Oasis Open

Monday we finished cleaning up and working at the cottage. We took a break around lunchtime and went down to the beach. We brought a couple chairs and the kids took shovels and pails. It was a great break before packing up and heading home. Pretty convenient that there is construction at the Michigan/Indiana border...it means we can jump off 94 and stop into Oinks for ice cream. We got home and I got all my packages packed up to mail. The kids played outside for a bit. Rob ran over to pick me up some bags of compost for the garden. I was able to get some tomatoes and peppers planted. We ran to Mom and Dad's to visit and walked in on a water fight.
Tuesday I volunteered in the morning. I came home and started to list. I bought so much this past weekend and want to get it listed as soon as possible. I did a grocery run when Rob got home from work. We had summer dinner - veggie and cheese sandwiches, cut fruit and veggies.
Today I started out listing but got sidetracked. Rob is working the late shift for 2 days because he is taping the graduations. We went to look at gazebos since Menards is sold out. We ended up buying one at Big Lots. I actually think it was the exact same one as Menards had. We came home and began to build it. We were able to get all the frame built before Rob had to leave. I was able to get the mosquito netting and privacy curtains up...our backyard oasis is complete. Nick helped me move the wicker furniture in and it looks great. Mom and Dad came over for dinner. We had falafel sandwiches, fruit, broccoli and cauliflower, noodles, quinoa bowl. Mom's homemade granola and ice cream for dessert. Nick and Dad played wii while Mom, Ellie, and I played Scategories.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal Tree

Happy Memorial Day

Can you believe May is almost over? Crazy...
Thursday Rob took off work to chaperone Nick's fishing field trip with me. We met the class at the Skokie Lagoons. The kids got to see all the fish that the forest preserve guy caught in the morning- including some pretty big fish. Then they got to fish for a couple hours. Nick caught a sunfish and his friend, Hai, caught one too. I think Nick was pretty happy to have us both there. I went to Salvation in the afternoon, they were having a book bag sale.
Friday was a half day for the kids and Rob. I got all my ebay stuff boxed up and ready for pick up before cruising to a couple sales. Ellie didn't win the student council treasurer position but she didn't seem too bothered. We left for Michigan after she helped decorate the gym for the 8th grade dance. It took us too many hours to get up here. Ellie and I did our grocery run while the boys worked around the cottage.
Saturday morning we all cruised off the Holland. I was able to do some thrifting. We spent the day there shopping. We really worked when we got home. We painted, we did plumbing work, we fixed the kitchen faucet, we figured out the hot water issues, we raked and did some yard clean up. Rob went to take a shower and found only cold water...only one shower is running hot. We went into town for ice cream and the sunset.
Today we did more of the same. We painted, cleaned, organized. Ellie and I went to Benton Harbor and shopped while the boys built some new shelves. We took a beach walk and visited with friends this afternoon. The kids and I went into Meijer to meet Fabio Viviani, he is a chef. We watched his cooking demonstration and then got to meet him, the kids got his autograph. Nick even tried his pesto. We had dinner and then went to see the sunset.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal,  Tree

Sun Kissed in May

It has certainly been a busy week. On Monday I had about a dozen packages to ship. I took advantage of the sunshine and got out afterwards. I went over to Mom's and Teo and I played in the yard for a while. I got the plants I bought Mom for her birthday planted. I stopped into Salvation and found some cool stuff. A $140.00 LEGO set for $25.00 - all sealed, just missing the box. I found a huge rolodex for a bartender filled with hundreds of drink recipes. I started to paint our wicker furniture we brought back from Michigan. We had bought 4 cans on Sunday but I ended up using 2.5 cans just on the first chair. I made a quick Menard's run to replenish my supply. I was able to get the entire set painted by the time Ellie got home from school. When I came inside from painting I listened to a message on the machine. It was from the school and Ellie was being recognized with an award for her entry into the PTA Reflections contest. We ended up trucking to school in the evening for a very nice award ceremony. Ellie got a framed certificate.
Tuesday morning Mom picked me up and we went to the volunteer breakfast at school. It was fun, we got a sneak preview of the concert. I volunteered afterwards in Nick's class. I walked home and then went grocery shopping. I did some listing in the afternoon before picking Nick up. We ran to Target to pick up Scotchguard for the outdoor cushions. We came home and I waterproofed the cushions and Nick played. We picked Ellie up from track. We had dinner, showers and bed.
Today the kids were off to school and I started listing. Rob was home during the day and we were able to get some cleaning done. We had lunch before heading to Niles West for Ellie's track meet. It was sunny, warm, and about 80 degrees this afternoon. Ellie was signed up for 4 events - the 400 yard dash, long jump, shot put, and discus. We won't know all her standings until the official results are mailed. Rob and I stayed for 3 hours but she was out there for more than 5...her face is pretty sunburned. Mom and Dad came over for dinner. We had a lot of cool salads and food that didn't require cooking. We watched the season finale of the Middle.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Body Aches

