Making a bed

This is the making of a bed...I wanted an RV type bed to maximize our storage. You can see how much storage we gained from this plan.

 In the making of this bed the platform needed to be turned twice. Leo helped us with this but on the 2nd turning it did not go well and Leo fell hurting his back and getting several scrapes. After being checked medically he is okay but hurting a bit.

...and unleashing the beast!

These photos were taken in stages. Total time from when Butch is unrolling the mattress to the last photo is about 30 minutes. They say full expansion takes 24 hours.

Update from the weekend

We are coming right along. We have the washer and dryer in place and ready to run. The bench is built and needs some paint and a shelf to be completely done. The bed is about half done and we have hopes of finishing it today. Butch has installed one of the pocket doors in the closet and it needs some touch up paint.
Yesterday was another Lowes run to Ames to pick up a few needed items to finish the bed.
I checked on the status of the cabinets and counter tops and it looks like it will be another week yet. Not of big concern as long as we have all these other projects to keep us busy.
Yesterday we stopped at WalMart in Boone to pick up a few grocery items. A man in the store spotted a friend of his buying strawberries. He hollered at him and said," I bought some of those yesterday and they were great! Sure cannot beat the price!" They were $1 a box and the box was huge. I had not noticed them before but then I picked some up and he was right. They are very good!

And now a paint tip gleaned from Facebook:

REVIVE your old paintbrushes and STOP WASTING MONEY!!! Before you buy new paintbrushes this year, check this out. Soak old paintbrushes in VINEGAR for 30 minutes. GOOD AS NEW! Soak them in water with fabric softener and paint won’t dry on the brushes. LIKE this and SHARE other paintbrush tips.

Leo Teeter at 3 weeks

His mama says he slept through the night last night!

Two Ingredient Cookies

From my friend Janette Irwin

OK guys this one is so SIMPLE even the most baking challenged person can make them. And talk about GOOD FOR YOU TOO!!!!!!!

TWO (yes that's it) INGREDIENT COOK...IES

Ingredients

2 large bananas (can be a few days old for easier mashing)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
Mix-ins of your choice (I used dark chocolate chips and a pinch of cinnamon)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mash the bananas in a medium bowl. Add the oats and whichever mix-ins you choose (the Burlap Bag recommends a handful of dark chocolate chips, crushed walnut pieces, cinnamon or raisins - I chose dark chocolate chips and cinnamon) and mix.
3. Shape into balls with your hands and place on a baking pan covered with parchment paper (I used parchment instead of greasing the pan). Press down into a disc shape if desired.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes (mine were done after 12).
5. Enjoy!
Yield: 12-16 cookies
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 12-15 minutes 

Progress

We are making progress right along. I am taking pictures as we go but I am a ways from getting the totally finished pictures. For instance yesterday and the day before we worked on the bench ( to cover the water meter) and the platform bed (designed like an RV bed). The bench needs some paint and a false floor yet. And the bed needs some pieces glued and others painted before we can release the beast otherwise known as the mattress in a box. The storage space under the bed is huge!! I love it!
There are a couple of items we need help with but most things we can handle ourselves. We need help turning over some plywood so pieces on the underside can be glued. Also need some muscle to help stack the dryer on the washer. I looked to see where we stood with cabinets and counter top etc being delivered and it is a little further out than I thought. We do have plenty to keep us busy until cabinet delivery however.

The beast in a box.(queen sized reversible mattress)

The weather has been perfect for doing indoor stuff..

From Roland Iowa on KCCI news

When you gotta mow, you gotta mow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=p5MooatkiFk

Ugly

Yesterday we went to Exira IA for the second funeral of the week. The mother of our good friend Bev Bro Gunderson of Atlantic IA passed away. After attending the services we made our way to Waukee IA to pick up parts and make a Menards run. Lots of travel miles but we were listening to a good book (Orphan Train) so the miles passed quickly.
 On our way home we stopped at HyVee in Perry IA and from what I saw, Fareway in Jefferson has nothing to fear when HyVee comes to Jefferson. The prices were VERY high in comparison. Every item seemed higher and some so high it was shocking. Dove dark chocolate candy Fareway $3.58 HyVee $4.79.

Another shock happened this morning as I looked out my tiny motorhome window. Snow and lots of it and more on the way

Below: This was taken from inside the house

As was this shot

My poor tulips have had quite a time of it this Spring

Tuesday...

I hit the ground running this morning and decided to do the painting in the breezeway. I had to quit at 1:00 to get ready for my doctors appointment. She took a couple of samples from my upper arm. It didn't take long and I was soon back home and painting. Among other odds and ends of paint I painted the cement floor and put a fresh coat on the front steps. So now I will not know if my arm is hurting from painting or getting sliced. It actually doesn't hurt at all. My back does though!
Butch mowed and burned some yard waste and then started measuring out another project- the bench. We have plenty to keep us busy till the cabinets arrive. Exciting time though!!

More of Monday and some of today

Butch told me the obituary for Eloise was not easy to read so I changed it. When I put obituaries and other things on the blog most of the time I copy and paste and sometimes it just doesn't work too well.
I did take a few pictures yesterday and I have a new one of our very grownup Elise But I will need to get it scanned before you can see it. I did and here they are.

And now we have the baby Leo. I made his acquaintance yesterday afternoon. He is such a calm and contented babe and I was so lucky to get to hold him throughout the service. When he opens his eyes which he does frequently he is very bright and alert following sounds all over the room.. He seems to have a pretty good concept of his surroundings for a guy who is only two weeks old.

When his mom makes a smooching noise he frowns. He does not like that sound! He frowned every time she did it

 These are pictures of some of the windows in The First Presbyterian Church in Savannah MO

Monday, Monday

Butch and I drove to Savannah MO to attend the funeral of Eloise Tuck who is the mother of our daughter-in-law Susan Tuck Brooker.

 Eloise M. (Graff) Tuck

 Eloise M. Tuck 1923-2013 Eloise Mildred (Graff) Tuck, 90, Savannah, Missouri passed from this life Friday, April 26, 2013 at Crown Care Center Nursing Home, Harrisonville, Missouri. She was born March 26, 1923 at 801 W. Market St., Savannah, Missouri, to the late Erle B. and Mildred B. (Burns) Graff. There were three older children, Robert, Eliza Agnes, and Erle Edwin Graff all preceded her in death. Eloise married Tom Hornby in 1947 and a daughter Elizabeth “Beth” was born in 1950. Tom preceded her in death in 1954 from Hodgkins Disease, and Beth preceded her in death in 1969. On February 7, 1957 in Savannah, Missouri she married Frankie “Frank” James Tuck, Jr. and he preceded her in death on December 20, 2007. From this marriage a daughter Susan was born in 1961. Eloise attended school in Savannah and graduated in 1941. She studied piano in St. Joseph with Alice Fern Lyn and Huldah Nichols. Eloise was a member of the first Presbyterian Church since 1935, and served as Deacon for many years, also was pianist and organist for over 50 years. She was an active member of Student Faculty Musical Club in St. Joseph. Eloise taught Sunday School and Bible School. On January 16, 2005 Eloise was Ordained Elder, and she served several years on the Church nominating committee, and was very active in many other ways. Survivors: daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Gary Brooker, Lee’s Summit, Missouri; granddaughter, Amanda and husband, Bradley Teeter, and two great grandchildren, Elise and Leo Teeter, all of East Lynne, Missouri; and numerous nieces and nephews. Celebration of Life: 1:30 PM, Monday, April 29, 2013 at Breit - Hawkins Funeral Home, Savannah, Missouri. Interment in Savannah, Missouri Cemetery. Public visitation and family receiving one hour prior to service. Memorials are suggested to the First Presbyterian Church, Savannah, Missouri

Almost too busy to tell you!

Saturday, I walked over to the auction but didn't see anything that captured my attention so I came home to watch Bill and Butch work. They checked all the connections and fussed with the water heater, cleaning it out and getting it filled. The air conditioner gave them fits and there may be a new one in our future but it is working okay for now. The house is so efficiently insulated we may not need it much. That is my hope anyway as I am not crazy about air conditioning. I would much rather have the windows open.
Later on Saturday we went to Leo and Keri's for supper and our great family cook, Miss Keri herself, with some assistance from Leo fixed us a fine feast. We had steaks, cheesy potatoes, fruit salad and Pecan pie for dessert. I had contributed a mock potato salad. It was great being with family and enjoying good food and conversation.
Butch and Bill were looking over our new kitchen faucet and Bill noticed a flaw in the pipe. So they called the company and in so doing they requested a picture of the flaw, so I took it and sent it and we received a reply right away that they were sending a new one. We were so fortunate to have Bill notice that and in so doing preventing us from problems and delay in the future. I notice and appreciate these small miracles. Here is the picture I sent to the company. Are you able to see the flaw?

Jefferson has two weeks in a year where you can set things on the curb and the city will pick them up for you. I think this is a great service and more cities should do it. One of the weeks is in April and the other is in October. I told Butch the other day I wanted a swing like Our Peggy has in Texas, Only I wanted a small one, a two seater. So on Saturday I look out the window and there is a swing being placed on the curb across the street! I rush over and take a quick peek and came back for Butch and Bill to carry it home for me. You must be in a hurry when spotting these treasures as people will curb shop all day long looking for treasures.

Here is a picture of my new swing.

It needs a little TLC and I plan to take the top piece off as we have plenty of shade in our backyard. Also I think it will be perfect in our pergola we will be building in our future. It is in good shape and rides really nice! A great find and the price was free.

Today I went for my walk and the guys went golfing. After I came home I cleaned  out a flower bed. I have a few more to do but first I have to buy a rake

Bill's daughter Barb came from her home in Waukee IA to play golf with the guys and then we all went back to Leo and Keri's for yet another culinary treat. I have to thank Bill so profoundly for his expertise. When a person shares their knowledge of their lifework with you it is priceless. So Thanks a bunch, Bill. And then we must thank Keri for her culinary talents and Leo too for his help and hospitality. It was a truly great weekend.

The Brothers Three of Four

                                                         Leo, Butch and Bill Brooker at Wet Goods where we enjoyed supper after a long hard day of work.

 Bill in the crawl space putting pipe together and below is a work site shot

Much was accomplished today- The drains are all in place - The stool is installed and the shower fixtures and drain is all connected. The washer plumbing bits are all done. Tomorrow we put water to it all and see if everything stays together without leaks. If all goes as planned the bathroom will be 90% complete needing only a vanity installed, some door trim and a few other odds and ends. We are getting more and more excited!

Brother Bill from Arkansas is here

Bill traveled up from Arkansas to help us get our plumbing in order. We are so happy to have him help us. I am doing my best to keep him well fed. These days if you do not like veggies you may go hungry at my house. Fortunately Bill not only likes them but loves them.

Last night Butch and I did our 2 miles, out to the mile marker on the bike trail and back. Butch said, " I do not remember it being that far out." ...That memory will fool you sometimes.

We may have a working stool in the bathroom by days end....here is hoping!!

Teeter Siblings

Elise and Leo

And I came across this picture of the Teeter kids Mama. 

Amanda Sue as a baby

A walk and a talk

WhooHoo!! I finally got my 2 miles in yesterday afternoon. The breeze was a bit nippy and my wintercoat and head gear were a necessity but by golly I did it! It is supposed to be nice now for at least a few days.

Our doctor appointments were done and okay. Blood work was good on both of us. Weight loss was fantastic and contributed greatly to all the good news. My weight has remained stationary since leaving the RGV but that is good considering we have been housebound pretty much for the past two weeks. I have a couple of "skin things" to get taken care of next week but other than that I am good to go. And now about Butch's neck/shoulder. His shoulder shows nothing on xray but his neck is all arthritised up causing numbness in his hands. A few preliminary actions will be tried first but looks like an MRI and surgeon are in the future. We hope to get the house together before it is critical.

Stuff ordered for the house is arriving daily but not the cupboards just yet. Should be a week or so. We are getting excited about it now.

Today is our youngest son,Jason's birthday. He has planned a trip for himself to northern Iowa flyfishing. It was a beautiful spring day in 1963 when he was born. Mom's always travel back in time on their kid's brithdays remembering.  Happy Birthday Jason...even though I know he will not see it.

Progress

The vinyl molding in the bathroom is installed and Butch has worked on the washer and dryer apparatus needed before the installing can take place. So things are progressing.

Today we have doctor appointments. While still in Texas I was actually looking forward to going but not being able to get any miles in since getting to Iowa I am now not so sure. I know the bloodwork is good because I can go online and get those results. But I hoped to show a bigger weight loss than there is. I have only gained a couple since getting here but a couple is two too many. They say it is supposed to warm up this weekend so I hope to get back on track. Exercise makes all the difference in the world.
New rule: Never go farther north than comfortable walking temperatures.

Finally!! Some Teeter kid video

Finally found time to upload some video. Enjoy.   Elise Breakfast http://youtu.be/_QOEy6v_7u4 Elise Meets Leo http://youtu.be/6_DF37yLimA http://youtu.be/drugWB_q8ZE

A rare Spring Day

We were blessed with one...one  very nice Spring day. And now it is to turn cold once again for a couple of days anyway. They keep holding out these nice temperatures in the future like a carrot on a stick. We all live on hope!

What we are up to.

Butch and I have been taking care of odds and ends in anticipation of the arrival of all the things to put it all together. Hmmm...like a big puzzle.

Yesterday I attended a wedding shower for Emily Brooker, Leo and Keri's youngest daughter. It seems like only yesterday she said to save June 1st, 2013 for a wedding and here it is sneaking up on us already. The shower was held at the Tea Garden in Jefferson. The food was scrumptious and the company very pleasant. Emily was blessed with many good things to start her and Joe's life together.
Here are a couple of candid shots from Emily's shower. Keri is centered in this picture. On the left is Julie Karber and on the right with her face hidden by a child is Norma Milligan.

 And here we have a waitress,then Erin, Emily's sister and her aunts who I will refrain from naming in case I am wrong.

When I returned home I painted a few boards and oh yes, ordered a new mattress. My criteria was NOT a memory foam and one that is reversible. I ended up getting it from Overstock.com. Free shipping. The rest of the directions or perhaps suggestions were to open the mattress in the room you intend to use it in. It comes compacted and will expand to its ultimate size in 24 hours. I now have people wanting to come watch this action. It will not take place right away as I plan to wait till most things are together and in place before unleashing the beast.
Butch has been working on door trim, electric connection for the stove and water pipe prep so it will be ready when it is time to put it all together. Oh and we did get the washer and dryer delivered yesterday from Lowes. They cannot be put in place just yet until a few other events take place. See it is most definitely like a big puzzle with some pieces being done before others to make it all come together. Sure glad we can live in the motorhome even though it is like a cold tin can.

And then last night Laura and Jason came by for awhile. A few hands of cribbage were played and we started looking at old pictures. A fun evening and a full day for sure.

Enough already!

Today was colder than the coldest day we had all winter in South Texas. It did not get out of the 30's today and there was snow coming down now and then. We had Chili for supper and it was the proper meal for the day. Really hit the spot.
We are doing odds and ends on the house but we are really stymied until the trim work and plumbing are done. And the plumbing should wait for the trim. You know how it goes...it is a priority thing...always.

And on a lighter side here is Baby Leo and his sister Elise. Baby Leo is 5 days old in this picture but he looks so alert and has from the day he was born. It looks like the siblings are high fiving each other. It starts early!

What a day it has been...

Or maybe two days. I was looking over our several thousand dollar order at Menard's when I noticed the refrigerator had not been paid for. Hmmm I found that perplexing so I called them and found out another trip up to Fort Dodge would be necessary to get some loose ends tied up. It will not delay delivery but we needed to get the ball rolling a bit better. It was a worthwhile trip getting some questions answered etc. 

Now with our Discover card we get a 5% discount from home improvement stores up to $1500 for the months of April, May and June and we far exceeded that with the Menards order. We still needed to buy laundry appliances so I went online to look and after much research and reading many reviews decided on a LG washer and dryer. We have a Lowes card so we get 5% discount with it AND they had a lower price on the washer than Menards did so after getting things wrapped up at Menards we drove to Ames and the Lowes store. Last day for the sale!! We did not know that but we seem to be very lucky that way...and we are grateful!

We stopped in Boone and the new Wal Mart store and visited with Jason and later Laura for a bit before coming home.
With all this buying and getting ready for things to get done our mental wheels have been very active. I woke up about 4:00 AM and started thinking. Not very conducive to sleep. And then I noticed Butch was awake too. I said, "You know what we could do?" Butch said,"What?" I said, "Get up and get a walk in before the rain starts." He said, " Do you think I would have time to clean the gutters out before it starts raining?" I said, "I'll check the radar." And yes the rain was a ways off so at 5:30 AM we are out cleaning gutters and then we were able to get a walk done too. It wasn't long after getting home that the rain did start and is now raining with some intensity.
So at this hour I am in the motorhome and Butch is in the house and we are both busy. Most likely we will nap later

Picture catch up...

When we went to Menard's and I posted what we purchased I forgot to include the bathroom vanity. I even took a picture of it while we were in the store.

Yesterday, one of the Deja Vu group, Judy Peacock Wills went with me to Corning Iowa to the Arts center for my sister Theresa's art show. It was great seeing her new work and visiting with her for a few hours. We do not get together as often as we would like.

Some of the pieces behind Theresa are hers and some are the work of her students at Lenox Iowa where she teaches.

A bit of an oops!

Meant to post on Our blog and hit the Magnolia one instead...sorry about that.

Snipped from Face book

Jason being his usual entertaining self!

A great shot of Jason and Laura while on a bowling excursion with Laura's family

And this is from a few years ago when the two of them were on a trip to Las Vegas.