The Mayo Clinic appointment this day was pretty unremarkable. Lee is stable (a very good thing) and infection free. His labs are good in that they are unchanged (they won't get any better, but it's good that they are not worse.) Fatigue is the number 1 issue as far as symptoms go & we look forward to a new heart for Lee and the day when Lee can be worn out from activity such as playing with grandkids, golfing, hiking, or something strenuous. Fatigue from severe heart failure comes from getting out of bed or walking to the mailbox or from nothing discernible. The Mayo has done 9 heart transplants so far this year. Our prayers are for both the recipients and the donor families.
SO ... while we wait:
Lest you think we are just sitting around, looking at the clock and/or calendar, we decided to post some pictures of some of the things we've been doing. Most of the projects have been done between the late Fall to the present and were finished over long periods of time as health and stamina permit. We try to keep busy!
This old oak chest has been around the family for many, many years. My sister, Lorna, took pity on my lack of furniture and gave it to me. It was in pretty bad shape, but it was old (which I loved) and oak (which is very forgiving.) There's not a before picture, but here is the finished product.
A while back, we bought an old (100 yrs+) oak table and chair set from The ReStore (Habitat for Humanity's thrift store.) The chairs were in pretty bad shape, as all the glue had dried up and every joint was loose. Lee painstakingly took apart each chair, cleaned up the wood with a hand-scraper, then re-glued every joint. It took him 8 - 10 hours per chair. They came out beautifully though & now I just need to oil and polish them.
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BEFORE
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Another great thrift store find (Stardust Industries, a non-profit that encourages reuse) was an old kitchen cabinet. I was excited to find one that was solid wood and set about sanding and repairing it. Lee made a sturdy frame to sit the cabinet on and installed casters to wheel my "outdoor kitchen" around. We salvaged and painted the handles, painted the cabinets and drawers inside and out with outdoor house paint. With a little help from our friends, we finished the countertop with the left over tile from the floor in the house. I LOVE having an outdoor kitchen counter.
In March, we had a wonderful visit from our daughter, Katie and her husband, Isaac AND baby Lucy. It was hard to let them go back home without us!
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| Nana Heaven! |
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| Papa love his Lucy! |
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| Date night for the McPhees, sans baby. We HAD to babysit! |
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Hiking with Lucy.
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| Uncle Seth got in on the action too. |
We've had other visitors too although we didn't get pictures of all of them.
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| Brother Mark with Seth. |
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| Cousin Carole with Peg |
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Brother Paul & sis-in-law Lu with Lee (and Guido)
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Lee built this awesome lattice for our yard. We planted a sweet smelling jasmine vine to grow up on it. It smells heavenly.
We enjoy filling our tiny backyard with colorful plants
and watching a caterpillar
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| Caterpillar turning into cocoon. |
(put into a mason jar & stored behind the coffee maker) turn into a butterfly.
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| I heard a fluttering noise one morning ... |
Sewing has been blessed release for me. We have many nieces and nephews and now grand nieces and nephews (thanks mostly to my sister, Lorna!) I sewed up an apron/bib for each of the grand nieces & nephews to have at Grammie's house.
For Noah & Ava's (our grands) birthdays in May, they requested costumes. Noah chose Robin Hood & Ava chose Elsa from the movie, Frozen. SUCH fun to sew them up for them and I think they liked them!
Everyday, I am thankful for modern technology that allows us to keep in touch with family and friends so far away. Baby Lucy is growing SO fast, but her mama is so good to keep us feeling close with nearly daily pictures and videos. Ava and Noah are getting so grown up but FaceTiming with them is an AWESOME way for us to keep in touch with them. It helps keep us sane. We love them so. This last picture is just a glimpse of part of our big family. This was a gathering back home for some May birthdays and one of the grand nieces requested the family do the Hokey Pokey. I LOVE MY FAMILY ... each and every one of them.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 107:1
