Week 27

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  I had a good week off mostly just getting things done around the house that needed to be done.  Not really a fun vacation but very productive at least and some good time spent with family. We were hoping our bedroom set would be delivered last week but it looks like it will be the end of this current week instead so I'm hoping for a Saturday delivery to avoid taking even more time off from work.  We'll see.

Until then here are last week's pictures:

Day 184- Monday 7/3/23

The Lily of the Nile flowers out front always bloom around the 1st week in July which is perfect because they remind me of exploding fireworks.  Tyler was working an extra shift on Sunday and will be working tomorrow on the 4th so we had our Sunday/4th of July BBQ dinner today complete with s'mores for dessert. It's nice to have that flexibility since I'm not working this week.

Day 185- Tuesday, 7/4/23

Happy Independence Day!  It's just the 3 of us this year but we still made the most of it.  Brandon helped me make our traditional lemon, berry flag cake while John made us some red, white and blue drinks.  Brandon's was a mocktail with the best color layering. Later we joined the neighbors on the street for small-scale, safe and sane fireworks.  Our new neighbors next door brought out a ladder to set theirs on making them seem more grand--brilliant idea!

Day 186- Wednesday, 7/5/23

Kitty boy turned 11 years old this week so Brandon and I pick out some special treats and a couple new string toys for him.  He was very happy with the treats and played for over an hour with his new toys. Also while I've been home for this week I've been able to make my way through the 1st season of Yellowjackets which did not disappoint.  It's like Lord of the Flies but with a girls soccer team past and present.

Day 187- Thursday, 7/6/23

After getting a lot of chores done this morning we treated ourselves to some fun by taking in the new Indiana Jones movie and enjoy dinner out at Chevy's on the river.  You can see a peek-a-boo view of the Sacramento River to the right.  It was very pleasant out and a good way to end the day.

Day 188- Friday, 7/7/23

Working our way through closets, cupboards, and drawers was one of our main goals this week especially since we need to take care of this prepping for the new bedroom furniture coming soon.  I should have taken a before picture but trust me this looks so much better and I was able to get rid of and donate a lot of stuff.  It feels good to purge every now and then.  In other news Justin up at Humboldt was enjoying a quiet evening on campus after work and posted these pictures. We sure missed having him around for the 4th but will get to see him in early August so only about a month away.

Day 189- Saturday, 7/8/23

More milestones were met this week.  Our stand-alone island in the kitchen was moved out over the past year to make room for John's wheelchair but since he's not really using the chair much anymore we were able to put the island back.  It's very functional and I have missed it a lot so I'm super happy it's back especially since it also means John is still improving and needing less accommodations.  He's also transitioning from the fore-arm crutches to a single cane and often times walks without anything for short distances between close stopping points.  All this physical muscle and mobility improvement is amazing and great, but the ultrasound a few weeks ago showed very little heart improvement so we are still waiting on a transplant.  The good news is we can use the waiting time to continue to help him get stronger and more mobile which will make his recovery from transplant surgery easier and more successful.

Day 190- Sunday, 7/9/23

With leftover blueberries from the 4th of July cake John made muffins for us this morning which was a yummy treat. Later Brandon wanted to make mac and cheese for the first time to practice for when he needs to cook for himself in an apartment next school year.  He found his own recipe, did the shopping for ingredients and pulled the dish together like a pro only having to ask a couple questions.  It turned out and tasted great.  Next he wants to challenge Tyler to a mac and cheese cookoff with impartial judges.  Go get 'em kid!  I'm not sure why he has a Halloween shirt on in July though--LOL!

That ends another week.  I can feel it already--July will be over before we know it.