Happy Easter Monday!

Spring scenes from around the yard....

 

We had a wonderful week leading up to Easter.   The Easter Cantata took up much of it.  We rehearsed Tuesday and Thursday and the performance was Friday.  Sarah, Elise, and I all sang in the choir.  It went very well and, as usual, the tunes have been running through my head for days. 

On Wednesday, I took three ladies from church to check out a few local second-hand stores.  We started at Itchy’s flea market that is like an antique mall only cheaper.  We then checked out Upscale Resale, had lunch at Wendy’s, and visited The Love Seat and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  It was fun to treasure hunt.  We all found something.   I found a cute glass bud vase, some books for the grandkids, a little tea set for Lucy’s birthday, and, best of all, a small bottle of White Linen perfume that was almost completely full for just $3.00!  I spent a total of $7.00

I went to St. Louis twice this weekend.  On Saturday, Betty McKinley, my visiting teaching companion, and I went with Marilou Bellamy, who we visit teach, to the temple for her first time.  I was her escort. 

The flowers around the temple are gorgeous.   After our session, Marilou treated us to lunch at a totally gluten-free restaurant called New Day that is located quite near where Emily lives.  It has an AMAZING menu and I enjoyed my first store-bought meatball sub-sandwich for the first time in 17 years.  Mmmmmm. 

The second time to St. Louis was Sunday morning to accompany Emily and Elise as they sang “O Divine Redeemer” for Emily’s sacrament meeting.  They sounded so beautiful.  

 

 We then all drove back to Columbia for lunch, long naps, and Easter dinner all together.  Ham, potatoes supreme, roasted vegetables, fresh pineapple, rolls, deviled eggs, and strawberry shortcake.  Delicious!

 Bacon mooching from Steven's plate

 

 Quinn eating his strawberry shortcake.  He LOVED all of Easter dinner.

 

 Emily and Noah

 

 The Southerland clan

 We woke up to frost this morning!  LOTS of frost!  And, of course, it was the night I didn’t take any steps to protect my trees.  Two times with sheets, one time with fans, 

 

 and all three of these times, there was NO frost.  Then last night, wham!  

 

these are frost-covered buds on my sweet cherry tree :(

 

 

 all the daffodils and hyacinths were drooped down from the frost

 

 you can really see the frost on the rose bushes....

 But, I think everything is going to be OK.  At least the peach blossoms looked just fine this afternoon when I was spraying the yard for Japanese beetle grubs. 

Wow, what a week! Mostly of delicious eating.

Pi day kicked it off.  Pizza pie and two dessert pies made by Elise (banana and raspberry).  Plus leftover strawberry pie from Sunday dinner.   

 Delicious. Steve had a doctor’s appointment and I tagged along so I could visit Goodwill and find some jeans.  I found two pair. Yay for me.  We watched “Hoosiers” for FHE that night. 

Emily and kids came to Columbia Wednesday morning for a few days since Joe was out of town (and out of country – he was in St. Kits in the Caribbean!)  Steven came over that evening and we all took a walk in the park across the street.  Bacon was SO excited that he bayed his VERY loud, signature howl almost the whole walk.   

 

 

 

 We had corned beef and cabbage that night since Thursday night is Steve’s meeting night and dinner is always fend-for-yourself.  Emily made the gluten-free lamb cake.

 We drove up to shop in Amish country Thursday morning and stocked up on bulk baking items.  

 

 We went to hear bagpipes at Candlelight Lodge in the afternoon.   

 They were a bit loud....

Reuben sandwiches in the evening.

Friday the Southerlands left – right about the time Steve and I headed down to Jefferson City area for the day.  I wanted to buy some shade plants from a nursery that specializes in native Missouri plants.  I needed to pick up some advertising materials for a concert coming in April by BYU-Idaho.  We had lunch at Oscars with Jim and Cindy Layton (I had the decadently delicious gluten-free patty melt).  And, I accompanied a cello student for her middle school music festival that afternoon.  It was chilly and rainy the whole time but that didn’t dampen Steve’s and my enjoyment of the day.  He continues to have physical therapy but slowly, his back is starting to feel better.  He still needs to take things easy – which he didn’t do Saturday, unfortunately, so he was pretty sore last night.  I think he did too much bending over as he built a fire in the pit for our cookout last night with Steven and Tamara and the Marin family (Chris, Leslie, Isaac, Kaylee, and Jessica).  

He did not have to help me put sheets over the blooming peach trees, though.  Chris, Steven, and Leslie did that.  They looked so surreal with the lamps glowing inside.  

 

I went to Mexico, Missouri Saturday afternoon to accompany more students in the high school district music festival.  While there, I visited a sandwich shop called Dagwood’s Jr. that offers gluten-free bread.  Oh, my.  What a delicious bun and sandwich!

