Keri treated Butch and I with a delicious Lemon Meringue Pie.

Refreshingly delicious.

And then we have Renee who was resting comfortably on the deck

Clarification

Elise Colleen Teeter is the daughter of Amanda & Brad Teeter- Amanda is the daughter of Gary & Susan Brooker- And Gary is the son of Barb & Butch Brooker.

So Elise is our 2nd Great granddaughter...and she looks like her Daddy Brad. At least right now she does. But if she takes after her mother she will be a real chameleon. Amanda always looked very different in almost every picture taken of her.

Elise Colleen Teeter

May 14th,2010

Born around 5:20PM, 18.75 inches 7lbs., Here are a couple pics. Heard lots of crying from the room.

yesterday

Yesterday was the last of my testing. All results were good. I do not even have any necessary follow-up of any kind. Butch has a cataract that will need attention soon but not just yet. Oh the perils of aging...

One of the things I will relate from all the tests I have been through; Last year about this time I read that cinnamon can help regulate your blood sugar and since I had a pre-diabetic diagnosis two years ago I decided it could not hurt to try it. I bought a big jar of cinnamon capsules and took one each day. I was not particularly careful of what I ate throughout this past winter although I did refrain from the evils of white stuff (potatoes, rice, and pasta). When first told I had high blood sugar readings, my A1C was 5.9. They do not want it to be above 6.0. An A1C test is an overall reading of your blood sugars over a 3 month or more period of time. Well, when first diagnosed we all know we are much more diligent about things you need to do than after you have adjusted. I have adjusted. 6 months after I first found out my A1C was 5.5. 6 months after that it was 5.9. So now one year later and a years worth of cinnamon capsules later my A1C is once again 5.5. I am going to keep up with the cinnamon. I tell you this because it is such an easy thing to do and I know there are many among you who also struggle with the regulation of your blood sugar. Yeah, Cinnamon!
Search Amazon.com for cinnamon capsules

Busy Week

On Tuesday we went to Atlantic for appointments. We have changed our medical from Atlantic to Jefferson IA, but we haven't changed dentist or eye doctor. So we went to Atlantic and visited with friends Bev & Bill Gunderson. Enjoyed a great lunch at Farmer's Kitchen with them. Then our first appointment was at 2:00 with Dr. Kreifels. I have dental implants and my implant receptacle on my bottom plate was loose and needed to be repaired. I was able to get my haircut from one of my favorite hairdressers in between appointments. And then at 4:30 we saw Dr. Sharp to make sure our eye health was up to par. We went to supper at the China Hut with friends Randy & Sherri Clark, visited awhile and returned home after 10.
Wednesday in Jefferson I had a stress test and chest x-ray in the morning and then spent the remainder of the day doing the prep work for a colonoscopy to take place today. Today I can have nothing to drink before the test which takes place at 3:00 and that may be a bit of a mental challenge. It will be good to get this out of the way. Every year at my annual check up I get asked about a colonoscopy and I have kept putting it off. So this should take the question out of it for a few years.
So far all results look good. No one has said otherwise anyway.
So I am looking forward to supper this evening and getting my life back to normal...Now if only the weather would...

Our friends the Meyer's Grandchildren

NICOLE MEYER A SEVENTH GRADER JUST WON STATE HIGH JUMP 4 FOOT 8IN

ALSO HER BROTHER JACOB SHOT HIS FIRST TURKEY ON THEIR FARM IN CASEY IOWA

PICTURED ABOVE

Our friends Merlin and Bev Meyer have several exceptional grandchildren and here are two of them.
Barb

Weather

The weather outside was frightful but the day was so delightful. Mickey and I did lots of catching up on lots of levels and she fixed us a deliciously healthy lunch.

Monday in May

Headed for the big city to get the car serviced and to see my lifelong friend Mickey. Looking forward to a good day

More Deer adventures

Another free photo slideshow by Smilebox

Deer Adventure

Butch and I enjoyed an adventure this evening. We were watching a movie when we noticed deer out front of the motorhome...and they were behaving strangely. I grabbed my camera and started filming a video. I will see if I can get it posted here. They were being fascinated with Leo's cats. Very fun to watch!!

Customize your own picture slideshow

A Kindle for PC

I have wanted a kindle for quite some time...but they are pricey. I decided to try it out by downloading the Kindle for PC. I still want a Kindle but thought perhaps Butch's little Netbook would be similar. And I still think it is. We read a bunch of books. The readers among you might like to try the Kindle for PC. It is free!!

Good Morning in May

We endured our annual doctor visit yesterday. We are both okay. The lifestyle must agree with us. I was most concerned about the diabetes numbers for me because I was not a good enough girl throughout the winter. I did get my walks in but too many cookies went down the chute. Anyway, the numbers were good. Even better than last year. The only thing we both need to work on is the weight issue.
Next week will be a busy one for me. I will be getting a chest x-ray, stress test and colonoscopy. All this will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. Will be good to get that done and over with.
We did get acquainted with Ethan yesterday while his mom went on a job interview. He was a good boy. 18 months is a fun age to watch. The world is so new to them. I took my camera and intended to get pictures but I was having so much fun with him I forgot. There will be another time. His Grandma and Grandpa Brooker have many pictures of him all over the house! What a cutie!

Time lapse

I was reading the archives of this blog yesterday and discovered that we were off in the calculation of how long we have been living this RV lifestyle. Butch and I retired in the fall of 2003 so we have been living in our RV for 7 years now. Unbelievable!!
 

Sandra Dallas Books

Sandra Dallas books were recommended to me last fall so I ordered some from Amazon.com. I order used ones usually because the price is better. Butch and I loved them! His favorite one was Buster Midnights Cafe. I find it difficult  to pick just one. I liked them all. The last one I read was Tallgrass. It was about the Japanese internment camp in Colorado.

My Inbox

When we are at Magnolia Park in Sunny South Texas I am often too busy for cleanup maintenance on my computer. I get behind on my email which I usually sort, keeping some things and discarding others. I started wading into it this morning and suddenly decided I was having no fun at all and deleted the whole works. My inbox is squeaky clean.

In Jefferson Iowa

We drove up from Missouri on Monday because Tuesday was to be a windy day. Well Monday was windy too. But today is worse so it was a wise decision. We had a surprise supper at the local Mexican restaurant arranged by Keri and Leo. Jason and Laura were there and it was a nice start to our short time in Iowa. Today we went to get our blood drawn in prep for our annual doctor visit set up for Thursday. I was not as good as I should have been over the winter so it may not be a fun time with the doctor. And now for the pictures I have taken...
Beautiful rainbow last evening and the pot of gold was on a hog confinement building. I will not pontificate on that fact. Lets just say only one entity has the pot of gold and most likely it is a corporation of non-Iowans.

An Iowa landscape

Angel in morning light.

Keri made Butch a pecan pie with pecans purchased from Pecan Bill. Looks mighty tasty, don't you think?

The Jorgensen Place

Jo Ann has a "Tipsy Pot" flower display. I thought it was a clever
idea and one that would be easy to duplicate.

Tabby was seeking and receiving lots of attention from Butch

Dick did wonders with a "Beer Can Chicken". Absolutely scrumptious.

Dick and Jo Ann have a cozy little spot on Lake Thunderhead, Unionville MO.

They are thinking of coming to Sunny South Texas next winter after the one they just experienced here and in Iowa. We look forward to showing them the ins and outs of our winter spot. They are looking for a rental. Any ideas?

On the move...

We arrived in Peculiar on Thursday when the wind was blowing like 90 MPH. Not really...just seemed like it. Gary is working at Ray-Pec school, taking college courses to get his teaching and masters degree and umpiring and refereeing as much as possible. Thus we did not get to see Gary that much but we did have a fun time with daughter-in-law Susan and granddaughter Amanda and her yet to be born daughter Elise. Amanda's husband Brad was also able to join us for a meal or two.
Amanda is due the 28th of this month. She has had a great pregnancy and felt well throughout but I am certain she will still be very ready for Elise to make her grand entrance.
Today we went with Amanda and Susan to garage sales to find baby stuff. We were very successful too.
Gary in the meantime umpired 9 ballgames today. I do not know how he does it!
So tomorrow we are headed up the road to Iowa. We are going to stop on the way to see Butch's cousin Dick. Should be in Jefferson on Monday or Tuesday.
Till next time...

Coachlight RV Park

We are at the Coachlight RV Park in Carthage MO. This is where we purchased our MoHo and it seems we always gravitate back here. It is a great place to do our Spring cleaning and that is indeed what we have been doing. Butch is washing the MoHo and I am getting caught up on laundry. Not just the usual laundry, but all of it like the mattress pad and bedspread, coats and anything else that comes to mind. Why in such a tizzy you say? Well, this park does not object to a person washing their rig for one thing. Many parks will not allow it. But the main and all pervasive reason is the SOFT water. It is so soft that they have a warning in the laundry room to not use too much soap. With my homemade soap that is not a problem. When you have super soft water it makes cleaning anything so much easier. I stand in amazement at the kitchen sink,the dishes are so clean with so little effort. No water spots on the silverware. Oh, I am really on a roll here, aren't I?
Tomorrow we will head up to Peculiar and a visit with the Gary Brooker family. We haven't seen them since last fall and now is when the winter seems long. It is time for hugs, reuniting and getting reconnected on the happenings of their lives. Butch and I look back to the period of our lives that they are in now and we remember it as a busy, busy time. It is exceedingly busy for them too. We remember, and understand.

When the weather is bad...

When the weather is bad we have a plan. We either beat the weather or sit tight. I check the 10 day forecast for wherever we are every morning. I have the weather window set up for 2 locations, usually the one where we are currently located and the one we are headed for. We do not head out if the weather is marginal.

The big night of tornadoes in Mississippi we were in Pass Christian MS. The bad stuff was all north of there. If it had been bad where we were we would have done whatever Lum & Donna (our hosts) would do.

We drove through the area in MS where the tornadoes went through Saturday. We saw trees uprooted and crews at work returning electricity to the area.

Tonight we are in Carthage MO and we are getting a new ice maker for the MoHo before heading up the road to Peculiar MO.  

Since we are spending the summer in Michigan we would like to see as much of "the kids" as possible before going up there. The MO kids are very busy but we will spend as much time with them as possible before heading to Iowa. We plan to go straight to Leo & Keri's place in Jefferson and spend the time in Iowa there. And also see as much of all our friends and relatives in Iowa as possible during the merry month of May!