PT for Mom. Again.

 She realizes how weak she is and requested some PT. They delivered! I think she will be sore tomorrow.

Leg raises, lifts, toe lifts, side lifts, knee bends, etc. 10 reps, three sets. Plus stairs!!

Nesting boxes. He had her do three little steps up, then one big one down. Walk around and repeat.  Then she did alternating up and down off the single big step. I didn't think to take a picture of the boxes while they were set up on the floor.

He said he would work with her next time to use the stairs there at Our House. Just ONE stair, on a big wide safe landing, with and rails. She'll get this twice a week for five weeks and have instructions on what to do on her own between sessions.

She's been pretty good about going for walks up and down hallways after meals, so that's good.

A Man Called Otto

 Tuesday of this week, Mike and Mom and I went to the theater to see the above-named movie, starring Tom Hanks. Mike might not agree with the man's politics and therefore is not a fan. I, on the other hand, can separate a person from their politics. Tom Hanks is a good actor and I really have never soon a movie of his that I didn't like. Starting with "Big". 

This was no exception. We all liked it. 

Spoiler Alert:

The woman who played Mirabel was a delight. When the nurse tells her of Otto's heart condition, I absolutely loved her reaction. So funny. I chuckled and laughed right along with her.

I highly recommend!

Tuesday, we went out in the BIG WIND. Today is Thursday, and it's snowing. It snowed yesterday, too. We are getting LOTS of much-needed snow!

President's Day Weekend 2023

 Donna came! Rob and Janet came! Aunt Tuny and girls came! So fun.

Girls' Lunch out at Applebee's with the Winn's. Quick visit at my house when Rob and Janet came at 3-ish. Winn's headed home.

Games after dinner (BLT'S) here.

Fun times! Mom will get to go out to eat lots this weekend. She will love that, as I've been kind of ignoring her the past week that I was sick with a cold/ flu.

(We really should have had a quilting bee!)

Donna's gorgeous hair!

Donna, Aunt Tuny, Suzi, Sandi 

Sandi, Mom, Mike 

Janet, me, Donna, Suz, Aunt Tuny, Sandi, Robert, Mom

Donna, Janet, Rob, Mike. Lincoln in the foreground. Abe ALWAYS  spends his birthday at our house . It's our tradition.

(Below) The Grandma Autrey quilt I have almost ready to finish. I've decided it needs to be hand quilted rather than machine quilted because of some gathering in all the blocks.  I'll need help, and had ALL these folks here...

Major snow storm!

 

Jim Harrison clearing our drive.

Mike heading out. Most everything was done on our street, so he helped pull people out of driveways with his truck. And took Caroline to campus. I picked up And at the library while we were out. It's his birthday weekend, you know (Presidents' Day).

Valentine's Day, 2023

 We are just getting over colds. Mike got it first, then me. We are about done, probably not contagious. 

❤️.   

I took a shower, tied up my hair, wore a mask, washed up a lot and made some goodies to give to ministering people. But Mike gets to deliver to our Primary classes. It's snowing and I'm exhausted!

I had a few frustrations along the way. The goal was caramel and chocolate dipped pretzel rods.

Homemade caramel. Check.

Chocolate chips melted in double boiler. Check.

Candy melts to drizzle over. Check.

First snafu- caramel sticks to wax paper. Badly.

Ever after chilling in fridge and garage. Oh well...  What a mess. I salvaged most by peeling off the wax paper, but WE are just gonna have to add a bit of fiber to OUR diet! Cuz we are eating the most paper-covered.

The most broken and stickiest ones.

Next snafu-- the candy melts were far more sensitive to heat than I'd anticipated. 30 seconds in microwave curdled/coagulated them. Who knew?. I'd started in the double boiler, but that seemed too slow....

But eventually they were all dipped in caramel, extracted from the wax paper, dipped in melted chocolate and laid to set on PARCHMENT paper this time. <Sigh>

Then the drizzles worked okay after a did a tiny batch on 50% power in the microwave.  Check.

But I thought I'd do a few drizzles in pink, so I melted a tad more white melts ( very carefully and slowly) and added food coloring. Oops, that didn't work. Adding "water" to the melts ALSO stiffens and coagulates them!! Apparently a few drops of red food coloring equals a few drops of water. Oh well.  So chocolate and white it is!

I think this is just junk now, sadly. They will never melt smoothly, I don't think. I tried the oil fix on the package ( note to self-- read the instruction FIRST next time!).

Here is an appropriate place to keep them cool until they are delivered, right ? --- The hood of my car in the garage.  It IS snowing and cold outside, after all.

All packed up and ready to go! A little chocolate and some pretty bags go a long way in covering up some really big snafu episodes.❤️😉

February Beginnings

I finished TWO denim quilts. I'm encouraged enough to move forward with Grandma quilts now.

Janet came to Cedar City for a quilt retreat, and Robert came along, too. He took Mom (and us!) out to eat multiple times. So generous and sweet. So yummy.

Mom got new glasses. I think she likes them ( this is round two, as the first did not work at all.)

We had snow on Sunday night the 4th! About 3-4 inches. Little bits of water add up, so we are most grateful. Monday morning , Feb 6th, was foggy, too. 

Mom came for Sunday Dinner, and so did Eric and Matt. It was nice. Caroline had already eaten, but she did stay and visit for a bit.

Mike and I were at the Temple, working, FOUR days last week. Monday for a voluntary " catch up" kind of shift. Our regular Thursday night/ Friday morning shifts. Then on Saturday for our once monthly Saturday shift. Busy Temple! We still have no word on when the ones in St. George will be opening.

Surprise visitors on Friday afternoon at Our House Assisted Living center. ( That's the neighboring building for Chrysalis in the background, South of OH)

Monday morning fog.