years old.  Now, Brian is VERY into the tea.....well, actually in the mornings we have hot chocolate; afternoons are tea time.  They are quite a pair.  Even tho Brian is only two he is quite large for his age; Sophie on the other hand is quite tiny for her 5 years.....she can (and does on occasion) wear his clothes!  They can go "at it" with great gusto.....I haven't decided who is loudest yet, just that Sophie's voice is more shrill.  Brian and Grandpa go right out doors on the porch when they get up; if Grandpa is not quite ready to go out, Brian will grab his hand and say "out, out", pulling him to the front door.  Quite cute.  Sophie generally joins them when she gets up unless Grammy has managed to drag her "fat body" out of bed and is willing to set up the tea table!  We try to let Danielle get a few extra "z's" as Brian many times keeps her up at night.....even yet.  Sophie LOVES spending time with her cousins and especially having a "sleep over"......this time she got to spend the night with Aunt Audra and Uncle Kyle (whom she thinks is quite the "hunk" when he comes to breakfast with his shirt off--her words!  What can I say, she is her mother's daughter!)  The week went by quickly, as usual, and then all is quiet again; we miss them.  Ozzie is interviewing for a position in Turkey and if he gets it, they will move.  I cannot even allow myself to contemplate it!  So for now, I'll play ostrich and "bury my head in the sand" away from reality!  Works for me.

We just spent this weekend in St. Louis watching Kirsten play basketball.  Brian is her coach, so it's always a joy for us to watch them in action.  Well, that is unless he starts hollering at the ref, at which time I can't help myself, I start hollering "Sit down and shut up Coach!"  NOT a good scenario, however, I'm sure it conjures up an image.......hummmmmm.  They played hard and won 2 out of three games at Matthews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club in St Louis.  This is quite a facility in the inter city which was built in the 1960's and has seen great success helping young people develop into quality citizens not just athletes.  We enjoyed returning there; Danielle played there in the 80's when we followed her around with AAU Basketball.  

When we got home around lunch time today, I promptly took up my position on the sofa for naptime!  David and I both were "pooped".  We realized we hadn't quite recovered from making chicken and dumplings on Friday......

We try to have a donation dinner periodically to raise money for our ministers Discretionary Fund or our Christians in Action group.  Last Friday, it was "Chicken and Dumplings Night".  We always have the best time working together to serve whomever comes out to eat. We then donate the proceeds to the discretionary fund or CIA.  This Friday was especially good; we had 33 people and made over $500.00!  Our church family is just super to attend these dinners and last Friday we also had two ladies from the community, Joan Whitener and Nancy Carrow, join us......we were thrilled.  As I've said many times, "God watches after fools and idiots", so I have the "upper hand"!  We're very fortunate that we have been able to help out in this manner and have had people to donate to help serve the less fortunate of Madison County through our churches Discretionary Fund and the CIA.

This week once again sees my family "on the move".  Thankfully, Audra, Kyle, and Kylee are home from their "vacation"; they went to Doniphan and played on the river all last week.  Kylee was in her element!  She paddled around in a kayak, jumped in the river from the rope swing until her leg was a mass of bruises, and played with her cousins from daylight till dark!  She loved every minute of it!  She's our MAJOR outdoor girl.  Her brother, Michael, is in Illinois visiting with his half-sisters for a couple of weeks; we miss him.  On Thursday our Pam is taking the volleyball girls to Springfield for a tournament, the next weekend Brian's basketball team again plays in the Show-Me games, and the first weekend in August is the culmination of Christopher's 3 week session at Georgetown.  Speaking of which, he is QUITE excited, as we are for him, at being in Washington, D.C. for the Junior Statesman of America program.  He flew there today and is ensconced in his room over looking the Potomac River and within view of the Washington Monument!  As he said "Score"!  Ha.  Hope his week is as exciting as his first afternoon/night.  I am leaving Tuesday for Chicago; Danielle has requested a bit of help as they enter the last week of preparation before Sussical is going to be performed starting on July 26th.  I will be helping finalize costumes, babysitting Brian, and being chief cook and bottle washer!  Am looking forward to it.

