Grandma J and Getting Crafty

We were happy to have Keri's mom, Judy, visit for the third time this year. She stayed for 2 1/2 fun weeks. Judy let Keri sleep in everyday and helped with the house and kids. We also got out to do some shopping, eating out, and spending time at the local parks.

Keri's white blood cell counts have been much too low. She has been getting 1-2 shots a week to help her get her counts up. Those shots wipe Keri out so the extra help was very much appreciated.

While Judy was in town we made some dishes from her recipe box. Keri loved many of them because they were yummy tastes from her childhood. Neal, in particular, enjoyed the carrot cake.

Judy also taught Keri how to crochet. She has tried to teach Keri before but this time Keri wanted to learn and didn't get as easily frustrated. Before Judy flew back to CA, Keri had 1/4 of a baby blanket completed. Crocheting is fun and relaxing.We also dusted off the sewing machine and made fleece hats for the kids for the upcoming fall and winter weather. Keri loves the ears. Sophie has a lavender one.

Doesn't Rhys look absolutely horrid! He has been walking quite a bit lately and his face met the sidewalk yesterday. It's even worse up close. It breaks Keri's heart every time she looks at her son. He doesn't seem sore though. He's still happy (after a few initial tears) and still enjoys walking the sidewalks.Not only did we get crafty, but Judy brought her Pillow Talk DVD. Keri and Judy grin during the entire movie! Dorris Day and Rock Hudson make a great duo on film. Neal was not forced to watch it a second time.

Judy also babysat so Neal and Keri could go on a date. They went to Ruth Ellen's for dinner. It is a historic home that serves simple, delicious comfort food. They had a local choir there that night and we enjoyed their singing while we finished cleaning our plates. Following dinner we had the pleasure of seeing a presentation on the history of women in flight and space at our local public library. A reporter interviewed us briefly afterwards but we didn't say anything too profound. Maybe if he is desperate, he'll print something we said.

With Halloween upon us, Keri has added some cool pictures to the spooky decor. She found these at The Dollar Tree and thought the pictures were great but the plastic/sticker frame was so cheesy. So she cut the frames off and slipped the pictures into (cheap) wood frames. See how the picture changes depending on your angle? Sort of reminds you of the pictures in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, huh?