Happy Birthday, Rob!

Rob's birthday was on Thursday. We celebrated at dinner. It was Panther Days, the school's fundraising day, at Dengeo's, so we picked up dinner and ate at home. I had run out earlier in the day to pick up groceries and a cookie cake from Mariano's. I volunteered at school during lunchtime, I helped sell tickets for the fun fair. We had a lovely dinner with the kids.
Friday was more ebay fun. I did run out in the morning to a couple thrift stores and a rummage sale. Major thrift scores! I told Rob, the problem with being so busy with ebay is that I have no time for my usual "household" things. It was a very successful ebay week and I looked at Rob and said RR. We went and had dinner at Red Robin. It was perfect, we had a gift card and we were all hungry and there wasn't food in the house. We went and walked around the mall afterward. We went to Michael's and Half Price Books. The kids each picked out a new book and we found a couple DVDs for the car. Ellie picked up rubber bands for her rainbow loom.
Saturday was a running here, running there day. I did a quick run over to Salvation. I was able to pull about 20 things in 30 minutes. I came home a Rob left to go do a side job. The kids and I did a rummage run. We had great success in Northbrook and ok success at Niles North. We went to the Fun Fair at school. Ellie was volunteering with student government, Nick played games. I sat in the grass with my friend and soaked in the sunshine. It was a gorgeous day. We came home and the kids played. I did some more listing and packaging. I found a pile of coupons that were expiring from the library reading program. We decided to use the Cici's coupon and have a cheap dinner.
Today we began the day at church. Rob and I were the parents for Nick's Sunday school group. After church we went to Kohl's. I had a 30% off coupon and Rob needed some new shoes and I wanted to look for a new vacuum. Rob found a couple pairs of shoes he liked for work. Ellie found a pair of gym shoes on super clearance. I found a new vacuum on super clearance. We came home and did some cleaning up around here. We decorated the outside for Halloween. Rob cut out some new wood decorations for the yard. Ellie started to paint them but we need to buy some more colors. I got mega laundry done. I am getting quite good at removing random stains out of clothes! We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Mom made beef stroganoff, fake meat for the rest of us, noodles, salad, broccoli, and strawberries. For dessert, chocolate peanut butter cupcakes and real key lime pie. Dad took the kids to the park to play for a bit. We came home and the kids took their showers and we did some reading before bed.
If you have some spare time, please keep my friends in your thoughts tomorrow. Dan is going in for a scan to determine if he is a candidate for surgery to remove his cancer. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go

Ebay has been my full time job this past week. I have listed close to 300 items this past week. That is equivalent to about 13 large storage bins of clothing! I have had a number of people use the Buy It Now and make my profit wonderfully high. Today concludes my free listings, so I am taking a bit of a break tomorrow. Our mail lady, Sandra, informed me this afternoon that she can take all my packages to the post office for me, Score! This afternoon I had about 30 packages and boxes that she took for me.
Ellie had her first volleyball game yesterday. Our neighbor, Rustine, came with Nick and me to the game. Rob met us after work. East Prairie played 3 different schools. They won 1 game and lost 2. They will get better as the weeks go on. I like how they were very supportive of each other and they had great team spirit.
Nick has two teeth that are on the verge of falling out. I felt bad for him this morning because his gums were bleeding as he ate breakfast.
Mom and Dad came over for dinner tonight. It was a bizarre meal because I really need to go grocery shopping. We had pasta, potato cakes, corn pudding, salad, and biscuits. I took a loaf of banana bread out of the freezer. We were able to get back into the swing of things with our Wednesday night sitcoms.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Happy Birthday, Jo