So, as July rushes by, please join with me in celebrating each day we have and trying to look at the positives life grants us rather than dwelling on the negative.......Because after all, LIFE TRULY IS GREAT.

David readying the tomatoes for canning!

Tomatoe sauce abubbling'

Timber Rattler Kyle had to kill on their driveway!  

Christopher making dumplings for our Donation Dinner Friday night, July 13th

Blackberry jam-Thank you for berries Connie Matthews

Snack time following swimming!

Sophie had to "decorate" and "dress" the kitten/cat!

Morning tea time!  Really hot chocolate.

A little swimming!

OOOPS!  Somebody lost something important!

Nephew Christian, Grandchilren Michael, Kylee, & Sophie

Doing what we do best.....EATING on 4th of July.

Afternoon tea....cherries and peaches with their zucchini bread.

Catching Up!

Oh my, a week has gone by and of course I have been chastised by my Grandson for not blogging!  So, here goes.  I was actually going to write in my blog last Sunday.  We had a wonderful lesson in our Sunday School Class on friendship and how important it is in our lives.  One of the greatest blessings I have had in life is the gift of friendship.  One of those people I take for granted and don't really think to mention when someone discusses "friends" is my brother, Michael.  Throughout my life I have always had my brother to depend on.  My Mumsz kinda raised us as twins; well, no wonder, we are only 14 months apart in age.  Neither of us remember life without the other. Consequently, I never felt lonely or envious of other little children growing up because Michael and I were bonded at the hip.  To this day, he is "solid as a rock" in his devotion to me as I am to him.  Another privilege I've had is a lifelong friend, one whose parents were friends of my parents, whose mother's were "stay at home" Mom's, and whose fathers flew airplanes.  Bunny, Michael, and I were kind of like the Three Musketeers!  We played together, laughed together, and got into mischief together.  These two people established what I know true friendship to be at a very early age......genuine love, respect, and acceptance.  What an exceptional foundation I was blessed with as a child and on throughout life!  Now I could "wax poetic" regarding friends through the years, but I'll leave that for another time.  One can only deal with just so much sentimentality on one day!

This past week has gone quickly for us here at the Hanner House, as we continue to garden, gather to eat (favorite pastime) with friends and family, and catch up on indoor tasks during this rediculously hot weather!  Sunday we gathered as a family to have a roast beef dinner.  I LOVE having my kiddo's here for Sunday dinner.  Hadn't seen our Kirsten for a bit, so it was great to have her here talking to the TV everytime one of the Cardinals did something good/bad!  Quite a ball follower she is.  Reminds me of being at my Grandma and Grandpa Nichols' house in the sumer listening to all my Uncles and Aunts "carry on" about the ballgame and how it was progressing.

Monday nights are great fun for us as we get to see Kylee and Kirsten play softball together; same team.  Daughter Audra and Ed Tripp are supposed to be the coaches, but since Kirsten is playing, son Brian can't help but lend a coaching hand.......it's quite interesting to see Kylee and Kirsten on the field and Audra and Brian in the dugout or on the field coaching.  Brian is trying to get the most out of the girls and their abilities; Audra wants that too, but is afraid of hurting some of their feelings!  Ed is the juggler, keeping both in line, I suppose! Ha.

Late afternoon Tuesday we were pleased to have our friends John and Marsha visit prior to leaving to there Wyoming "home".......the RV Park where they will be staying for the next 2 months.  We always miss them when they are gone as we have such good times together just "jawing", playing games, or watching TV together.  There weather in WY will surely be better than this heat wave we are having here, so I think I'm JEALOUS!
Also, Tuesday night, we were very proud to attend Michael's Boy Scout Court of Honor where he received his merit badges.  He has achieved Life Scout and is working on meeting the requirements for Eagle Scout.  He's good for Scouts and Scouts have been good for him!

We have spent the last part of the week doing the gardening thing......
Glad to have some produce now, as this heat is wilting everything down rapidly.  To date we've made zucchini relish, dilly green beans, cherry jam, and zuchini bread.  The kiddo's eat the zucchini bread about as fast as we can make it!  Found a recie on the internet, and it IS delicious.  One of our joys was having Christopher come out and make zucchini relish with us....don't know how much he will remember about canning the relish, but we all certainly got a "kick" out of him "slaveing over the hot stove" lading the relish into the jars.  As we were working with the zucchini, the news came on about the Supreme Court giving legality to the Health Care Law!  Christopher was so excited he was beside himself..... ALL of us were quite suprised that the Court did not strike down the "mandate for insurance" section.  I loved that Judge Roberts had the "breaking" vote.  I can't help myself, I would have loved to have seen Michelle Bachman's face when the court announced it's decision.  Regardless of one's reaction to this ruling, it was a momentous decision and certainly one which will be historic.
Today Christopher came by for some zucchini bread and a quick game of Golf (cards).  David and I always enjoy these spontaneous visits and special time with our oldest grandchild.


Well, I have somewhat caught up on the week with my meanderings.  Michael, Bunny, Carol Lee, and Daivd I"m sending you al hugs!  AND to all the other blessings in my life that I'm proud to call "FRIEND"!  I hope your day/week has been a good one and that LIFE IS GREAT!

Kirsten & David at Monday night ballgame

Michael receiving badges at Boy Scout Court of Honor

Christopher relaxing while waiting on zucchini bread to finish baking.

David (turquoise shirt), Kylee (long hair) and Sue (chubby one in white shirt!) at Michael's 

Boy Scout Court of Honor 

Zucchini Bread

Dilly Beans

Cherry Jam

French Bread we just had to make to go with our Cherry Jam!

Stop! Don't enter that bathroom.......

Whew, I'm getting tooooooo old to not have coffee due to unsettled innards!  Yep, that's been both David and I's plague the last week.  Our maladies began last weekend in Chicago, first David and then I..........I'll not get graphic, but let's just say two old farts with diarrhea in a small house with one bathroom is NOT CONDUCIVE to winning popularity contests!  Well, there was an upside to it, even the DOG refused to stay in the bathroom with me!  Voila! Privacy.  Also gave me an excuse to wear my britches unbuttoned!  Ahh, comfort.  We drove home on Wednesday and only had to make one essential quick (and I mean LITERALLY QUICK) stop. All well, all is well that ends well; I didn't even have to change my underwear; whoopee.

ENOUGH!  I can just hear you saying, so onward and upward with this bog post.  Today I actually got off the couch and had a marvelous day playing with our garden bounty.  David was the trusty sidekick in this venture altho he is still experiencing some flashes of "to the pate'!  We gathered squash, peppers, basil, beets and parsley from the garden early this morning.  Proceeded to eat the beets with leftovers for lunch; wow were they sweet.  I was amazed.  Then we made a French bread to go with our fresh pesto.  Decided we were "up" for making a new recipe for zucchini Parmesan bread, which we did.  Of course we had to have an afternoon snack of the hot bread with some of the fresh basil and cheeses, garlic, and pine nuts.  Yummy.  Our last effort of the day was to grate 12 cups of zucchini and 4 onions to soak in salt water overnight for our relish tomorrow.  It is now 8:30 p.m. and I'm passing on going to watch the sunset in order to do one of my favorite things:  lay on the couch, listen to the game, and read a good book!

We had a wonderful time with our daughter and family, even taking the "issues" we had into consideration.  Our littlest grandchild, Brian, celebrated his 2nd birthday Sunday......he had a party with family and friends of his parents and had a hi-o time.  We think he's just the cutest, funniest, smartest, two year old in the world!  Ha.  His sister Sophie had her ballet recital on Saturday, the 16th.  After that "stimulating" dress rehearsal the day before. the recital was a "piece of cake"!  I must say she did an excellent job; they all did, I was very surprised how disciplined 4 and 5 year olds can be.  Grandma was proud.

On the 20th, our 2nd grandchild celebrated his 15th birthday!  I just cannot get over it.......I sure remember his birth.  His Mama was soooo ill; they had to go ahead and take our "little man" via C-Section.  He weighed 3'3oz.  Today, he is thriving and is just a splendid young person, if I do say so.  He is very committed to the Scouting program and just spent last week there.  He is the Chaplain of his troop and takes his duties quite seriously; Grammy is, as you can obviously tell, quite proud.  Our favorite thing to do is go to Barnes and Noble, pilfer through the stacks, settle on a couple of books, go to the cafe, order coffee and pizza and sit and look at our purchases.  So, we are planning on doing just that in the next couple of days to celebrate his being 15.  Fun for us both.

I apologize to those of you who, I know, get sick of hearing of people's grandchildren's escapades, however, I MUST bore you with one other.......our grandson, Christopher.  He represented the Fredericktown American Legion at MO Boy's State this week, and was elected Senator!  We are thrilled with the experiences he is having at Boys State; if any of your grandchildren have this opportunity please encourage them to go; it's quite an experience.

Well, the sun has set, the Cardinals are up by 8, my couch is available and I'm not pooping.........does it get any better?!?

Have a wonderful weekend.  As always, Life is Good, hope yours is as well.

Christopher's Senate Picture

Birthday Boy Brian

Kirsten and her Dad, Brian.  Father's Day at the Ballpark!

Birthday Boy Michael, making his favorite pizza for his birthday...sister Kylee is obviously en"tranced"!

How time flies when you have things that demand your attention and you can't sit on the couch and vegetate (of which I am particularly fond of!LOL)  Monday our Granddaughter, Kylee, and I decided a nice rainy day was a great time to play Monopoly......she is quite the little competitor; the little stink pot won, having purchased Boardwalk from me at what I thought was a outrageous price of $1,000.00.  I then proceeded to land on her properties 4 times back to back!  It was soooo sad.  Cleaned me out quite quickly, kinda like real life where you think you have a nice cushion saved up only to have to buy a roof, new tires, and perhaps even a new lawn mower!  (Now, this did not actually happen to me, but I know it COULD.)  We did have a fine time playing the game, and chattering away between moves.
We took Tuesday to have a picnic on Aunt Pam and Uncle Brian's deck followed by swimming all afternoon in their pool.  Wish I had Kylee's energy; however, I did manage to best her in a couple of swimming races across the pool.  Fat ladies can float like crazy, so I just used my arms and kicked my feet and sped across the top of the water!  (conjure up an image?!?) Kylee was suitably impressed, I must say.  I just knew those fatty lipids would come in handy someday!
Wednesday morning David picked all the green beans and peas that were ready and cleaned out his radish patch so we could jaunt off to Danielle's in Chicago.  Sophie is in her first dance recital; dancing to Mambo Italiano.  Today Grammy had to take her to dress rehearsal as Mama Danielle is busy with her production of Sussical the Musical.  Let me tell you, I can hardly get make-up on my own face, much less a 5 year old's!  Egad, I felt like I was getting ready to put her in Toddlers and Tiaras (YUK!) However, we managed to get the make-up on, the hair pulled back into a side ponytail, put tights on under fancy tutu thingy, add neck ribbon (I nearly forgot that little item) and rush to the Performing Arts Center at DuPage College.  There were 650 young performers there for dress rehearsal along with their parent/parents!!!!!  Need I say, STIMULUS OVERLOAD!!!!! What an experience.  But, we managed and after a (I must say) very well coordinated dress rehearsal we got the H--- outta there.  As many of you know, eating is my method for dealing with stress, so Sophie and I beat a path to the nearest Panera Bread for some lunch.......I was in such a state I ate the cookie Sophie was saving for Brian BEFORE my meal was prepared;  I told her we were having a girls day out and couldn't be worried about saving food for the boys!  Hummm, do I feel bad about that?  Let me think........NO!  At least she was as stimulated to eat as I was; she ate all of her Mac & Cheese, a yogurt in a 12" tube of a thing, AND my bread that came with my Caesar Salad......not to mention the sugar cookie devoured prior to the actual lunch.  Whew!  Didn't get home until almost 3:00p.m., which was an hour past MY naptime........I walked in the door, asked David if Brian was still asleep and when he said yes, I did not stop as I walked past him, Sophie, and the dumb dog straight to the bedroom for nap time!  Ahhhhhhh it was splendid.  So, tonight we have just taken it easy, literally, in the easy chair, and watched the "box".  All in all a great few days, Life is just the best!  Hope yours is too.

 Kylee relaxing on deck at Uncle Brian's and Aunt Pam's with snacks!

The Fat Lady swimmith!

"Hollywood" Brian and Sophie playing in their backyard.

Sophie rehearsing Mambo Italiano (under bright red lights!)

Dining following rehearsal......we were starved!

A nice weekend here at Hanner House.
Friday
Went to Cape to do some shopping with my daughter Audra.....would you believe our "spot" is the Goodwill store?!?  What a treat......Audra got 4 or 5 baskets for a $1.00 or $2.00 a piece and I purchased a brand new Sequence game for $2.00!  The pieces weren't even out of the plastic!  So, John and Marsha, you won't have to bring your game with you when we have "game night". Also got a shirt I had looked at at C.J. Banks this spring, for $3.00!  Whoopee!  I'm on this recycling crusade (well, perhaps I'm just CHEAP!) which is turning out to be quite fun.  It's amazing what people leave at recycle shops and the Goodwill.  I was so energized by my shopping bargains I actually got another section of my office closet cleaned out when I got home.  Only two shelves and two bookcase shelves to go.  Damn I'm good! Ha.
Saturday
Christopher and I were depressed all day Friday and Saturday about racehorse Triple Crown possible, I'll Have Another, developing a leg injury and being retired from racing.  We were just SURE we were going to get to see a Triple Crown winner together..........we were really bummed out.  But not so sad that we didn't party it up anyway!  Christopher picked the winner, Union Rags, I of course went with Dullahan which turned out to be a disaster.  However, I did pick Paynter to come in second, so I feel we BOTH chose winners.  It was great fun.  We have decided our least favorite drink of the Triple Crown races was the Belmont Breeze....too blah!  Favorite for Christopher is the Black Eyed Susan from the Preakness tradition.  Of course the fact his drinks are "virgin" may be skewed......my favorite is the Mint Julep.  Ahh, refreshing.
Before the race began we had a wonderful surprise visit from my long time "buddy" Andrea Duckworth and her friend Bill.  They were visiting wineries in the area and came by.....it was soooo great to sit and visit with Andrea and Bill.  It never ceases to amaze me that 50+ years have gone by since Andrea and I were "best buds" in the 6th grade; she is still just as fun and accepting as she was then and the years fall away as we talk and share.  It's just SUCH  blessing to have friends like Andrea.....if you see this Andrea, you "made my day"!  Thank you.
Sunday
Today has been one of sharing also; first at our church, then with our daughter and granddaughter.  Probably anyone reading this blog may not have visited the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Fredericktown.  Just let me be proud and brag for a bit and say these are the best bunch of Christian folks in the world......I'll admit to being prejudice! Just sitting in Sunday School and sharing with these long time Christian friends is always an uplifting blessing.
Following church we had lunch with Audra, Kyle, and Michael & Kylee.  Audra, Kyle, and Michael were preparing to leave for a week at Boy Scout Camp; Michael participating and Audra and Kyle leading.  Michael LOVES Scouts and it has made a very positive impact on his life.  Audra and Kyle are going to be leaders for 21 young boys, 20 of which are first time campers!!!   Now that should be a hoot.  Pam, Brian's wife, is on her way to Central MO State with Kirsten and her ball player buddies for a three day camp.  Christopher is on his way today to Fulton, MO for a Student Council Retreat.  So, many of my family are on the road today and I'll be glad when all of them get safely to their destinations.
Kylee is staying with us for part of the week and then with her Uncle Brian and Aunt Pam....spoiling may be going on........today David and Kylee went fishing and caught 5 fish.....she had a great time.  Spending 1 on 1 time with Grandpa doesn't happen often, so this was a special event.  I of course did not go fishing with them.....I stayed here and went to a baby shower and then took a nap.......ah, Sunday afternoon napping, does it get any better?!?  Unfortunately, the infamous Maisy had flatulation (or should I just say GAS) issues; something crawled up that dog and DIED, I'm telling ya!  egad.  So, I had to move from my spot and seek refuge elsewhere.
We have now finished our Sunday evening popcorn and are jammied up watching TV and reading....well, when I finish this blog writing.  Again, life is good, thanks to good friends and family.  As I said, it doesn't get better than this.  HAVE A GREAT WEEK one and all!