uh-oh

yikes! my birthday is in 9 days!

dryer

Just an update on our dryer...Kevin and I loaded it on the truck last Thursday. Friday I took it to the Maytag store and they said nothing's wrong with it!! So we are back to full laundry facilities!!!

I'm in mourning...

See my lovely dryer? Well, when I came home from work yesterday, Kevin informed me that our dryer was burned out! I'm so sad! This is what happened--on Sunday, after raining for several hours, our lights were dimming and then going bright. Kevin got out his voltmeter and measured the voltage, finding that it was too high. When I turned on the microwave it would fluctuate (the voltage). He tried everything he could think of to find the problem but couldn't. Yesterday morning I started a load of laundry--it filled but couldn't complete the cycle. I called Kevin on the phone and he said not to worry that he would find the problem. So my clothes sat in the filled washer all day. When I got home, the washer was going---that's when Kevin told me about the ground wire rubbing against an insulated wire that leads into our house and the insulation had come off. Also, our converter box for our bedroom tv burned out. I saw it! It made a pop and then smoke came out of it. That's when I unplugged both the tv and the box.

Our bathroom turned into a drying room. Its not too warm here today so these clothes may take awhile to dry. So, I'm mourning the death of my favorite appliance :(

The third month (and a half)

I know you've all been wondering why I didn't post measurements and weight on the 17th but I decided to push it back to the 7th which coincides with my birthdate next month! So here's this months measurements:
Feb 17th--139 pounds
Apr 7th--136 1/2
down 2 1/2 total lost--11 pounds!

Feb 17th: ribcage--32 3/4"
Apr 7th: ribcage--32 1/2"
down 1/4"--total lost: 1/2"

Feb 17th: waist--33 1/2"
Apr 7th: waist--32 1/2"
down 1"-- total lost:3 1/2"

feb 17th: hips--39 1/2"
apr 7th: hips--38 1/4"
down 1 1/4"--total lost: 3 1/4"

feb 17th: thighs--21"
apr 7th: thighs--21"
same--total lost 3/4"

feb 17th: calf--13 7/8"
apr 7th: calf--13 3/8"
down 1/2" total lost: 3/4"

feb 17th: bicep--12"
apr 7th: bicep--11 7/8"
down 1/8"--total lost: 3/8"

My favorite is the 3 1/4 inches off my hips!!!!! Stay tuned for futher developments next month.

Easter basket

Kevin's pretty happy to get a basketful of candy!

The Easter Bunny left seed packets in Kevin's basket. What a great idea!!! I love Easter!

Buster

Here is the latest addition to the menagerie at the Hacienda. He's a Border Collie and his name is Buster. Kyra and Brad picked him out at Wood's Humane Society last Wednesday. He's a wonderful dog! I love him already. Here you see Kyra rewarding him with a treat.

He is learning to obey Kyra's commands.

Easter Dinner

Originally, it was just going to be Kyra, Brad, Kevin and I for Easter dinner. Then last Wednesday I got a call from my nephew Kevin Goodwin asking if we could have dinner together with his family. He wanted to go out to dinner but Kyra and I decided that we wanted to have it at our house. So I just added more water to the soup (an old family saying) and we gathered together for a delicious repast.

From front left, Lauren (4), Daron (11), Madison (9 on the 9th) and Kaitlin (13 1/2). I fixed two types of potatoes--the traditional scalloped potatoes and the super yummy potatoes supreme aka funeral potatoes. I baked a small roast and Kevin G. pan-roasted a couple of rib eye steaks. Kyra put together a delicious salad and Kevin G. brought a cake so we could celebrate Madison's birthday early. It was all so good!

Another shot--Lauren, Daron, Madison, Kaitlin, Kevin G. and Taya and in the background drinking a Coke is Brad. I just barely got Kyra on the left side. If you're wondering where my Kevin is, he had a sore throat and didn't want to pass it on so he stayed in bed. Other than that, we had a great time and it was much better than eating in a restaurant. The kids even got some time in the chicken pen before it started raining!

Farmer Kyra

Kevin gave Kyra a short lesson on operating the garden tractor so we could prepare for our garden. I'll bet when she was 17 and anxious to get away from Paso Robles that she never thought in a million years she would be back here and loving it!