It has been such a whirlwind last part of the week...in a good way.
I have been up to my eyeballs with ebay. I opened a storefront, basically a cyber store front on ebay. It allows me to re-list easier, have a bigger profile, a smaller final fee, and less fees in general. I have been able to list about 5 boxes so far, about 160 items. I have already sold about 2 dozen items with people taking advantage of buy it now pricing. I have really gotten back into the swing of things and I really like listing on the iPad now.
Friday I took a break from listing to do a bit of rummaging. I hit the local sale in Skokie and was able to find a snowsuit and a couple hats. I am now sure if I am going to list them or keep them. I had a huge score at a garage sale. They had about 2 dozen ziploc bags with legos. They weren't sorted and had no directions but I could see partially built cars, trucks, planes...so I knew they were sets once upon a time. I asked how much they were and she said $5 a bag, which is a great price but I saw the helicopter pieces in 2 different bags. I asked the price for all her bags and she let me have them for $35.00...11 pounds of Legos! Mom and Dad came over in the afternoon to pick Nick up from the bus, a deal they made earlier. They took Nick home with them and I waited for Ellie. We made a quick stop at Unique for the 50% off sale - great score there. Ellie found this super cute limited edition purse for $1.49. I found about a dozen shirts to list. I found a Stitch costume for Matteo. Mom and Dad took the kids for a movie and dinner night. Rob and I picked up Dengeo's and then went to Menards - we are lame!
Saturday was a thrift fest. We were nutty and headed Northwest again. I hit a great garage sale that was liquidating a artsy store. I found such great gift items there. We went to both Salvation Army stores and got a bunch of great stuff. We went to a garage sale of retired Lego builders. This couple would make the large 3D Lego designs and they have retired and were selling off all their stock. We came home and the kids played outside.
This morning, in the wee hours, Ellie woke up hacking. I forgot to include her ibuprofen with her vitamins and she woke up to a migraine. Poor girl woke up about every half hour. Rob and Nick went to church and Ellie and I stayed home. Ellie said this migraine felt different, the location of the pain had changed. Ellie did her homework and I worked on listing on ebay. Ellie helped when she finished up. The boys came home around lunchtime. The kids played with the Legos and art stuff all afternoon. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. We celebrated Jo's birthday. We had make your own tacos, corn pudding, rice, and fruit. Lime pudding pie and strawberry shortcake for dessert. The kids went to the park with Dad and Ole. We came home and the kids went right outside to play. Rob trash picked this plastic 3 drawer dresser thing and it turned out to be the perfect new Lego storage. I was able to dump all our bins of Legos into the unit and store them together.
Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Auto Pilot

The days seem to be running into each other this week. I really haven't left the house other than to go grocery shopping. I have been listing, listing, and listing on ebay. I got all my costumes listed because right now is the time to cash in on those. I started listing my boxed clothing today. I decided against re-washing all of them and I have just been tumbling them in the dryer with a wet towel to refresh them. I am taking a slightly different approach and I just want my current stuff out of the house and I have been listing them with a Buy It Now option and I already had 2 shirts I listed today sell. I still have mountains of clothes to list. I don't imagine I will get them all up and listed before the 25th, that is when my free listings conclude.
Ellie started her volleyball practices this week. She is enjoying it and I am glad she is involved in something she likes. Nick and Ellie had Catherine and Susannah over on Monday afternoon. It was just like old times and they all played nicely with each other.
Mom and Dad came over for dinner tonight. We had faux turkey burgers, salad, broccoli and cauliflower, watermelon, and pasta. Mom brought muffins for dessert. We played games and the boys played with trains. We are all looking forward to the new season on the Middle starting next week.
I have caught a cold, lots of sneezing and a bit of congestion. Hoping it goes away soon. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Ahhh, Fall Weather

The temperature has plunged and there is a bit of rain but I much prefer this to the 90-100 degree days.
Not too much to share tonight. Rob went up to Michigan for the weekend to get some projects done. The kids and I went to the North football game on Thursday night. It had cooled down and we agreed we would leave at halftime. The band was walking off the field when the rain began. We tried to run to the car but it was already pouring by then. We came home and took hot showers and went to bed.
Friday the kids had the day off of school and we went to Lincoln Park Zoo. It was a beautiful day. Lots of babies have been born. We stopped in the Lily Pond - I don't think I have ever been in there, it was so neat. We stopped at Annette's Italian Ice for a refreshing treat. It is a wonderful thing that it is so far away from our house because it would be so dangerous if it was closer. We did a bit of thrifting on our way home. We had dinner at Mom and Dad's house and ordered in Chinese.
Saturday was a huge shopping adventure. We began the day at the bank for their appreciation day. The kids got to pick out an ice cream treat for the ride. We started off in Gurnee. I found out that the Lake Co. Salvation Army stores are now $.55 Saturday tags! We went to Jelly Belly for a tour and a treat. We hit Gurnee Mills. I think we hit most Salvation Army stores on the way home. We got home and had a bite to eat before getting the kids to sleep.
Today was baking weather. Ellie helped me and we made 2 different types of bread - zucchini, carrot, apple, and banana Biscoff chip. I made an apple crisp to take to Mom's for dinner. I made a giant pot of tortilla soup - I was going to bring some to Jo's (because they are sick) but she didn't want any. I froze a bunch and packaged some for our friends. The kids helped me change out their bed sheets. I did about a dozen loads of laundry today. Rob got home around lunchtime. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Mom had made meatballs, roasted potatoes, summer salad, and cantaloupe. I made asparagus and the apple crisp. We had a nice dinner together and then the girls played Clue and Dad and Nick played with trains.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Time is Flying...Again

Seems like this week is just speeding by. I don't think it is the extreme heat but it could be because I haven't really left the house. Monday morning I got the kids off on the bus and then went grocery shopping. I just did a quick run into Aldi and was happy with what I was able to get there. A bit on the nutty side...I did some baking. I had some peaches that really needed to be used and there were too many to just eat. I found a recipe for vegan peach cobbler cookies and I was able to double it and use all the peaches. They smelled incredible and tasted the same. It was a good thing fridge space was tight and I had to freeze a bunch of them. In the afternoon, I spent some time going through Lego's and separating them out into types and categories. I was able to color sort all the bricks and then group sets together to sell on ebay. It was way too hot for the kids to play outside even though they really wanted to. I got dinner together - I really didn't want to heat the house up but made a quick pesto ravioli and then we had leftovers and fruit.
Tuesday I got the kids on the bus and spent the day in the basement putting sets of Lego's together. It was picture day at school. Ellie wanted curly hair for her picture. We tried the night before to do some twist and pin them for the night. Nick asked if it was crazy hair picture day. The twist curls didn't come out and Ellie wet her hair and we put it into a bun. I was able to find instruction and part lists online and print them out to sort out the various sets. I can ask far more money if a set is complete. I had far more than I knew I had, complete set wise. I was able to sort and bag about a dozen sets. The kids came home and we did homework. They wanted to play outside but it was so hot again. We had dinner and we did our reading early so we could watch AGT but that ended up coming on late because of the Presidential speech.
Today was another hot day spent in the basement. I tried my hand at listing on the iPad. It seemed to take longer but at the same time I didn't have to take pictures and downloading them to then have to upload them - if that makes any sense. I also listed as Buy it Now instead of auctions - we shall see. When I got Nick from the bus we went to see how the garden was holding up and discovered a hole in the cucumber box. I thought it was possibly from the sprinkler but when Nick went to cover it up - a mouse looked out the hole. I am disgusted - there is a mouse living in my garden - yuck. I put a bunch of bait blocks out and hopefully they will die. Mom came over early because it was curriculum night at school. Rob and Dad both ditched us tonight. Mom made a chick'n salad and I steamed some cauliflower and broccoli and cut up a delicious watermelon. We were able to play a couple rounds of Scategories before Ellie and I had to leave. Ellie had volunteered to watch younger children while parents went to classrooms. I got to sit in Nick's desk and hear about 1st grade. I then got to climb up and down stairs to meet all of Ellie's teachers. We came home and I walked Mom out. It is still hot and gross out - hopefully some relief comes tomorrow.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Happy Grandparent's Day

Rob and the kids had the day off on Thursday and we decided on a road adventure. We headed out for some thrifting and shopping but we weren't all too successful. We did have a lovely lunch together.
Friday morning Rob was up super early. Niles North was picked for a local news station to film a fly over in the morning. Here is a link if you want to check it out...http://abc7.ws/1dYTeE9 , I got the kids on the bus and went up to Highland Park for rummage-bonanza, 4 churches were holding sales. I don't know if people are keeping things longer or passing them along to friends, but the sales were lackluster. I walked out of one with nothing and only got about 10 things total. I did end up with costumes for Rob and me, and possibly Nick. Rob worked late, too. I dropped the kids at Mom and Dad's for a sleepover. They were having an outdoor movie night, Dad had set a projector up in the yard. Rob and I decided to pick up Chipotle and stay in. We took a long walk after dinner.
Saturday morning I tried to get back in the swing of Salvation but didn't have too much luck. I picked the kids up - they had an awesome time. We came home and got ready for the afternoon. We were heading to North for the football game. It was hot on Saturday and we decided we would only stay until halftime. By the time that arrived, the lightening sensors were going off and it was time to head home. Rob had to stay to finish taping the game and live streaming it onto the website. Rob and I thought we had dinner plans with friends but it turned out we had the day wrong and we messed up. This entailed a bunch of running around until we found out our error. Mom and Dad picked up the kids for the night, I brought Rob clothes at work to change, we hurried to the restaurant - only to realize we were the only ones there and there was no reservation. A quick email check, and we would discover the 8th is Sunday - not Saturday. I called Mom and let her know they could drop the kids back at home on their way home from grocery shopping. I put together a quick dinner and we all ate together.
Today we began the morning at church. We came home and Rob mowed the lawn. Nick and I worked on organizing his toy bins. I am very impressed, we had 2 garbage bags filled with donations, and 1 with garbage. All his bins in the back room are organized and we have a ton of space under the tv now. His room is super clean, and I went through all his clothing while he made some toy decisions. Ellie was busy working on her newest craft obsession - duct tape art. We have wallets, bookmarks, pen toppers - you name it. We headed over to Mom and Dad's for Family Sunday. We were celebrating Grandma GG's, Jo's, and Rob's birthdays, and Grandparent's Day. Mom had veggie burgers and hot dogs, brats, asparagus, pasta, pierogi, corn pudding, and salad. Cannoli cake and cupcakes for dessert. It was a lovely afternoon to spend outside. When we came home we took a family walk before showers and bed.
Well, today marks 3 years of being free of cancer. It is bizarre to think that it was 3 years ago that I had that major surgery that really changed my life. At times it seems like just yesterday and other times it seems like a lifetime ago. I have mentored 6 ladies through Imerman. I have participated in every research study that I have come across that deals with cancer. I have become friends with so many lovely people because of the common bond of cancer. I have lost a few friends, too. I am hopeful that my experience and the knowledge I gained from it continue to help people in their own journey. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Wow! 26,000 Views

Big statistic day, my blog has just hit 26,000 views. This is also post number 650. I have a bunch of viewers from Russia, Malaysia, and Germany. It makes me happy.
Monday we cleaned up a bit at the cottage. Rob and Dean pulled the beach box. We all went to the orchard and went peach and apple picking. The peaches were really in there last days. They were only picking Molly red's this past weekend. The apple trees are loaded, hoping we can get back there sometime this fall. We headed home after we picked. The highway was packed with police so we went the back roads home. We stopped at Oink's for our last ice cream of the season. We made great time home and arrived as Mom and Dad were dropping off mail. Ellie went with them shopping. Nick stayed home and played with trains. Rob and I went to work outside. We trimmed the shrubs on both sides of our yard. Hopefully, that will create some more ground growth. The kids and I had dinner with Mom and Dad, Rob stayed home and edited some videos. Nick has tried pizza twice in the past couple days and it has received a thumbs-up both times.
Tuesday morning I headed out to have lunch with Nana and Dean. We went to Winberie's and sat outside for lunch. It was nice, they didn't rush us and it was a lovely day to be outside. We walked back to Dean's and I said goodbye to Nana, she left today to go back to Florida. I did some grocery shopping on the way back home. I did some baking in the afternoon. The house was nice and cool from the windows begin open and I took advantage. I made a few loaves of double chocolate zucchini, and a few loaves of peach, banana, oat bread. I sent a couple loaves with Rob for our friends and froze the others for breakfasts. Rob took the kids to the park when he got home and I worked on dinner. We had a nice dinner - Nick tried new things again and liked them. I am liking the food experimentation.
Today I did some thrifting. Found about a dozen things to flip. I caught up on laundry this afternoon. I washed the gross kitchen floor. The kids came home from school and did their homework. Ellie is very excited that there will be a 6th grade volleyball team that she can be apart of. Mom and Dad came over for dinner. We had Mexican - Mom made a summer salad (even included some of our garden veggies). We played Scategories again - it was funny because we were rolling the same letters as last week. The kids don't have school tomorrow, so they got to stay up to watch America's Got Talent.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Happy Labor Day

It is our "closing" weekend at the cottage but we are coming up a couple more times this fall. It makes it easier because we don't need to do the huge clean up tomorrow.
We came up Saturday morning. Dean, Lauren, and the girls were only about 30 mi uses behind us. We have been able to get some time at the beach and the kids have had a good time playing together. It has been a laid back weekend. To or row we are planning on picking some apples and peaches at the orchard on our way home.
Not too much else to share and our connection keeps dropping out. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree