Catch Up!

I've been mainly in two places this month (where I've written nothing), either by Dan's side or in the yard working any spare moment I could take because we also had family visiting, a graduation, an accident, and a couple birthdays.   Here's some of the excitement that occurred outside of the yard - the yard will be tomorrow's post!

A couple days after Dan had his second knee replaced, he was walking perhaps a bit too distractedly through the dining room to greet people coming in the kitchen door, when he lost his balance, even with his walker in front of him and he fell hard and split both knees wide open.  I had just pulled up in the driveway, filthy and sweaty from a church property spring clean up, when my daughter Gabe and her hubby Mark came running out the door, yelling that Dan had just fallen!  Gabe had been home with Dan while I was gone and she and Mark were getting ready to leave for a lunch date with Grandpa Deane who had just arrived as well.  Panic ensued, Gabe and Mark called doctors and 911, Grandpa Deane provided comfort and humor, and I ran around grabbing towels to wrap Dan's knees and wipe up blood, shaking and trying not to look directly at his torn, bleeding knees.  Dan sat quietly in shock (after his initial scream) and apologized for falling and creating all the chaos.  An ambulance ride and reparative surgery followed, (no fractures or damage to the new implants fortunately) and Dan spent the next 11 days in a rehab hospital.

Here he is with a little grin after his doctor told him that nothing was broken or damaged except for a lot of tissue.

 Although I had cleaned up all the blood off the floor and rug, I found his life's blood on the door a week later when I was on a birthday scavenger hunt through the house following those paw prints.  Poor guy!  I must have been distracted by the company we had all week to miss that blood while passing by that door dozens of times every day.  Jeepers.

All my kids and their spouses were visiting and together during Dan's fall and rehabilitation time to celebrate my middle child Heath's law school graduation.  He's now a Juris Doctor specializing in intellectual property and will practice as a patent attorney in Boston.  Dan had to miss all the festivities like the commencement and family dinner (two family dinners) but Heath visited him at rehab before the ceremony while donned in his cap and gown.  Below is a scene from one of the family dinners at the Soucy's house and then the rest are graduation pics.

 Heath and Emma

 My beloved offspring.

 My three kids, two with spouses.

 Heath with siblings and parents.

 In honor of Heath's wonderful accomplishment, I made him his favorite cookie - sugar - a soft buttery kind with a bit of chew too, topped with cream cheese vanilla butter cream and lots of sprinkles.

When Dan got home from his long stay in rehab, I made him his favorite cookie too, my version of the famed NYC Levain Bakery chocolate chip walnut, and as he loves raw cookie dough, I brought him a bite to enjoy before baking them.

The day after Heath's graduation was my birthday and I woke up to this, which made me laugh out loud.

 When I got home from church, I found this note taped to the front door.  Hooray!  A scavenger hunt!

 I truly followed dozens and dozens of paw prints on all four floors of the house that lead me to little notes typed with things my kids and hubby liked about me.  It was so fun!

 It ended in the master bathroom to a card that said this.

 The little notes I found which I taped to the original instruction sheet.  The best present ever!

 During the night when I was all alone in the house, I woke up to find that some of the balloons glowed in the dark!

Another event that took place right after Dan's second surgery but before his fall and the arrival of all my children was an auction at our church where the Young Women's organization put on a spaghetti dinner and dessert auction to raise money for the girls' attendance at this summer's camp.  They served us dinner and each family was asked to bake yummy desserts to be auctioned off.  Dan had to miss that event too.  I made these two desserts and I'm pleased to say that they each got the highest bids of the night  $65 and $70 - bippity!

 The top is the famous Raspberry Goddess Pie and then a Strawberry Cream Tart.  The girls made over $1000 dollars that night from desserts - so fun and worthy.  One plate of just four cupcakes with gummy worms on top went for $48 - people were really generous.

 I provided the center pieces for the tables at the dinner/dessert auction and I brought them home after and we enjoyed them all week right there on the island.

Well that's the scoop on May for far.  For my next blog entry, I plan to write about all the pretty things going on in the yard with lots of pics too - hopefully tomorrow!