Hi guys - YES I finally posted a blog!!

Hi guys, I really have been incredibly busy but then who isn't with 4 kids in and out from one week to the next. Here is a quick catch up on what we have been up to.

Here is a pic of my fish from when we took our fishing trip/bird trip to MO. It was a VERY fast trip, drove for 6 hrs, got there, checked into our motel room and fell fast asleep, the next day got up early and fished and then that afternoon picked up the bird and started for home, 6 hrs to get there, 7 hrs to get home. My behind was sore after that car ride. The bird is Lahja, he is sooo pretty, he is a German/Finnish male Goshawk. He is a very cold weather hunter so in the coldest part of the winter Tony will be hunting him on ducks. Next time we go to MO, WE WILL SEE the Mr. and Mrs. Mel. lol!

This is a pic of our two kayaks that we bought last month. We have had so much fun with these two boats, the kids just love them. Last weekend we took them to see Amy and Jake and went out on East Fork lake in Ohio, soooo much fun. There is a great big beach there, the lake is huge and we all took turns taking them out, the ones on the beach watched Jake. He is too little to go out... In this pic we are at Harrod's Creek, right down the road from our house. We are attending and participating in Via Colori this weekend in Bardstown KY, we are one square of 55 that will be painted on the street during their Italian Street painting festival. Tony, me, Scott and Tawny will be the artists, Amy, Becky and Jake will be there to help. We are camping for the weekend at the State park there right outside of town. I think it is My Old KY home park, it is very nice, thank goodness it has great showers, with that many people in the camper we can't use the shower.

Our big news is that the condo is now ON THE MARKET. I have been going up there regularly getting the carpet installed, having the painter paint the rooms, moving, fixing up and generally making myself crazy over it. lol! Yesterday I made one more trip, met the realtor and we signed the paperwork for Sibcy Cline to sell it for us. It is gorgeous!! I sure hope it goes fast, there are several on the market in our complex, I doubt they look as good as ours....:)

I'd best get back to making food for this weekend. I made pretzels the other day. Today I am making pulled pork and peanut butter cookies!!

love you all!

Di

Pic from camping at Lake Jericho

This handsome man is my hubby making a fire at our campsite at Lake Jericho last weekend. We had so much fun, took Derek, Warren, Scott and his girlfriend Tawny and Jake with us. We camped with Jake the first two nights and Derek slept in his van. Then on Sunday after the graduation party Warren and Scott and Tawny joined us for the night. Tony's friend Paul came down from his house on his Harley and joined us for dinner and the evening. We had so much fun! We went out on the canoe with lil Jake and he had fun "sweeping under the water" with the paddle. That kid is soooo cute, he really enjoyed the fishing too with his little Spiderman pole and the plastic red fish.

Had a bit of an "incident" in the canoe with Jake and Tony and I. We 3 had been out fishing the lake for a couple hours, we were caught in the rain and it was raining very hard. We were trying to come in at a different spot than the dock and Tony had the brainy idea to pull Jake and I in the canoe up onto the bank, only the bank was quite a bit higher than the water level. Well Jake went flying back into me and I fell my rear end into the very pointed end hole in the canoe, got stuck in there!!! Well I was hoppin mad but Tony was laughing so hard at my prediciment that it was pretty hilarious. Strained my back pretty good, had to lay down most of the day Tuesday it hurt so bad. It is funny now, NOT funny then, lol!

Got to go and get this house cleaned, will post more......I PROMISE!!! I miss you guys!

Love Di

The obnoxious Ex dropped her law suit

Yey!! Tony's ex emailed him last Friday and said she was dropping her law suit against him. He was supposed to go to court tomorrow as she was asking for $750/mo in child support. This is a woman that has 2 trust funds that give her so much money every month that she only needs to work 15 hrs a week.

We are really relieved this is over but she caused Tony so much grief since we got married that it really is ridiculous. She said in her email on Friday that "letting go has been hard for her", so her form of letting go is apparently to punish him for being happy. She is a dry alcoholic and really has had some very unfortunate things happen to her in her childhood days, an alcoholic mother that ended up burning the house down and killing herself by smoking in bed. An uncle that abused her horribly for years growing up, just an awful past. So I do feel for her in many ways, but these past few months of her having her "fit" has been ridiculous.

It is over and so is any respect that Tony had for her...........very sad to end a relationship that way.

On an up note we got Amy all moved into the new apt. and it is sooo cute! Scott and Tony and I took a little enclosed trailer up there yesterday and moved the washer and dryer in for her and then took home lots of stuff from the condo that was mine. The garage is almost empty but there is a lot of cleaning and work to be done to empty the condo completely. Then we have to rip out all the carpet and redo that and paint all the walls. Goodness, it never ends it seems. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

Derek was asked to interview with Channel 12 in Cinci for a camera tech position, he has an interview for Wed. He is really torn about whether to do the interviews or check into the half-way house. He knows the answer but is having a hard time making himself do it, it is a 6 mo. program at the house. But this is the first interview he has had in his field, they are not easy to come by.

Hope the Mom's had a great day yesterday, we had a good day, had fun working hard and getting stuff done up there.

Big hugs to everyone,

Di

Rollercoaster day

This has been a rollercoaster day. Derek called first thing and was in tears, he is drinking again. Then I heard on facebook that my SIL Dawn has a tumor and will need surgery. She had breast cancer and has been through the mill with it over the past 2 years. Then my super helpful husband sent all the invites for Warren's graduation back to his ex-wife, they were NOT done! Honestly, some times I wonder why I get up in the morning.

Yesterday I helped with Dare to Care feeding people on the street from the produce and bakery trucks, we fed 270 people. That was really awesome, lots of the food came from the Churchill Downs and their leftovers from Derby.

Then I went up to the condo and helped Amy move out and into her new apt. She is sharing with two of her closest friends. This new place is so nice, she will really like it there. Her and Jake will still share a room but they have a lot more living space. Everything is new and it is really pretty. I drove back so that I could go to my hair apt. this morning, and I didn't get in until 12:30 am. so guess that is why I am so out of it today.

Well best get at it, I have a lot to do to get ready for dinner.

Monday April 27

We had a really busy weekend. I bought these 12 Barbie dolls at a yard sale we went to on Sat. before the soccer tournament started. These dolls are so cute I couldn't resist them, I bought 3 bags, each had 4 dolls and an assortment of clothes and little shoes and hats. I had ONE barbie growing up, only 1 as we didn't have much money. Now I'll have a stash to play with when we have Tony's grand nieces over and when Jake is here or when I want to play with some cute Barbies!!! They are mostly 1966 and 1968 years and in really great shape. I LOVE BARBIE!!! Will have to take a few camping with us on Friday, one bag had a little cooler in it!!

This is a pic of my soccer warrior husband playing in the tournament. They didn't win one single game but they had fun and will probably do it again next year. They have been playing in this tournament for 20 years!!! It was great weather and great fun to see them play quick 6 on 6 games on the smaller fields.

We picked up the camper on Friday, had fun learning all about the camper from this cute little couple. We hit the IKEA store on the way home in Cinci. Had to buy this adorable folding picnic table and chairs set, made of really solid wood and will probably outlive both of us it is so sturdy. We also bought a kitchen island which we have to put together tonight. And some dishes and pots and pans for the camper, just had a great time on our little trip.

You all have a great day!!

Love and hugs,

Di

Thursday April 23

More about our trip to Alb. Deb sponsored a candidate for initiation into the Catholic church so she had a LOT of committments at the church while we were there. She of course had volunteered to make cookies for the reception Sat. night after the vigil and she ran short on time. So Tony and I said we'd make some yummy decorated cookies as we LOVE doing that together. I made a cookie recipe from the back of the cookie cutter package, it was a Wilton cutter, it made the best cut out sugar cookies I have ever tasted, Mom and Deb agreed. Deb makes a homemade baking powder from baking soda and cream of tarter, we used that recipe for the powder and these cookies came out so nice and got so big. So when someone says use FRESH baking powder for a recipe use this one, you won't be disappointed. If someone wants the recipe I'll ask her to send it to me, it is just two ingredients but the tarter and soda must be new and FRESH or it is pointless.

I used a thin powdered sugar and milk and vanilla recipe for the icing and when it was not quite dry Tony put on the colored sugars in the design. An easy way to decorate a lot of cookies quickly. We gave them a boat load and Deb said 3 people commented that they were not only beautiful but delicious!!

Have to get the Dahlias into the ground today, I've had them on the kitchen counter for 2 days. The bed is ready I am just unsure how tall they will get. Guess I'll just do it and see what happens. Best get my behind movin............

Big hugs and love to everyone,

Di

2nd post for today - QUICKIE

Just a quickie to tell you all what the blood morphologist lady Susan told me when we saw her in Alb.

She said my blood was AWESOME, that I am eating pretty clean and it shows. She gave me some fine tunings to do and a few little supplements that I need to be getting enough of but all in all I am lookin good.

One thing she stressed is to be sure not to eat ANY wheat flour in any form and any refined sugar in any form. She is so right, I have been very careful this past 2 weeks and the zingers are almost completely gone. The facial and scalp nerve pain is gone too!! If I have a diet pop of any kind the joint pain comes back in a hurry so that is out too. For sugar substitute I am using Agave and it is great. Fibromyalgia pain is down to an all time low if I follow this plan. Trick is to keep things in the house that I can eat and to not take even one bite of the bad stuff. One bit and I am off and gone and eating the WHOLE THING!!

Big hugs,
Di