4-30-15

Martin: Happy belated birthday, Jane! :-)

Me: Yet another project…the Mini Mansion garage!

We put on an epoxy floor finish last week. 

This week I've been organizing & attempting to get rid of unnecessary items.

Bob & I really love having the Mini Mansion garage to store our camper, kayaks, extra camping gear, chairs & more. Glad we decided to do the epoxy floor here…it really helps to feel like we're clean & organized (even if we're not). :-)

4-29-15

Martin: We have had three days of almost none-stop rain and gusty winds. Just over 12 inches (300mm) of the wet stuff since Sunday night! Lucky we are on a hill so the water has somewhere to go. Pouring outside at the moment and thunder in the distance – getting closer.

Me: I am doing a low-key painting class with 3 friends. The instructor is holding the class in her home (just a 1/2 mile from us) on Monday nights. Above: Friends Dave & Janet.

Jeri & I. After class #1 I'm convinced I should stick to drawing stick figures. Not sure I'm a painter but I'll keep trying! It's fun even if I never hang up my masterpieces. :-/

4-28-15

Martin: Within the space of half an hour, a storm came in and the sun didn’t show for the rest of the day.

Me: Be someone's sunshine today!

Photo from Saturday's hike up Piesteway Peak. Howard & I.

4-27-15

Martin: Stopped off for a ‘snack’ at a cafe in a little village next to the coast.

Me: Monday & back to work…
James is heading up a big fix-it project at the Mini Mansion. He's rebuilding the wood covered patio. The old structure was falling apart so it feels good to get this underway. Bob & our friend, Jimmy were a huge help for James today.

James worked hard on the patio all last week & today it's coming together.

Looking great, guys!

4-26-15

Martin: Daniel wanted to drive down the coast to get some more hours up on his learner’s licence. The four of us ended up going along.

ME: It was a Happy Birthday!!!…

-Morning ride to S. Mtn towers with Heidi, Bob, Jonathan & Axel.

-Church at HOPE with Mom & more family.

-Birthday lunch at Elevate Coffee.

-Coloring Contest (thanks, Abbie for the grown-up coloring book). :-).

-My SIP latte & birthday cupcake. Bob & I returned to SIP today. :-)

I enjoyed receiving many birthday wishes on Facebook, e-mail & by phone!

Thank you, Karen & Charlie for the cute pillow (above). It's perfect for me. ;-)

 And thank you, Pat & Bob for your singing phone telegram & birthday $$. I know I can spend it at garage sales & SEE's chocolate shop! It was a great weekend of celebrating (& not just my birthday)!

4-25-15

Me: Today was a great day! First Bob & I hiked Squaw Peak & then we did some pre-birthday celebrating with Abbie & Mike. The 4 of us rode our mountain bikes along the canals of Scottsdale & Phoenix. It was a sunny (yet coolish) day!

We stopped in Old Town Scottsdale at a funky coffee shop for a Latte & French Press.

Then we cruised along the water canals including a quick loop around the Biltmore. 

Last stop was at OHSO. It's right along the canal & one of our favorite joints.

We took advantage of the Saturday brunch special; yummy food, nice company, beautiful weather & a view of Camelback Mountain! Awwww. :-)

4-24-15

Martin: Next project for a friend – materials for a shaving cabinet. 

Me: My garage sale finds today...

- Halloween  & Santa Claus Mr. Potato Head.

- 4 Barbies. I played Barbies like crazy growing up!

- The game of TROUBLE. A fun childhood game.

- The Abominable Snowman Christmas tree ornament (my fav).

These treasures (+ a few more) from 1 place! I love a good garage sale. :-)

4-23-15

Martin: One of the pot plants on the verandah.

 

Me: Thankful Thursday!!

Thankful for this guy & the good news from his Dr.'s appointment. Nothing serious is going on! Though no concrete answer was given, they could still rule out the bad. Bob's cleared to work & exercise (just keep an eye on things). It's a big weight off as we were worried. Thank you again for your prayers!!! Times like this give renewed appreciation for each other, those around us & for just regular, ordinary days. :-)

4-22-15

Martin: Flowering gum nuts. The tree looks like little yellow fireworks are going off.

Me: Patio in process…

The tile guys started work on our patio this week. Not the best timing but we are glad to get the project underway.

Monday & Tuesday were dusty, messy demolition days. But today they started laying out the tile.

Despite some early snags we think it's coming together nicely.

Here's a view from our balcony. They've made great progress. Those guys definitely work hard! The tiles are heavy & the days are warm.

4-21-15

Martin: Finally got around to framing the postcards and fan from Spain plus two pics of Ruth’s father as a boy. One of her relatives had them in an old photo album that we were looking through on the trip and I took a copy.

Me: I snagged this FREE Little Tikes play structure sitting curbside. Grabbed two cute kiddie desks & a play pool too. Score! Kavan & Riley were sure happy when Bob put it together in their backyard this morning!! :-)

4-20-15

Martin: After two coats of oil.

Me: Flashback to our Seattle trip…
I forgot to post pics of the Chihuly Exhibit. I went by myself on day 1 (April 8th) but then Bob got to see it on the 9th with my 2 day pass.

It's a permanent exhibit next to the Space Needle. It has several rooms that are dark with only the illuminated blown glass. It's was a whimsical wonderland!

These are two photos showing a small part of the room with a colorful glass ceiling. I loved this & it reminds me of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. Chihuly has a famous glass ceiling displayed in their lobby.

This was huge & beautiful! 

Boats fills with glass balls and...

squiggly things. :-) Neat reflections.

There was also an outdoor area. This building is called The Glass House.

Just me inside The Glass House. 

I got lucky the day I visited...no crowds!

The Space Needle through The Glass House. Bob & I have enjoyed the traveling Chihuly exhibit when it's come to PHX so it was neat to see more of his work in Seattle.

Bob update: No answers yet. :-( We did get some appointments set with a specialist for Wednesday morning. Thank you for your prayers.

4-19-15

Martin: Don’t think I sent the pics of the deck I had been working on. Here it is after being washed down and bleached to get rid of the tanins.

Me: Mom is getting ready to go back to Iowa next week & Rod left for Iowa today. Bob took this photo of us; Mom with her youngest & oldest child. She has 6 other children in between Rod & I, plus 22 grand children, 30 great-grandchildren & 2 more due this year. Thankful that we've had mom in Arizona since January. Our time together has been invaluable! I know she's ready to get back to her home & is looking forward to seeing family & friends there. But we're gonna miss her here!

It's so good to have Bob home from last week's flying trip. Please keep him (us) in your prayers as he's been having some troublesome symptoms since Wednesday. Emergency visits, several tests and no answers. He is at home and he'll be seeing a specialist this week (hopefully tomorrow). Thank you. Hugs.

4-18-15

Me: My Mutt is the LOVE of my LIFE...

even with these muddy paws dirtying up our home.

BTW: Bob is the real love of my life (but Harley comes in 2nd). :-)