Rain...

We have minor flooding in the laundry room from the constant rain here in Kansas. Luckily, it is contained to one area of the basement. I have been busy with the floor squeegee and utilizing the floor fans. 

Our ground is saturated from the rains. It's very unusual to flood in July or August in our area of Kansas. Often, Kansas has had drought and very high temperatures at this time of year. 2013 has been unusually wet and cooler. 

Jim has been to tired to help me due to his cancer and chemo, but luckily the seeping water had been manageable. The rains are not pouring down, but are light, yet constant. 

I enjoy watching the rains. I just wish I weren't watching it come into the basement. I have it better than most, so I won't complain. 

No garden...

This year I had wanted to put in a small garden with some basic vegetables like tomatoes, green/yellow/red peppers, green beans, and some herbs. I have recently enjoyed canning foods and dehydrating foods and I had looked forward to an abundance of these vegetables. I had considered a few basic flowers as well like pansy and marigolds. But in the end, I decided to put in no garden at all. 

I decided that I would not have the time or energy to properly care for a garden. It bothers me to have a weed-patch because I don’t take the time to weed it. It bothers me to have produce go to waste because I don't have the time to pick it. It bothers me to see my garden wilt away in the Kansas heat because I don't have the energy to water it. I would be saddened to look at the garden every day. I would feel very guilty for not giving the garden the time and effort that it needed. Instead of a vegetable garden bringing me joy, it would bring me heartache. So I have decided there will be no garden for me this year.

Both my time and my energy will be very limited this summer.  With Jim’s cancer and cancer treatment side effects, and my children’s summer schedules, and I may have to find a summer job, I felt that a garden this year would be too much for me. I decided that I would plant nothing this year and take gardening, watering, and weeding, completely off of my plate.

There have been several things that I have had to remove completely off my plate; and now I will add gardening to that list. There will be a few more things that I will have to make a decision about in the very near future. I just feel that in order for me to maintain some form of sanity, I have had to make some personal decisions about what things will be given my time and my energy. Sure, I'm a bit down about this but on the other hand I am pleased that I am able to make the choices that will help me to deal with my present situation. The more items that I can take off my plate, the more focused my time and energy will be. 

Visitor...

*This entry is not in chronological order.* 

Last week (April 1-4, 2013) we were blessed to have my husband Jim’s daughter Jessica visit us. Unfortunately, her two year old triplets could not visit because of Jim’s weakened immune system. Our son-in-law stayed home to care for the children. Jessica’s dear friend also assisted in childcare. I am thankful that they could work it out so that Jessica could come and visit.

Jessica was able to stay a few days. We really enjoyed having her here. Jim especially had a good time visiting and catching up with Jessica. Jessica has been a wonderful support for Jim, and for me. She is kind, loving, wise, and a friend. It has been a joy to watch her mature into a wife, loving mother, skilled nurse, and true friend to many. 

I wish we could get together more often. Iowa is close, but sometimes it seems very far away from Kansas. As soon as Jim is in remission from his lung cancer, we plan to visit Iowa more often. 

What a WONDERFUL visit!

Jim’s daughter Jessica and her husband Joe, along with their triplet daughters, just left after their extended weekend visit at our home here in Kansas for our Christmas. It was such a wonderful weekend! I’m sad that it is over.

The triplets are now 16 months old. They are exploring their world around them. They aren’t walking yet, but anyone can see that they will be walking any day now. They are such good babies. They rarely fuss, they share, they are cuddly, they have great smiles, and joyful personalities. I love seeing how much they love their mommy and daddy, and how much their mom and dad love each of them.

While they were here visiting here with us, we had annual photos taken. Getting Christmas photos is a tradition that we just started last year.  I hope this is something we will continue to do for years and years to come. It is so fun to look back at last year’s photo and see the miraculous growth in each of the girls. Here are the girls photos from this year (Jan2012), and last year (Jan2011). Can you tell them apart? lol 

We have not yet seen all of the photos from the photo shoot. We’ve only seen the sneak-peek. We absolutely loved J Mason Photography in Wichita Kansas that took the photos for us. These are my personal favorites (so far).

I know how busy Jessica and Joe are, and it was such a blessing that they loaded up their three babies and drove six hours to visit us. I know how much work a road trip can be; and I truly appreciate their efforts. I hope that trips to grandpa and grandma’s house will become lasting memories for the grandkids.

I miss them already. I am SOOO looking forward to seeing the kiddo’s in person in the late spring/early summer 2012. Skyping is great, but in person is so much better. :)

I hope ALL the grandkids know, or will learn, just how much we love them. <3