Update on Danica - getting better

Our precious little granddaughter is finally getting better. The operation to remove her appendix was a success but then a bit of infection started to set in and this was a worry. If Danica could not get up and move around, then there was (and still is) a good chance that pneumonia could happen. Today my daughter started to bribe Danica with chocolate milk as a reward if she took at least two steps away from the bed. It seems to be working. She sure loves her chocolate milk.
Pictured her on the first meeting with Gypsy Blu. He just let her haul him around, love him up and at one point, she dressed him up in clothes from her box of play clothes.

Dec 26th - Gypsy Blu

Gypsy Blu - what a patient little puppy. He tolerated being dressed up and set to pose for the camera. And here he is. Santa has come and gone, stockings have been opened and Christmas dinner has been consumed so we decided to see if we could get some pics of our snow dog. He loves it out in the snow, chasing snow flakes, running, making his own paths. He is just so funny, we laugh every day at his antics.

Update on Danica (5 yr old granddaughter)

Kristian 7 yrs old (left) and Danica 5 yrs old (right)

Well, it is Christmas eve and I guess it is as good a time as any for this little lamby to be sick. Danica has been complaining about a sore tummy for over a week and my daughter took her to the doctor. He said it was a bug of some sort, just to watch her. Danica continued to complain, throw up, have a fever - all the symptoms of a not-so-well little girl.

Early in the morning Dec 23rd, Danica started to throw up blood and this panicked Angela (my dd). Her and Charles bundled Danica up and drove to emergency where the doctor admitted her right away. She had a ruptured appendix and she was only going to get sicker if she was not operated on NOW !

She came through the operation just fine but now she is fighting an infection. The doctor assures my daughter this is normal for this sort of operation. They may put in a drainage tube if she does not respond to the antibiotics.

Kristian misses his sister a lot and wants to know when she can come home and when Christmas is going to happen. On Christmas day, every one is going into the hospital and open a few gifts with Danica and maybe Santa may appear... Get well soon Little Danica....

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL....AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS for those who do not celebrate Christmas

Photo a day - all at once

The street in front of our place, taken from the second floor window. These icicles are growing longer by the minute. I would like to get the screen out of the window so I could break them off. I just do not want them to come crashing down when someone is at the front door.

We are snowed in. The snow plow guy has not shown up yet (this is no surprise) and when he does, he will probably make one trip through and leave. Hope we aren't paying him!!!

It makes for a pretty picture, if you do not mind staying at home for the next few days.

Happy holidays to all.

Photo a day Dec 24th, 2008

This shows the depth of the snow!!! Gypsy Blu has been chasing the birds at the feeder and is responding to "come". He just loves the snow and gets out every chance he gets. Usually I put a sweater on him but today is a bit warmer so he is not going to freeze.

Our other driftwood chair has snow on the arms also. Brrrrrr.

Photo a day Dec 23rd, 2008

This is our bird bath turned into a little Japanese garden. As you can see, it is now a serenity snow garden. I love the hollow under the bird bath. Sort of looks like the bath just came up from under the snow...

When the dog goes out for his stuff, we make sure there is a shovelled path for him otherwise, we would lose him in the snow.

Photo a day...OOPS!!

I have fallen way behind on the photo a day. That does not mean I have not been taking photos, just not posting.

left: This is a pic of one of the driftwood chairs with a bit of snow on it....

right: looking up the street in the complex and this is AFTER the plow had been. I think he missed a few spots....

At the Karate concert

We went to Lexie's karate Christmas concert this evening. That's Lexie on the left and RayAnne is on the right. Both are wearing the new scarves that Gran (April) knit them and their new mitts we gave them for Christmas so they will be warm in Calgary. It was a great concert, starting with the tots classes - ages up to 5 yrs. old to the adults. You can see the progression in the skill levels as you watch each group perform. Quite a few chuckles. Lexie has achieved her orange belt and has decided to join the black belt students...thus the blue gi. The ending of every karate school Christmas concert is a bit of choreographed skits which are always the highlight of the evening. This year it was better than ever. NOW I feel like it is Christmas and Tuesday is the school concert. Lexie will be singing and playing on her recorder (we used to call this a flutephone) and RayAnne will be on her ukelele. RayAnne takes ukelele very seriously, going to extra cirricular lessons and doing lots of practice. It is fun to drive her to one of her various classes and listen to her practicing in the back seat. I cannot play bingo let alone a musical instrument.....Stay tuned because I will probably be back to bore you some more about my grandchildren.

Photo a Day Dec 15th, 2008

Don't you just want to reach out and touch this mountain?? I was in Langley and took this one at 203 Street and 56th Avenue. It was a bit tricky finding where I could park and when I was able to pull off to the side of the road, I did not have to get out of the van. Just open the window and shoot. I am in awe of our beautiful world. There is just so much to see and there is no better place than right here on the lower mainland (Vancouver BC and surrounding area).

Photo a day - Dec 13

This was an awesome scene on Thursday and I just had to share it with you. The Golden Ears mountain. Now the story can be told. On Thursday we were on our way to Langley to do some shopping but when I stopped at the end of our street, I looked towards the mountains and this is what I saw. Simply amazing!! So, instead of going shopping, we went in search of a photo. Everytime I thought I found a suitable place to park and shoot the scene, it was not the right place to stop without possibly causing an accident. I kept driving and ended in Fort Langley, where I got the last picture - of the full moon. I did not find a better pic than this one but we did have a nice lunch at the Wendt bookstore and cafe on Glover Road. The special of the day was spaghetti and meat balls. It was way too big for one person so we shared it. YUMMY..... (Do I detect a theme of food happening?)

Day 5 Photo a Day

This is just so beautiful. The full moon of Dec 11, 2008. Here is a note from space.com:

"BIGGEST FULL MOON OF THE YEAR: The Moon that's causing trouble for the Geminid meteor shower display happens to be biggest full Moon of 2008, as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser Moons we've seen earlier this year. An astronomer would say this is a "perigee Moon" because it occurs at perigee, the side of the Moon's elliptical orbit closest to Earth."

I was shopping in Fort Langley and happened to look out the shop window and saw this amazing sight. I just had to take some pictures and decided to share this one. Yes, I got some shopping done but the best part of the day - the Full Moon.....

DAY 4 of Photo a day

I went to my Coast Character Doll Artists Christmas party this evening. It was so much fun being with friends, chatting, laughing, and enjoying the moment. It was potluck with so many contributions to the meal. Cabbage rolls, Chicken casserole, Scalloped potatoes, Florentine something or others - little appies..., salads, carrots that tasted wonderful done in some sort of sauce, and more food that I do not remember but I know I ate it. So good!

Dessert was another feast for the eyes and the tummy. Peanut butter pie, Ambrosia, lemon squares, thumbprint cookies, oatmeal and raisin cookies, and fresh dates. With the two plates of cookies was a story about each ingredient and why they were meaningful at this time of the year. I enjoyed it all. (Now I wish I had a doggy bag. I am hungry just thinking about all the food!)

Just when I thought we just could not have any more fun, we did a gift exchange. I received the most delightful gift but that is another story. Stay tuned for the next installment of the Photo a Day.......

Day 3 - Photo a Day

When one has lost their Christmas tree in the vast jungle called the garage, one must improvise. Here is our magnificent 4 foot fir tree that we stomped the woods to find, cut it down and dragged it miles to our van in two foot deep drifts of snow. After we loaded it on the roof of the van, we stopped for a cup of delicious hot chocolate then drove down a bumpy forestry road to get to the main highway to come home. Now putting this tree up was no easy feat. It was a struggle to haul it into the living room, to have the delightful smells of the season fill the air as we assembled all the pieces needed to create this wonderful Christmasy scene. It is truly a miracle.

It's getting to look a lot like Christmas or not!!

Yesterday we decided it was time to get the tree and decorations out from their hiding place and decorate the house for the holiday season. First we had to make a path through the garage. Then we had to unload the storage under the stairs. Then we hauled all the boxes into the living room, making a terrible mess, only to find that we have LOST our Christmas tree. It must be buried somewhere in the garage. So, this year, we will not have a tree, just many decorations and, of course, the village that April has so lovingly painted over the years. Pictures will be posted later.

If you see an undecorated artificial tree walking in your neighbourhood, ask if it is lost and direct it back home..... (LOL)

Be happy...

Day 2 Photo

Autumn is almost over but our lovely tree still gives pleasure every day with the beautiful colours on its leaves. Gypsy Blu loves to run in these leaves, to pick up one leaf and run until another catches his eye.

It will be sad to see all the leaves on the ground and not on the branches but it will also be happy because soon our days will be getting longer and the buds will be appearing on our bushes and flowers will be blooming.

PHOTO a day

DAY ONE - Photo a day

I have taken the challenge of one photo a day to be uploaded to Quipay Adventures. Just another one of those happy day things.....so here is today's:

Gypsy Blu helping April look for the Christmas tree in storage. Obviously not in this box! And we still have not found it....