I chaperoned Ellie's 6th grade field trip to the Adler Planetarium on Thursday. I don't know that I can do a middle school field trip again. I think it is the age for testing limits. It was a cold, rainy day. The bus trip down took forever. The museum shows in the theater were very cool. The one is updated on a weekly basis to show which stars and planets you can best see in the Chicago sky. By the end of the day, the sun had come out and we were able to take a quick walk along the beach before heading back. I picked Nick up from school and then Rob picked Ellie up from track.
Friday morning Mom, Teo, and I went to Costco. I found some snacks for lunches and a few other things. They dropped me at home and I unloaded. The kids only had a half day, they were home by noon. We had lunch and then headed over to Mom's. The kids were very excited to be able to pick Tony up from school. They got to play for a few minutes before we headed out. We went to a rummage sale Friday night - I was looking for stock but instead found things for us. We picked up a full size air hockey table for Michigan. I thought it would fit in the car but it stuck out about 2 feet. We drove home slowly. We all quickly packed our overnight bags for Saturday. Mom and Dad were watching the kids so Rob and I could head to Michigan to open up.
Saturday morning we ate breakfast and I dropped the kids off. Rob and I made good time on the road. We knew there was a pipe break somewhere upstairs but we didn't know where or how bad. It took us a bit to get the electric panel to turn on. Rob slowly turned the water on and it quickly started to rain on the 1st floor and the basement. With flashlights and crooked neck, Rob thought he tracked down where the water was coming from. He removed the vanity and cut the floor...found a hole in the shower pipe. Pain in the butt area to get to and have to work in. Long story short - every time Rob thought it was fixed and we turned the water back on, a new problem would be found inches away. It took all day Saturday to fix the plumbing. I worked on cleaning the upstairs and then I got into painting the floor. We went out for dinner and pick up supplies. Rob tried to take a hot shower only to find the shower didn't work on the 1st floor and there was no hot water.
We were both up entirely too early this morning but it worked to our benefit because we were able to get a bunch done. We got the car emptied and put away. We set up the hockey table and pinball machine. We painted a bit more of the floor. We attempted to clean up as much of the water crud as possible. We made lots of sketches with measurements and things we need to bring up next weekend. We closed up around lunchtime and started our trip home. We got home and showered and it felt good. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. We celebrated Ole's birthday. Mom made ribs, corn, veggies, pasta, and more. The kids played outside together. Jo and Ole took the kids to a new favorite park this afternoon. We headed to Menards to pick up our gazebo after dinner but they are completely out of stock in Illinois. We came home and Ellie and I worked on her posters for her run for student council treasurer.
My body is letting me know exactly which muscles were worked out this weekend. I have to say, I have been doing a yoga video and I think it has really helped with some of the hip cramping/charlie horse issues I have had for a couple years now.
Here is my Relay for Life page, if you care to donate. http://main.acsevents.org/goto/theresahazard  
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Rain, Rain

The weather must be totally confused… The calendar says May not April showers can cease please. Been very busy listing this week, I have free listings and I'm taking advantage. On Monday I went for my casting call, and haven't heard back so I'm pretty sure I wasn't what they were looking for. Ellie went to the mall with some girlfriends after school. I guess the shopping at the mall has started. I volunteered Tuesday morning at school. Came home and worked on some more listings. I'm very proud of myself, my stores over 400 items strong now.
Today I got the kids off to school and headed up to watch the twins. They grew some more in the last week don't know what I'm going to do because I won't see them till June now. Mom and dad came over for dinner tonight. We had burgers and salad fruit salad. We watch the Middle after dinner.
I am doing some fund-raising for relay for life, if you feel like making the donation, let me know. I will include the link to my webpage in Sunday's blog. Relay will be the night of June 6th.
Visualizing my healthy continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! Had a great day start to finish today. While drinking my coffee this morning, I had my lap filled with wonderful goodies. Ellie made me a vase with flowers and a special pen. Nick made me a pottery tea cup in art class. Rob gave me beautiful flowers. I had cards galore. We went over to Mom and Dad's for brunch. I brought the fruit and the adult beverage. Mom had strata, vegan chilequillas, mini pancakes, potato latkes, bagels. Chocolate coffee cake and monkey bread for dessert. Ellie helped me chocolate dip the biggest strawberries ever. After brunch, all the kids went outside for a huge water fights. It started and pretty neutral with all of them having their own water guns however the hose came out and the battlefield was a little less even. They were all thoroughly soaked but it was all good fun. We came home in the afternoon and the kids put on their swimsuits and went outside. They mocked up their own wipeout course and we're doing tricks. We came in showered off we all got her pajamas on. Ellie and I did some reading, she has a new book for a book report we needed to make headway. We had a late supper and watched an episode of Gilmore girls before bedtime.
Saturday morning Ellie and I were up and out early. She was doing another research study at Northwestern and we needed to go for her initial testing. We went to a rummage sale on our way home and walked out with a couple bags full of stuff. Nick and Rob were busy while we were gone fixing stuff around the yard. Ellie's friend Neha came over and Nick played with the neighbors was a great afternoon to be outside. We ended the day with a trip to Minard's. We wanted to look at some of the outdoor furniture again. We had dinner at Culvers came home and got to bed.
Thursday and Friday I pretty much spent all day listing. I've gotten so away from clothing that I forgot how quick sometimes clothing can flip. Some of the stuff I've listed has already sold within hours of it being listed. I also got pretty organized, I took out all of my bins and organized biphenyl. I was finding it took me a while to find a specific kit once it's sold.
I got an email on Friday from the company that I did it casting call at for the GE commercial a couple years ago. University of Iowa is looking to cast a cancer survivor in a commercial they're doing. Long story short… I'm going on an audition tomorrow. It's a nonspeaking part, the person who will be cast will be posing as a teacher. Not sure how I feel about this because the audition is totally just on how you look and if you match what they are looking for. Not getting my hopes up.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Warm Up Wednesday