 

Daffodils are up!

 

  Quinn LOVED grandpa's trains.  He took them everywhere.  And almost lost an engine and coal car in the back yard leaves.

I will close with a cute lamb card made for me by the mother of two of my music students.  

March Miserableness

Well, this was a rather interesting week.  First off, Steve’s back pain has continued to be an issue.   He had his first physical therapy appointment on Thursday and the therapist believes it is his femoral nerve starting in the back and going down the inside of his left leg.  This makes sense as, for months, he has had slight pain and discomfort in his inner left leg and Ben-gay and over the counter pain meds have sort-of kept it in check.  Meanwhile, early in the week, the back pain was getting worse and worse to the point that he was unable to sleep.  He would rotate from bed to couch to recliner all night in search of a comfortable position.  He would rotate Excederin and ibuprofen and Ben-gay and Blue Imu salves and nothing would help.  Between Tuesday and Wednesday night, he got maybe two hours total sleep with occasional cat naps during the day when his body just got so exhausted.  So, FINALLY, on Thursday, with a blessing from Steven and lots of family prayers, and an e-mail to the doctor, he turned a corner.  He got a prescription for a muscle relaxant that enables him to sleep.  He will see PT twice a week for a month, at least, and he has daily exercises to do at home.  He still has pain but, with a good night’s sleep, he is able to deal with it. 

Last Sunday, we celebrated Tamara’s birthday.  She didn’t want a cake – she wanted homemade pecan praline ice cream.  Yum!  

 

 

Here is a photo of our houseguest last weekend, Derek Ellingson.  It was so good to see him.

 

I pruned the grapes Monday and made three grapevine wreaths with them.  I have given two away and have one left – anyone want it?  Spring has come earlier this year and I have been anxious to spray the fruit trees for fungus and pests but with predicted rain all week, and strong southern breezes, I was thwarted.  At last, on Wednesday morning, I was able to take care of that chore.  Steve ordered three hybrid raspberry plants that arrived Thursday so he supervised my planting of them Friday morning.  I bought and painted a birdhouse to add to the other three we have outside.   

 We got our taxes finished and it was not too bleak.  Whew.  I am continuing to sew quilt tops and watching movies:  Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the final episode of Downton Abby (LOVED IT!), and Pawn Sacrifice (a sad story of Bobby Fischer).  Saturday afternoon, I went to my last pottery class for a while – at least until May.  Speaking of quilt tops, anyone recognize the critters I appliqued on this quilt?  Remember that I made stuffed toys from this very design over twenty years ago?  

 

 

We had an older single adult get-together at Bob Evans yesterday morning.  Here we all are.

 

Aaron and Laura got married

 The biggest event of this past week happened yesterday.  Aaron Howard married Laura Williams in the Kansas City temple.  The event by itself was joyous enough but, because both parties touched so many lives, it became a reunion, too.  Two former Young Men leaders who have moved away returned to Missouri – David and Heather Brockbank, who now live in Lehi, Utah came and Derek Ellingson flew all the way from Alaska for the event!  He actually missed his flight so he couldn’t make the temple ceremony but he arrived in time for the reception.  He is staying with us, actually, until he flies home Monday.  Both Aaron and Laura have lived in the Columbia Stake long enough that friends from all over mid-Missouri were present to celebrate.  It was great to visit with so many of them.  Sadly, Aaron’s mother was not there but I know she was celebrating in heaven.  Steve performed the ring ceremony at the start of the reception.  That was nice.  And the delicious dinner was 100% gluten-free (well, not the rolls.  BUT, if I had wanted bread, they had gluten-free available).  Right down to the cupcakes.  I was VERY happy. 

Steve and I drove to the Kansas City temple early so we could attend a temple session and we brought along Betty McKinley.  She is such a trooper – willing to leave at 5:30 in the morning and drive all that way and back. 

The next biggest event of the week is Steve’s health.  He has been dealing with another sinus infection and then a pain in his lower back – off to the left side – that also affects his left knee.  But, Tuesday night, some scrapes he got down his shin from our Monday morning bike ride started to send shooting pains that were really acute.  Combine all these aches and he has not been able to sleep well.  He finally went to see the doctor on Thursday and got more antibiotics for the sinus infection and the shin pain and an x-ray for the back.  I feel so badly for him because I still sleep like a log and am so healthy.  I’d really like to enjoy a few years of healthy retirement before we both start to fall apart! 

Otherwise, it was a regular week.  I’m sewing quilt squares together for Laura and watching more “Enterprise” (I am on the final season).  Steve, Elise, and I all watched “Leap Year” Monday night.  (well, Steve dozed through it but, considering his sleep deprivation, I don’t blame him)