This week has sped by… I guess it's a good thing. Ironically, both Ellie and Nick had not been sick with asthma related illness all winter but the trip for their annual physical brings out the best. Poor Nick has been awake most nights coughing throughout the night hope it gets better soon.
Monday I did some listing and made it my goal to get 10 to 15 items listed per day. It was Cinco de Mayo so I had salvation army in the evening to get there five items for five dollars after 5 PM. I had run in earlier and sorted things that I wanted to come back for and hopes that they would still be there… And most of them were. I ended up grabbing a cart because the weight in my arms was way too much. I ended up with 25 items for $25 such a great deal.
Tuesday morning I did some running around. It's teacher appreciation week at school and I need to pick up a gift card and flowers for Mrs. Berkowitz. I went into volunteer and worked with the kids on story sequencing. I came home and did my listings. I took advantage of the sunshine and went out for a walk in the afternoon before Nick got home from school. Rob had to work in the evening so he saw Nick's school concert during the dress rehearsal during the day. Ellie and I want to see it in the evening. It was a cute concert they sang show hits.
This morning I got the kids on the bus and then headed up to Lauren's to watch the twins. Was another day of them sleeping, eating,  playing and sleeping some more. I did my grocery shopping on the way back home. When Nick and Ellie got home they played outside for a little bit. Mom and dad came over for dinner we had potato pancakes, chicken patties, broccoli and Cauliflower, fruit salad, and mom made a delicious summer salad. We all piled on the couch to watch the Middle. We got the kids to bed pretty soon after hoping tonight is a better night for coughing.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree

Happy May

I had my Dr. Marsh visit on Thursday morning. It began with my blood draw and then my visit. I got the all clean and clear, see you in 6 months, visit. My labs look good. My white blood count has never really rebounded, I guess my normal is not in the 'average range' but slightly under. My CO2 was a bit elevated but when I did research on what that all means, the first thing mentioned is how long the rubber band was placed on when the blood was drawn. I am not an easy draw, it takes time to find a viable vein, so I am no longer perplexed about that value being elevated. I took Nick for his doctor appointment after school on Thursday. He is now 4 feet tall… Gosh these kids are growing like weeds. Next appointment concluded are very busy doctor appointment week.
Friday morning I started my day at a rummage sale. Got a couple Christmas mugs and craft kits nothing huge. I spent the rest of the day updating my listings, getting things ready to ship out, and doing paperwork. I got a call from Ellie in the afternoon that the bus should be pulling in shortly so I headed off to school to pick her up. She had a great time, I knew she would. She got in the car with rapidly running nose and a cough and sore throat. We got Nick from school and headed off  for a milkshake to celebrate Ellie being home. We stopped in to mom's house so Ellie could share her exciting trip memories. Rob had to work Friday night so the kids and I headed off to have dinner together and do a little bit of shopping.
Saturday morning everyone slept in. Joanna came over and we did some rummaging in the morning. Rob and Nick hung out together while the girls shop. I did score some good stuff Saturday. I got a bag of ties that the one sale, some Lilly Pulitzer dresses, and some craft kits. We rendezvoused back at the house in the early afternoon. After some unloading of the car, we decided to get on the road and enjoy the rest of the sunshiny afternoon. I did some thrift shopping and scored some more good finds. And we just enjoyed each other's company.
This morning we started our day at church, we were the Sunday school parents. We stopped off at Home Depot on the way home to pick up some planting material. Rob and Nick diligently worked to facilitate my garden plan. Ellie and I stayed inside and worked on her historical fiction project. I was able to get a little bit of listing done in the afternoon. We had it off to mom's house for family Sunday. We were celebrating grandpa GG's birthday, Ole's birthday, early Mother's Day, and Cinco de Mayo. We had chicken, salad, broccoli, potatoes, pasta, and a vegan chiliqueles . Brownies and flan for dessert. The kids had a partial dance party before we all went home. Ellie and I worked on organizing her closet, weeding out all of the clothing that is way too small for her. Rob andNick played Wii resort downstairs.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree