Hopper's Faith.Hope.Love

FUN SNOW DAY WITH DADDY

2012-01-23T20:12:00.000-06:00

Nice snowfall and daddy Dave takes the kids out to play!

They had tons of fun, even though daddy ended up leaving baby Jake on the sled in front of the garage while the rest of them played. Wait until next year and Jake will be running after his 2 big sisters!

Hugs,

Janet

Belated Christmas, New Years & Jen's B-day!

2012-01-23T19:58:00.000-06:00

Am I late or what? It sure was a mixed up Holiday for us. Above is a mixture of all 3 events. The time went too fast, as it always does. Next year I vow NOT to eat any sausage!! NO MORE food poisoning for us. lol

We are definitely blessed with a wonderful family and we thank God for it everyday. Jeff & I both turn the big "60" this year! We also celebrate our "40th" Wedding Anniversary in May.....talk about being blessed!!

Our wish for you in 2012 is much happiness and good health.

Love,
Janet & Jeff

Christmas postponed...

2011-12-26T15:35:00.000-06:00

We were so sick Christmas Eve and Christmas Day that we hardly knew it was Christmas....
Started at about 3pm Christmas Eve when I was getting ready for Mass, I had to lay down as I didn't feel very well. Jeff went to church alone as he was Sacristan for the 4:15 Mass. He got home around 5:45 and I was still sleeping. He left me sleep on the couch and around 9:30 pm, it hit him. He started vomiting and after he went to bed. I just had severe bloating and a gut ache that wouldn't quit. That lasted all day Christmas and in to this morning. It is 3:00pm Monday and I am starting to feel better. Jeff is still sleeping and the vomiting has stopped. Last night at 9pm I decided to call the doctor and we talked for a while and he said it actually sounded like food poisoning. I told him what little we had eaten and the one thing it could be and he agreed, it could have been it. Sheesh.....
So, instead of a Merry Christmas, we are going to celebrate Christmas with our family on New Years Day....and we will have a Very Merry New Year! We felt bad as we had to cancel our Christmas for the kids. They were all coming from Illinois and Jen's family from Rosendale. I guess it is what it is and we move on.
We hope you all had a wonderful Merry Christmas and wish you all A Happy, Healthy New Year.

Grandma's Little Helper!

2011-12-05T15:40:00.000-06:00

Well...not this year! Anna helped me get all the decorations up from the basement and that was quite a task! The next thing was to decorate the tree only she fell asleep!! Anna is 9 and has helped me trim the tree since she was 2 yrs. old. At least she was in the same room with me while I decorated it...LOL...LOL She did not know I took this picture....hee hee hee....

My mom who is 85 is pretty settled in her apartment now. To my surprise she is quite the social butterfly! She went to a special meeting to vote on the Christmas Party menu. She is excited about going to the Christmas Dinner Party too. She went down to play bingo (and won twice). What next?!!!

Continued prayers please for Judi and Pam regarding Breast Cancer surgery and recovery.

Jeff and I are doing well. Jeff is experiencing the passing of a kidney stone again. His PSA count for the prostate cancer is super low...very good! I continue to go every month for a port flush, and then every 3 months for a CT scan. So far, so good, that I am stable. (not remission, but stable is good)

We finished up some Christmas shopping today as Jeff was off and I thought he should experience the hustle and bustle. He was not impressed and it made his back hurt due to the kidney stone....oops.

Peace & Love,
Janet

Our Illinois grandson

2011-11-07T15:29:00.000-06:00

Luke was a pirate and another kind of wonder-boy for Halloween. The picture above is of Luke, mommy Julie and daddy Mark. I love the look on Luke's little pirate face. Such a darling little 4 yr. old. They went to a pumpkin patch and had a fun day. Wish I was there too. We'll see them soon, this weekend in fact. They are all coming home for Molly's birthday who will be turning "2" on Sunday.

Love and Peace,
Janet

Halloween .....

2011-10-30T18:12:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately it was a dark, cold, rainy and gloomy Trick or Treating this year. Jeff took the 2 kids out just up and down our block. Little Jacob had to stay inside where it was nice and warm and dry. He had a ducky costume also.....poor little guy, missed his 1st Halloween to go trick or treating. (not that he could eat candy anyways....lol)

We have not heard if Luke went trick or treating in Lombard, IL? We heard it was raining there also.

I made chili today as it was "that" kind of day! It is 6 pm and I feel like I should be going to bed soon. LOL It is getting darker earlier every day...and I don't like it one bit. Winter has not started and already I am wishing for summer. I guess it's because I love the long days.

Hope everyone had a safe Halloween!
Hugs,
Janet

Another friend in need of prayers.....

2011-10-26T22:28:00.000-05:00

One of my friends from our Craft Club at the Senior Center has recently learned that her daughter in California has breast cancer. Please keep her in prayer as she prepares for her upcoming surgery and treatments.
God's blessings........
Janet

Packer Pet Parade

2011-10-17T08:59:00.001-05:00

Molly and Anna paraded Daisy Saturday at the Pet Parade and won the prize of "Most enthusiasm" for the Packer's. They had fun and Daisy enjoyed all the other dogs as well.

Today's news....

2011-10-17T08:51:00.000-05:00

Our friend rec'd good news from his doctor and prayers were answered regarding his prostate cancer. Thank you.

Know What to Carry

Never put down trust,
because that is something God wants you to carry;
Never pick up cares,
because that is something God wants you to cast away.

Cast all your care upon Him because He cares for you.
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
1 Peter 5:7; Hebrews 10:35

60th Wedding Anniversary

2011-10-09T22:35:00.002-05:00

Jack and Eva......60 Years...
Because 2 people fell in Love...

......and then came the Children.....

...and then came the Spouses and more children!
(4 missing from the picture - Vince, Jacob, Sam, Cassie)

Celebrated Jeff's mom and dad's 60th wedding anniversary yesterday at Jeff's brother Mark's home. The families came from Colorado, California, Illinois and Wisconsin. A grand time was had by all!

Happy 60th Jack and Eva......and many more!

Love,

Janet and Jeff

Wisconsin Fall Day

2011-10-09T19:34:00.000-05:00

We took the 2 girls to Mauthe Lake and what a gorgeous day it was! We took a long walk in the woods around the lake and played down by the beach. It was around 80 degrees and sunny. The "colors" of the trees were beautiful and the girls collected many leaves. We spent about 3 hours there and little Molly was exhausted. She ate most of her ice cream cone before falling asleep holding it. LOL We had wanted to go over to the Ice-Age Center but we ran out of time. Maybe we'll still be able to get there this month.

Yeah...MILWAUKEE BREWERS on their WIN today!

Going to go watch the PACKERS right now......GO PACK!

Enjoy your week.............

Janet

Brunch at the Copper Dock with friends

2011-10-03T11:29:00.000-05:00

Had a wonderful brunch with wonderful friends, Barb and Paul and our grand-daughter Anna. The Copper Dock is on Lake Friess in Hubertus, WI. Our friends were here in Wisconsin for a wedding and it worked out great that we could spend a few hours with them before they headed back to Indiana. The weather was perfect and the trees are turning their beautiful yellow, orange and reds.
Jeff and Paul went to St Lawrence Seminary together back in the late 60's. They graduated in 1970. Paul was in our wedding and has always been a special friend. Yesterday we found out that both Jeff and Paul love Hazelnut coffee and chocolate eclairs!! LOL

I am asking that everyone please say some big prayers for Paul as he had prostate cancer surgery a couple of months ago and has to have more tests and possible treatment. Thank you in advance!

Looks like this week is our Indian Summer...I love it! Time to finish up in the yard. It is sad to see the end of summer. I love the fall and even a little snow in the winter...however summer is my favorite because the days are longer. I'm not fond of it when it gets dark at 5:00 pm!

Enjoy October....
Hugs,
Janet

Celebrate.....and having fun with the grands...

2011-09-13T19:20:00.000-05:00

Labor Day weekend we went to Illinois to celebrate Luke's 4th birthday. This past weekend we took Anna & Molly out to Kelly's for ice cream at sunset....very pretty and the ice cream was delish!!

A Prayer

2011-09-11T20:14:00.001-05:00

As I was walking down life's highway many years ago,
I came upon a sign that read Heavens Grocery Store.
When I got a little closer, the doors swung open wide,
And when I came to myself, I was standing inside.
I saw a host of Angels.. They were standing everywhere.
One handed me a basket and said 'My Child shop with care.'
Everything a human needed was in that grocery store.
And what you could not carry, you could come back for more.
First I got some Patience. Love was in that same row.
Further down was Understanding, you need that everywhere you go.
I got a box or two of Wisdom and Faith a bag or two.
And Charity of course, I would need some of that too.
I couldn't miss The Holy Ghost; it was all over the place.
And then some Strength, and Courage to help me run this race.
My basket was getting full but I remembered I needed Grace.
And then I chose Salvation for Salvation was for Free.
I tried to get enough of that to do for you and me.
Then I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill,
For I thought I had everything to do the Masters Will.
As I went up the aisle, I saw Prayer and put that in,
For I knew when I stepped outside I would run into sin.
Peace and Joy were plentiful, the last things on the shelf.
Song and Praise were hanging near, so I just helped myself.
Then I said to the angel 'Now how much do I owe?'
He smiled and said 'Just take them everywhere you go.'
Again I asked really now, How much do I owe?'
'My child' he said, 'God paid your bill a long long time ago.'

Remembering.......9-11

2011-09-11T15:43:00.002-05:00

10 year Anniversary

My tree frog friend.....

2011-08-29T17:25:00.000-05:00

2009

These pics are for FROG HOPPER GLEN....it isn't easy being green!

2010

Mt Horeb - scrapping!

2011-08-29T17:00:00.000-05:00

This is our gang from our scrapping 4 days at Mt Horeb. We sure had a lot of fun, scrapping, making cards, quilting, cross stitching, and eating, jello shots and very little sleep. There was barely an inch of space left in our cars. We have to bring all the toys and gadgets! - of course.
Until the next time.......
Janet

Bike ride.....

2011-08-03T16:48:00.000-05:00

Jeff took Anna over to the bike trails today. They probably went about 2 to 3 miles. Pretty good for Anna's first time. She was beat when they got home. lol Now she wants to go all the time! We went in the pool for a couple of hours after lunch, it sure felt good. I don't want to complain, but I am sick of the air conditioner being on all the time. I like hearing the birds and having fresh air coming in through the windows and doors. Molly spotted butterflies outside today....she was excited. Oh, the little things we take for granted.
Hope everyone is having a happy and safe summer.
Hugs,
Janet

Messy Molly.....

2011-06-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, the morning started good around 7 am....Molly ate a great breakfast....she was playing nice and THEN....I decided to makes beds etc. and I come out in the kitchen to find oatmeal...EVERYWHERE. There is oatmeal in places that most dirt can't find. The container was full and is now empty in 3 rooms...everywhere including on tables and on furniture. She is so cute isn't she? She says to me...."vacuum"??? Ya, right....and of course the dogs are dragging the oatmeal even to more places. ugh...... Okay, so I got it cleaned up and now she is napping. Have to make lemonade out of lemons. :) Life is good....
Janet

Put today in God's Hands

2011-06-27T08:36:00.001-05:00

Hello Monday!

I received this poem via email from Dayspring. I thought I would share as I think it is very fitting for all of us. Enjoy.

Janet

GOD'S HANDS

Today is in God's hands and so are you.

His hands are strong and will uphold you;
His hands are great and will enfold you;
His hands are gentle and will embrace you;
His hands are protective and will cover you;
His hands are reassuring and will quiet you;
His hands are powerful and will defend you;
His hands are parental and will train you;
His hands are masterful and will conform you;
His hands are compassionate and will care for you;
His hands are healing and will renew you;
His hands are calming and will comfort you;
His hands are giving and will bless you.

The hands that hold you will never let you down.

-Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer

http://roy.dayspring.com/

Dinner for Daddy

2011-06-20T18:15:00.000-05:00

Our grand-daughter Anna made her daddy & grandpa a dinner for Father's Day. We all got to enjoy it. The only thing I made was the salad. Anna made the rest all by herself. She went to the grocery store with me and picked out everything she needed. All morning she was anxious to do her cooking! Finally at 11:00 am she started cutting up her fruit (with the secret ingredient) for her fruit salad. Then she proceeded to the chicken. She made a mixture of Parmesan cheese, Italian dry seasoning mix and garlic powder and rolled the chicken in it and got it in the oven. She melted a stick of butter and mixed in garlic powder, poured it on a plate and dipped halved hot dog buns in to the butter and they toasted in the oven too. OMG....I just remembered.....the baked beans are still sitting in the microwave!!! I knew we forgot something! I always do. Guess they are garbage now.....LOL....as the dinner was yesterday at noon. All in all, Anna's dinner was superb!! Maybe she'll be a famous chef!

Hope all "Dads" had a wonderful Fathers Day!

Janet

Baptism

2011-06-13T12:08:00.000-05:00

Jacob David was baptized into the Catholic Church yesterday. Our daughter, Julie and her husband Mark were sponsors. Jennifer, our oldest daughter was the first one to wear the Baptism gown that Jacob is wearing. It has now been worn by our 3 children and our 4 grand-children. Our son Joe, and his wife Andrea were also at the Baptism, they came from the Chicago area also. My mom, Jeff's mom and Dad, Dave's mom, and his sister Julie and husband Dan also attended. We had a nice celebration at Jen and Dave's home after the church service. It was nice to see everyone all together again.
Have a great week.....
God Bless,
Janet

Ta-Da....other eye surgery complete!

2011-06-09T17:29:00.000-05:00

This morning Jen took me to surgery for the 2nd eye surgery. Actually Jeff took me at 6:30 am and Jen got there at 6:50 am. Jeff then left and Jen stayed the whole time and took me for breakfast and then home. The prep again was the longest part as they start the IV, then put dilating drops in the operative eye, and insert a small sponge filled with medicines in to the operative eye. It feels a bit scratchy, but "whatever" as you know it comes out right before surgery. Dr. Schlecht is so nice as were they attendants and the Anesthesiologist. Very pleasant experience. So glad the cataracts are out and the new multi focal lens are in....and the amazing thing is I can see without contacts or glasses. Too cool! After I got home, I rested as I was instructed to do and took a 4 hour nap. Wow, I was out like a light. So, now I am catching up on emails etc. Have to lay low as the doctor says for 24 hrs. I am trying to be good!
The kids are all coming home this weekend, so tomorrow will be busy for me. I'll just have to take it slower..... :(
Happy day to all...
Janet

Eye surgery today......

2011-06-03T16:52:00.001-05:00

Wow....one eye down, one to go! Everything went perfect. About a 2 hour prep for a 20 minute surgery! Doctor removed the cataract in 3 pieces, then did the astigmatism surgery, then inserted the multi-focal lens. Woo-hoo! Went for a recheck this afternoon for the pressure (which was perfect) and a visual test. Because my eye is still so dilated, the nurse didn't think I would be able to do so good. Well...I DID do well...the eye is already 20/25. Next week Thursday I have the other eye done and I am excited!!
Had a stress test done yesterday along with a Myocardial Perfusion Scan, which is a test that uses a radioactive drug to produce images of the heart muscle. This test diagnoses coronary artery disease. I had it once before the stress test and once after the stress test. I was in Nuclear Med for over 3 hours! Okay, this is funny....the doctor just called and the tests showed within the normal range. Ya-hoo! Of course, he did say that if I have ANY chest pain etc. to get right in as I still do have the left branch bundle blockage. Lovely??????

Anyway....life is good....! ....and tomorrow, I scrapbook!
Hug,
Janet

Jeff's Birthday....again!

2011-05-31T07:53:00.000-05:00

Yep, Jeff is just like me....celebrating the birthday...MANY times. Why not? LOL

We had a beautiful day with family and friends. It was a hot 92 degrees, but there was a nice breeze outside. Julie, Mark & Luke called and Luke sang "Happy Birthday" to Jeff. It was so darn cute. They sent a video also. Dave, Jen, Anna & Molly called in the morning and they all sang Happy birthday also. Joe called and talked to Jeff for his birthday as he couldn't come home because they are doing major landscape work. All in all it was a fantastical day!
Blessings,
Janet

Happy Birthday....again!

2011-05-29T11:35:00.000-05:00

Yep....Jeff knows how to stretch out his birthday...just like I did!! LOL

We celebrated Jeff's birthday Schreiners today. We all had strawberry pancakes. Yum!! The staff all sung "happy birthday" as he received his birthday cupcake.Tomorrow family and friends come over to celebrate again. He is not getting off easy this holiday weekend, I am putting him to work in the yard. Besides, he has to work off those strawberry pancakes! It is getting nice outside....so later gators!
Janet

Memorial Day

2011-05-28T12:49:00.000-05:00

I believe this cartoon above says it all.

We are celebrating Jeff's birthday on Monday ~ Memorial Day. His birthday is the 30th. Having parents, friends and family over for a cook-out....hope the weather cooperates!
Everyone, please have a wonderful and safe holiday.
Janet

Our "39th" Wedding Anniversary......

2011-05-28T12:42:00.000-05:00

Had a wonderful evening at the Idlewile Inn in St. Cloud last night. Jeff's parents treated us all for our anniversary and Jeff's Birthday & Mark's Birthday. Mark's birthday was in April and Jeff's is this Monday. The 2 boys are 10 months apart! I am the one in the lime green sweater with ladybugs and Jeff is in the red shirt. We had an awesome meal and a lot of wonderful conversation. It was so nice to all get together. Katie is home from college, so she joined us also, such a nice young lady.

Reflecting on the past 39 years........everything that has happened, has happened for a reason.......we have 3 beautiful children, who are all married and we have 4 beautiful grand-children. What more could we ask?
Love & Blessings,
Janet & Jeff

10 days old

2011-05-01T16:06:00.000-05:00

Jake in his little "Ducky" outfit. Of course Grandpa Jeff is loving the ducky theme. We had all 3 kids over night last night. Julie was here from Illinois so she got her fill of babies for the weekend. It was a nice weekend, Jenny came in too. Jeff and Anna went to see the movie Rio today. They liked the movie but it was in 3D and they both got headaches from it. Same thing happened to me when we saw Avatar in 3D.
Have a great day,
Janet

Anna ~ Ballerina

2011-04-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

Anna was in a dance recital a couple of weeks ago. She had 2 performances, one tap and one ballet and we enjoyed it very much. How is it that she gets older and so grown up...so fast? My Little Ballerina! Love you Anna!
Grandma Janet

Janet's Birthday

2011-04-28T18:35:00.001-05:00

Yeah....I turned 59! - and very happy to have had another birthday. Actually my birthday was April 9th, but with all the excitement of the baby being born etc.....I forgot to post. My life has been so blessed with another birthday. A few years ago, after being in ICU 3 times for a week each time, during chemo, I was even more determined AND with the faith, hope and love of my family and friends...I am here to continue to celebrate each and every day. Jeff always makes fun of me for my continual celebrating...:) I told him that I will always celebrate EVERY day to the fullest...because... I CAN.
First I celebrated with my mom, Jen and the girls at Backyard Grill, then with we celebrated Barb's and my birthday at the Senior Center, then in Illinois with Julie, Mark, Luke,Joe and Andrea and the little girls on my birthday weekend, then we went out to Gino's Italian with Regina and Jeff (it was his birthday too) and lastly...Barb, Lyn and I had a celebration at Backyard Grill...!!! Whew....I had lots of fun.
Love to all,
Janet

One Week Old

2011-04-28T15:54:00.000-05:00

Of course Grandpa Jeff had to take Jake to Schreiner's for the first time yesterday. It was his 1 week old celebration! ~ of course he slept through the whole thing. Molly enjoyed it though! She had her usual scrambled egg, pancake and milk or as she says " egg, cake and ulk". LOL She cracks me up with that sober looking face!

Everyone is still doing well. Jake is filling out some, but he is still real skinny. He eats good so I am sure it won't be long and he will fill out more. Anna is really helping in the evenings with the baby and Molly. In a couple of years she should be able to babysit for real!

Cold here today, low 40's...ugh! Tomorrow is supposed to be better in the 60's...we'll see! Can't wait for summer and to set up the pool. I am looking forward to sun and warmth.
Have a great day,
Janet

Our daughter Julie & Family Easter

2011-04-24T19:09:00.000-05:00

Julie, Mark and Luke didn't come home for Easter this year due to Jen having the baby etc. So, they had their own celebration at home. They went to church, had an egg hunt for Luke and dinner. Looks like they had real nice weather. Luke looks so darn cute in his little sport jacket. What a cutie-patootie!

Joe and Andrea are in Cancun Mexico for a wedding/vacation. Have not heard from them, so they must be having a good time. I am jealous as I am sure they have nicer weather than here. Oh, to be in a pool and sunshine and 80 degree temps......ahhhhh......

Spoke with Jen and little Jake slept all day again today.....guess who will be up all night again???!!! They took pics of the kids for Easter, but who knows when I'll get them as loading pics to the computer is the last thing on Jen's mind.

After church today, we took the girls back home and we came home and took a nap. We are making a pork loin on the grill right now for our supper. Basically, we had a lazy day. Although there was some excitement....my brother called and said to come over to his in-laws as my mom had fainted/passed out??? They had called an ambulance. When the team checked her out, they thought she should go to the hospital, but she refused. :( Tomorrow I will have to call her doctor and have things checked out again. Her pulse and blood pressure was real low.

Hope everyone had a Blessed Easter
Love,
Janet

Welcome Baby "Jake"

2011-04-24T17:06:00.000-05:00

God's little miracle, Jacob David was born Wednesday, April 20th at 2:46 pm. Jen & Dave drove to the hospital in a snowstorm. I know...who would think we'd have snow at the end of April? Jeff & I and the girls went up around 10 am. Everyone was so anxious for Jake's arrival. Jeff took Molly back home for a nap while Anna & I waited it out with daddy. Didn't take very long and the little guy arrived. Jen cracks me up.....she delivers Jake and instantly looks like she just had her hair and make-up done. He came out crying and with his eyes open! His eyes stayed wide open for 3 hours plus! He also wanted to drink right away. They had him wait an hour before feeding him. He took one ounce and wanted more! It was cute because he was sucking 2 of his fingers, although he got frustrated as it just was not the same as the formula. LOL...poor little guy. As of today, Easter Sunday, he is drinking over 2 ounces at a time. (and wants more) Jen & Dave are tired....look like Jake likes to be awake at night.

Happy Easter to all...............
Janet

The new red wagon.....

2011-03-31T11:56:00.001-05:00

Tested out the new wagon and it works great. It has 2 seatbelts which is awesome as now we do not have to worry about Molly trying to get out. Although that may not have been a problem and she screamed bloody murder when Jeff returned with her and had to take her out of the wagon. She sobbed as she wanted to go for "more" of a walk. It was a touch too windy and Jeff thought she was getting cold. It was about 40 degrees but the wind made it feel colder. All was well however after the cookies and juice arrived on the scene. LOL - little stinker. Hoping spring is right around the corner as we are all anxious to get outside and play in the yard.

Have a great day... Janet

Birthday girl ~ Scrap Club

2011-03-31T11:50:00.001-05:00

From L to R ~ Denise (birthday girl), Lyn, Margaret, Judi Sitting ~ Janet & Barb We celebrated last night at Gino's with a wonderful Italian dinner and yummy cake provided by some of the girls. Yep, we are just a bunch of party animals!! Happy Birthday Denise!! Fondly, Janet

Cousins

2011-03-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

We have Luke for a week while Mommy and Daddy are in Florida. Luke likes having Molly here to play with. Things are going well. I am mentally exhausted at the end of the day. LOL LOL Tomorrow I go to an all day scrap, so Jeff will have a chance to experience "it all". Anna is coming to help out, so it should be easy-peasy for all. LOL
Until next time.....

Janet

Top of the Morning!

2011-03-17T09:17:00.000-05:00

To all my Irish friends....Happy St. Patty's Day!

I am having a wonderful time taking care of two of our grand-kids. Molly & Luke love playing together. I took them both grocery shopping yesterday...WOW, that was an experience! Actually they were pretty good, Molly rode in the cart and said "Hi" to everybody. Luke had his own little "shopper in training" cart which he proceeded to fill up with all his "favorites". Things just kept jumping in his cart! The hard part was when I got home and had to unload everything! I was exhausted to say the least. I ended up taking a nap also!!
Have a great day!!
Janet

It came in "3's"....

2011-03-07T12:09:00.000-06:00

It all started Saturday afternoon. I went to change my contact lens in my right eye and a little piece broke off and stayed in my eye. Great! I tried to flush it out, it felt like I had grains of sand in my eye. Instantly my entire eyeball when blood red. Through the night it was infected and at times the gunk was so bad, I couldn't see with that eye. I got up around 2:30 am and rinsed my eye and lo and behold...the phone rang! It was Julie (Chicago) calling saying she was on her way to the ER with Luke (3) as he couldn't breathe and was barking like a seal. They gave him adrenaline and steroids and an antibiotic...he has croup. Weird, as he was okay when he went to bed and then...well croup! I waited for a couple of hours for Julie to call and finally at 5:30 am, she did and they were on their way home. THEN, at 9:30 am, Jeff took me to ER in Fond du Lac for my eye. Turns out I had scratched the cornea. Not good. They gave me antibiotic drops and today I saw the doctor again and the eyeball is swollen and very irritated. We babysat the grand kids yesterday while Jen & Dave went "baby supply" shopping. Jacob is due to be born in about 5 weeks, so it's about time they get that task finished. However, before they came over, they stopped at Urgent Care with Molly. She had been on Amoxicillin for a few days and got a rash reaction to it. So that med is stopped. She has surgery tomorrow to put tubes in her ears, so she'll be on a different medication for sure. So, that was our exciting weekend!! This week can only get better.
Have a great week,
Janet

More Snow!!

2011-02-24T19:31:00.000-06:00

We got MORE snow! It's been quite the year! After the last storm which got us 12" of snow, everything had melted and then bam....we got hit again. It is pretty and does look better than "brown". Other than the shoveling, I am not complaining. We got this snow last week. Weathermen are calling for a few more inches this weekend. Sure wish we were still skiing! Between hips and knees, we are all done skiing.... :(

Think Snow!
Janet

Luke & Mommy visit us!

2011-02-21T17:11:00.000-06:00

Luke (3) and his mommy Julie (our middle daughter) visited Sat. and Sunday from the Chicago area. Luckily we had snow to go sledding at Campus Hill. Julie walked Luke up a number of times and I went up with him once. He loved it and so did his cousin Molly (1). It was snowing while we were sledding, but not too bad. Originally Julie didn't think the hill was too big.....until she had to walk it! It is actually higher than you think. They came flying down with Julie screaming all the way! LOL It was fun to watch! Jeff pulled the kids around for a little bit on the sled. Finally we had to leave as the adults were tired....not the kids!
Happy Winter in Wisconsin!
Janet

Chicago - 2 ft snow...Luke loves it!

2011-02-06T10:16:00.000-06:00

Unlike our foot of snow, Julie, Mark and Luke got 2 feet! They had 5 ft drifts which were perfect for sledding right in their own backyard! On the upper left picture Luke and Mark are sitting on their park bench...LOL...LOL Where's the bench!!!
I love the "I'm watching you" photo. Luke wanted a sucker in the car and Julie told him "no" and gave him the "sign". He gave the sucker back to her and gave her the "sign" back! What a little stinker!
We get to see them soon as they will be coming in the next couple of weeks. Hope our snow hill will still have snow...as it will be fun for all 3 of the grand kids to sled together! It'll have to be Mark and Julie climbing the hill with the 2 little ones (they are younger than us)....LOL
Love the snow....God's perfect playground.

Love and Hugs,
Janet

After the blizzard!

2011-02-02T22:24:00.000-06:00

After Winter Blizzard Warning - "Snowstorm Conner" - we were left with some mighty nice drifts and lots of snow for the kids to play in. Molly was in her glory as Anna pulled her around the yard. Our 2 little snowbunnies stayed outside for almost an hour. Hopefully there will be some snow when we get our grandson Luke in March as it will be fun to have all 3 kids play together (maybe we will be able to go to Campus Hill!)

Here you can see the drifts out the patio doors on to the deck. We had to shovel a path through it for the dogs to go out. They were confused when I opened the door and there was a 2-3ft drift in front of the door! lol....you could almost hear them say "what the heck do we do now"!

Love,

Janet

My Friends Birthday!

2011-02-01T16:34:00.000-06:00

Celebrated with my friend Regina yesterday for her birthday. It was nice to go out to eat and chat for a while. It's a good thing we went yesterday (on her birthday) as today we are getting closed in with snow and now the wind has kicked in.

Happy Birthday Regina!

...and many more!

Hugs,

Janet

Sun & Snow Day

2011-02-01T09:06:00.000-06:00

Sunday was a sunny, crisp, beautiful day for sledding at the Campus Hill. Thank goodness Anna can climb up herself and come down. She went up and down about 18 times! She was having a blast until the last run down, when she hit a built up jump, went flying through the air, stomach and face first. She sort of got the air knocked out of her and it scared her. So, that was the last run for the day. All in all she had a lot of fun....and so did we watching her. A lot of laughter for all of us.

Today, however we are in a Winter Blizzard Warning until tomorrow night. We could see a foot of snow by the time it is all done. We love it....January - February, winter in Wisconsin!!! One thing for sure, the kids will love it. They can play in it and school will be called off.

Jeff starts today at the Mazda Store which is still part of Holiday Auto. He is very excited and is still able to go to the GM store for his GM customers as well as the budget lot. He is in his 17th year at Holiday Automotive - only his desk has moved!

For me...today is a perfect scrapbooking day. I plan on getting lots done!

Hugs,
Janet

Doctor Day

2011-01-21T10:58:00.002-06:00

I go today to the eye doctor/surgeon to find out when I am to have the cataract surgery. I am actually looking forward to it so that I can see decent again! Since I have found out about my eyes due to the chemo I was on, I have talked to other people that had the same thing happen to them. I wonder what else the chemo has done to me? Maybe I don't want to know...lol.

Have a great weekend!
GO PACKERS!!!!!

Baby, it's C-O-L-D outside

2011-01-20T10:09:00.000-06:00

Okay, we will be lucky to hit 5 degrees today! I won't be taking the little one out today. More snow predicted for this weekend too. Winter in Wisconsin!!!

A friend sent this poem today via email and I thought I would share it.

Wisconsin Poem

It's winter in Wisconsin and the gentle breezes blow

Seventy miles an hour at twenty-five below.

Oh, how I love Wisconsin when the snow's up to your butt

You take a breath of winter and your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful, so I guess I'll hang around

I could never leave Wisconsin

'Cause I'm frozen to the ground!!!!

LOL....have a wonderful day!

Hugs,

Janet

Merry Christmas......

2010-12-26T18:44:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas
from Our Home to Yours!!!

Hope everyone had a Blessed Christmas. All the kids came home for Christmas Day. My mom was able to be here too, however Jeff's mom & dad were sick with the flu. A lot of hustle and bustle and paper flying everywhere.....but it was fun. We are so fortunate to have had all of our children home for most of the day. Family is what it is all about. Below is our Hopper Family Christmas letter for 2010.

Hopper Happenings ~ 2010

May you have the gift of faith, the blessing of hope and the peace of His love at Christmas and always.

Dear Family & Friends,

Another year has flown by….where does the time go? It seems like the older we get, the faster the time goes by. Yet another reason to enjoy each day to the fullest. We hope this letter finds you healthy and happy.

Here is our update for 2010:

Jeff ~ Good news on the headache issues, Jeff went to Diamond Headache Clinic/St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chicago for 8 days. They broke the headache cycle; he is on several meds and has been doing really well. Jeff also had a hip replacement 2 months ago and is returning to work at Holiday Automotive on December 1^st.

Janet ~ Cancer is still stable…J We baby-sit 2 days a week for Molly (1) & Anna (8). (There will be a 3^rd baby – Jacob, born in April) I try to fit in some reading, scrapping, stamping, gardening, etc. as time allows.

Jennifer (almost 37), Dave, Anna & Molly ~ Jen remains at Ripon Medical Center as Mammography Coordinator, Dave is the main Plumber for Mercury Marine. Anna is in the 3^rd Grade in Rosendale. She is in basketball and dancing. I do not remember when we were that age being “mini-teenagers”! Molly turned one and is walking/running all over the place. She is a very independent little girl. Jacob will be born in April. (yep, it’s a boy!)

Julie (33), Mark & Luke ~ Julie is Product & Marketing Manager at Sports Awards in Chicago, Mark works at Agility as a Network Engineer. Luke turned 3 this fall and attends a Montessori School in Lombard, IL, where they live. He loves school and to be by all his little friends.

Joe (30) & Andrea ~ both accepted new jobs this summer in Illinois. Joe is at Kellogg’s in the Digital Marketing IT Department. Andrea is a Human Resources Analyst for BP. They live in Carol Stream, IL and bought a 4 bedroom home. Maybe someday soon they will have to fill a bedroom or two! (Hint)

May God fill your life with love, joy and peace this Christmas Season and throughout the New Year.

Merry Christmas & Happy NewYear

Jeff & Janet

Happiness can be learned.

2010-12-22T21:47:00.000-06:00

The following came from : http://www.happylifeu.com

Enjoy Your Happy Life
Learn to Be Happier Now

Let it be for a Peaceful and Joyful Holiday

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be. The Beatles (Lennon/McCartney)

Peace is Acceptance of the world as it is.
Love is Appreciation of the world as it is.
Joy is Gratitude for the world as it is.
Abundance is spreading peace, love and joy
to the world as it is. Susan McMillin

Hello Friends,
Much of the misery in this world comes from unrealistic and unfulfilled expectations. We cannot appreciate the goodness and beauty of a person, situation, or thing, if we cannot first accept them for who and what they are. And we cannot receive the grace and joy that comes with gratitude if we cannot first appreciate the goodness and beauty.

As we rush to make last minute arrangements for the holidays and send last minute gifts, while still keeping up with all the things we normally do to keep home and hearth together, it is easy to get over tired. When we are tired, every little disappointment or loss gets magnified.

It is also easy for our troubles and worries to get magnified as we see others being happy and celebrating good fortune and good friends. Worry and loneliness can block our peace and joy.

Our unrealistic expectations, over extended schedules, and worries can undermine what would otherwise be another joyful, abundant holiday in paradise. Yet, when we take the time to stop striving and let it be, when we rest up a little and reach out to the people around us, acceptance, appreciation and joy have room to flood in. So this holiday season, head the wise words of the Beatles and-

Let it be for a Peaceful and Joyful Holiday

Affirmation
When I find myself in times of trouble, worry, overwhelm, and frustration, I take a deep breath and Let it Be for a while. I create a base of peace that helps me see the Love and Joy in my world.

Hugs,
Janet

A different Christmas Poem

2010-12-12T23:17:00.001-06:00

I think you will agree.....
Pause my music that is in the right column before you hit play on this video.

WHERE IS THE LINE TO SEE JESUS?pause my music box on the side column before playing this one.

2010-12-07T15:29:00.003-06:00

Bad news, good news, good news, bad news, good news.....etc.

2010-12-07T15:25:00.000-06:00

Well, where do I begin?

Bad news - I have to have cataract surgery - both eyes! - due to the chemo.
Good news - after the surgery, I won't have to wear contacts or glasses!

Bad news - Dave hit a deer - $3500.
Good news - Jen & Dave are having a "boy"!!! yeah!

Good news - Jeff is back to work - part-time and happy to be there.
Bad news - Jeff is a lot of pain due to tendinitis and has to go to hip therapy for 4 weeks.
Good news - At least there is something to help him seek relief.

Good news - we are enjoying the Christmas Season.
Good news - it's all good news in the end.

Hugs, Janet

Jeff going back to work soon!

2010-11-22T16:42:00.000-06:00

Jeff is doing real well with the new "hip". I can't figure out why he gets so tired though. It is 2 months now and he still can't make it through a whole day without a nap. He is going back to work on December 1st and is looking forward to it. He will just have to be careful.

Just in case I do not get back on the computer for a few days.....we wish everyone a:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Anna & Molly

2010-11-22T16:21:00.000-06:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Molly turns "1"

2010-11-15T15:51:00.000-06:00

Molly turned one on Saturday the 13th. We got her a little puppy dog cake for her to eat however she wanted to. After her cake and before the gift opening, she had to take a bath. LOL... It is so cute as she walks/runs all over the place. She has been walking for a couple of weeks. In some ways it is easier for us, as she can follow us etc. and in some ways it's not so easy, as she can wander all over the place! She is such a joy. Happy Birthday Molly!
Love & Kisses,
G'ma & G'pa

Dave's Birthday!!

2010-10-30T20:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to our son-in-law Dave. Dave's birthday was October 27th.....he is "29" again.

Love ya,

Mom Janet & Dad Jeff

Mauthe Lake in the Fall

2010-10-30T19:44:00.000-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, we went to Mauthe Lake and hiked about 1/3rd around the lake, then got tired and had to go back. Just glad we got to go as it is Anna's "annual" outing! We stopped at the "Hamburger Hut" in Dundee, WI first and got our lunch to go. We ate at the picnic tables down by the water. Jeff stayed by the water and read with his Sony Reader while we took our hike. He has read 9 books since his surgery in September. He is enjoying his rest and is getting stronger every day. Although he was tired out and in some pain today. :( He strickly uses the cane now, no more walker!! He will see the orthopedic surgeon that did his hip replacement on Monday. Can't wait to hear what the doctor has to say.

Stay Safe & God Bless...
Janet

2 Birthday's!!!

2010-10-20T18:02:00.000-05:00

Today is our daughter-in-law - Andrea's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Hope your day is special.

Today is also Jeff's dad, Jack's 86th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! We went out for lunch today in celebration and it was an exciting one too. Just as dad took a bite of his steak, he started to say something and then I noticed his eyes get big and then blink a couple times. He took a drink of water and it ran right out of his mouth! I knew right away he was choking. I don't remember even moving Molly's highchair out of the way. Eva (Jeff's mom) moved out of the booth, Jack stood up and ready or not...I gave him the himelick. It worked on the first couple of tries....the steak flew right out! I was calm as everything was happening but after....I was shaking like a leaf. All is well that ends well! I told Jack I couldn't let him die on his birthday. He figures he is at least good until he is 90. I say, a lot longer than that. Then, as we were sitting there talking, Eva dropped Jack's steak knife, blade pointed down right in his crotch area! Jack's eyes got big again....he said it just wasn't his day! Amen!

Happy birthday to 2 special people!!
Love,
Janet

Pumpkin Picking!!

2010-10-10T18:32:00.001-05:00

Making memories! - Looks like everyone has the same idea of picking pumpkins! These pictures are from last weekend. Julie, Mark and Luke went to their local pumpkin patch in Lombard, IL. Janet, Jeff, Jenny, Molly and Anna went to the Little Farmer near Fond du Lac. Much fun was had by all. Life is grand! :)
Hugs,
Janet

I knew I needed a "husband sitter"!!!!

2010-10-05T21:16:00.000-05:00

I got invited to a jewelry party that I attended tonight in Rosendale. It was wonderful, we laughed, had some homemade Sangria, and snacks. Left the house at 6 pm and got home at 9 pm.....Jeff was on the couch when I left as he had a tiring day. Started the day off going to Schreiners Restaurant for Jeff's parents anniversary. Then we went to Holiday Auto so Jeff could visit his co-workers. He was really tired when we got home. SO, like I said, he was on the couch when I left.....and he was on the couch when I got home.....HOWEVER.....he had tried to get in to the rocking/glider chair and miscalculated and fell with the chair on top of him! I KNEW HE SHOULD HAVE HAD A SITTER!!! I feel like I should call the doctor tomorrow and let him know. Jeff is embarrassed that it happened and I feel bad for leaving him alone. It is only 2 weeks today that he had the hip replacement. He has ice on it as he said it does hurt. Ya think??!!! :(

Well, that's my update for today.....we'll see how tomorrow goes.

Janet

Staples are OUT!

2010-10-05T07:37:00.000-05:00

Jeff got the staples out from his hip replacement surgery. Yea......! He is doing well, but seems so tired all the time. The doctor said that is normal. He is real good with doing the assigned exercises which he is doing several times during the day. Now we have to get him walking on the sidewalk, just in front of the house, a couple times a day. Progress!
Have a glorious day!
Janet

The 1970 Grad Sistuh's

2010-09-28T13:53:00.004-05:00

"The 1970 Grad Sistuh's" ~ NFDL

Top row: Valerie, Barb, Janet P, Juanita, Gail
Jagged row: Linda, Deb, Renee, Kerry, Janet A, Mary T, Mary Z, Mary A, Nancy W
Missing: Jane L, Nancy C
OMG...it has been 40 years.....since we graduated from Horace Mann HS in North Fond du Lac, WI !!! What a blessing to see all our "sistuh" friends. Remembering, it didn't seem like 40 years, physically, ummm - maybe yes. What a great group of women we had altogether in one place. We had fun sharing stories from the past and stories currently of our families. Of course we had enough food to feed a small army and we shared a bit of wine etc. There was lots of laughter going around too. I hope we can do this again in 5 years (or less).
Friends Forever!
Janet

Jeff has hip replacement!

2010-09-23T08:22:00.000-05:00

Right before they took Jeff in to surgery.

Anna visits grandpa the first night after surgery.

Other than Jeff's blood pressure being low and the hip area being in pain, he is doing well. Started his therapy and has started eating real food again. He is not sleeping well, but I guess that is to be expected. He should come home by Saturday. Thanks for the cards, calls, gifts and flowers....they all brighten his day!

Peace,

Janet

Luke turns 3 and Joe turns 30

2010-09-20T22:32:00.000-05:00

We went to Illinois this past weekend for Luke's 3rd Birthday Party and Joe's 30th Birthday!!! Julie and Mark had a Toy Story themed party for Luke. Julie designed and made the cake...it was adorable. She made big cardboard cutouts of Woody and Buzz. Luke loved it all! ~ especially opening up all his presents.

Sunday morning we went out for breakfast for Joe's birthday. Can't believe our baby is 30!!! We stayed at Joe & Andrea's new home in Carol Stream, IL. Very nice!! Of course I don't have pictures of that as I forgot my camera!!! Can you believe that???!!! Me???

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. While Jeff is recouping from his hip replacement, we will try and go again to visit.

Hugs,
Janet

9-11 prayer

2010-09-11T13:18:00.000-05:00

A PRAYER FOR OUR NATION

- by the late Helen Steiner Rice

God bless America

and keep us safe and free--

Safe from all our enemies,

wherever they may be...

Teach us to walk humbly

and closer in Thy Ways,

Give us faith and courage

and put purpose in our days,

Make each one of us aware

that each must do his part,

For in the individual

is where peace must have its start--

For a better world to live in

where all are safe and free and

Must start with "faith and hope and love"

deep in the heart of me.

Molly's Recovery

2010-09-11T12:50:00.000-05:00

Little Molly was a real trooper on her surgery day. She is home and doing great. She'll get the stitches out on Monday. She won't have drugs in her...I hope that goes as well!

Jeff is all set up now for his hip replacement surgery for September 21st. He got the go ahead!! Yeah!!

Life is good and God is great.

Love,
Janet & Jeff

Happy Labor Day

2010-09-05T17:58:00.000-05:00

Okay....Monday should be a day of rest. We worked 6 hrs. outside today.....took down the pool (that was a real chore). I trimmed some bushes and trees in an attempt to get ready for fall. I do feel good that we got so much done today. However Jeff's hip is killing him and I have a charlie-horse in my index finger that so far has lasted one hour. I hope I didn't do anything to the tendon that I had cut through and had surgery on 15 yrs. ago. :( It hurts like crazy.....and that is my scrap booking/stamping hand!!! :(

Anyway, life is good and with the exception of sweeping out the garage tomorrow.....we WILL rest. :)

We pray everyone has a Safe and Happy Labor Day Weekend.

Love,
Janet & Jeff

Luke got a haircut!!!

2010-09-04T18:13:00.000-05:00

Look at this little guy smiling! I hope it went well at the barber, because in the past he didn't like haircuts. Little Luke is almost 3 and is growing up so fast!!! Where does the time go? If all works out timing wise with Jeff's surgery, we hope to make it to his party.
Love you Lukester!
Love, G'ma Janet

Molly is all set for surgery.....

2010-09-03T09:56:00.001-05:00

Tuesday Molly will go to Children's Hospital in Milwaukee for the surgery to remove the Dermoid cyst on her eyebrow. The plastic surgeon said that once removed and stitched up, she will have a little scar that will just look she fell off her bike. Hmmmmm??? We'll all be glad when it is over. Please say a little prayer for her & the surgeon.

Dermoid Cyst

A dermoid cyst is a saclike growth that is present at birth. It contains structures such as hair, fluid, teeth, or skin glands that can be found on or in the skin.

Dermoid Cyst Causes

Dermoid cysts are caused when skin and skin structures become trapped during fetal development. Their cell walls are nearly identical to those of the outer skin and may contain multiple skin structures such as hair follicles, sweat glands, and sometimes hair, teeth, or nerves.

Jeff's hip replacement surgery was all set for Tuesday also.....I stress WAS!!!! The doctor called this morning and Jeff's white count is too high. The Orthopedic Surgeon now referred Jeff to his Urologist to get a CT scan to see if he has another kidney stone. Go figure!! Poor guy is in so much pain and he was actually looking forward to getting the surgery over with. It appears that now they want him to wait another couple of weeks to figure everything out! Prayers please.

Anna is back in school and in the 3rd grade. However she is looking like a mini- teenager! She is growing up way too fast. Of course, she is major excited that there will be another baby coming in April to her family. She has names picked out too! LOL She wants a brother but a sister would be okay too. Time will tell......

Our little grandson Luke turns 3 yrs. this month!!!! Hopefully we will get to see him. (now that Jeff's surgery is all goofed up)

Our "baby" turns '30" this month also! Now I do feel older!!! Joe & Andrea just moved in to their new home in Illinois We can't wait to see it. So much going on and we can't actually plan anything because of the pending surgery for Jeff.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend.

Hugs, Janet

Family Luncheon at Schreiners

2010-08-16T20:46:00.002-05:00

What a gorgeous day.....and we had a luncheon at
Schreiner's Restaurant in
Fond du Lac, WI.

A little bit of explanation of the good looking people in the above picture.....
Norm is father to Kathy and Sr. Renee (Judy).
Janet is daughter of Dorothy.
Dorothy and Phyllis are sisters.
Cindy is our cousin. Her mother Ana, and Norm's wife Clair, and Dorothy and Phyllis's mother Caroline were sisters.

I think we have this all figured out...whew! It was soooooo good to see everyone again and reminisce of all our fun times together. Hope we get to do this again soon. Our food was yummy too!!!

Blessings and Gratitude to All,
God is good.
Janet

Gorgeous Weekend!

2010-08-15T23:25:00.000-05:00

Julie, Mark and Luke & Jenny, Anna and Molly came to visit Saturday and Sunday. Of course it was a perfect weekend for the pool and the kids loved it! All 3 kids are little water rats. We grilled out Saturday night. Dave came in to town to join us for supper. Sunday morning I tried a new recipe for a breakfast/brunch egg bake. It turned out really good and we kept it simple with having fruit and bagels to accompany it. Grandma Dorothy joined us for the brunch. She watched the kids swim for about an hour and then Jenny took her home when she headed back to Rosendale. Julie, Mark & Luke headed back to Illinois around 2:30 in the afternoon. Jeff & I ended up taking a nap.....a long one! All in all, it was a nice visit. Wished Joe and Andrea could have come but they were moving in to their new home this weekend and had a LOT of work to do.

Hugs to all......have a great week!
Janet

Relay for Life Cancer Walk

2010-08-07T20:39:00.000-05:00

Last night was our annual cancer walk. Our team was again "Hopper's Hood". Jeff was dressed like a duck and he walked around during the "dude looks like a lady" contest, giving hugs for a buck! His banner read "Hug a Duck for a Buck!" It was a lot of fun and he collected a couple hundred hugs/bucks. The weather was perfect this year.....and no rain! We do not have our final total yet, plus I will have more pictures on Monday.

Hugs,
Janet

Fun with Grandpa in the Pool

2010-08-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

Grandpa and Anna played in the pool....we heard the laughter in the house. Beautiful day, except the mosquitoes are horrible!! We cherish these days as the summer is winding down.

Toodles,
Janet

The weather is so delightful....

2010-07-26T11:06:00.000-05:00

Hmmm....that's sounds like the song...."Let It Snow" .....(not)!!! We had a beautiful weekend here in Wisconsin. Yesterday was 80-ish and dry. I love it when Jeff is off and we get to spend quality time together. Didn't have the grandkids this weekend at all, so yestereday it was just the 2 of us. We grilled out some small lobster tails that I got on sale at Festival. Mmmmm, they were yummy and only took 5 minutes to grill. We had some small tomatoes from the garden and baked yams. Pretty healthy except for the butter!

I took a "Metal Art Book Class" on Saturday with my friend Lyn, at Beadalotta in Fond du Lac. It was fun and very interesting. We got to hammer out our metal, texturize it, alcohol ink it, then rivit on charms and hand punch letters on it. It is a bit noisy but you can get very creative. See pictures below. Just noticed that one of my links are off. I did: Faith, Hope, Love.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer as much as I am. I do have to ask for prayers for Jeff that he can hold out getting his hip replaced. He is in a lot of pain. He wants to wait until November, but the pain is telling him...NOW.
Thanks!
God Bless,
Janet

Icecream at Kelley's

2010-07-19T12:37:00.000-05:00

Traveled about 15 minutes out in the country to get to Kelley Rd & Cty Rd B, where in the middle of nowhere is Kelley's Icecream! This is a 4th generation dairy farm that uses their own milk to make their icecream. Us girls decided to go out there and indeed we were pleased! The Kelley's built this ice cream shoppe right next to their dairy farm. The scenery is peaceful and enjoyable. We sat inside, but there are picnic tables outside and about 20 wood rockers around the front and side of the building. We'll be going back!!
Until the next time........
Janet

Big Birthday Weekend!

2010-07-15T00:25:00.000-05:00

Wow, lots of birthdays in July. Anna turned 8, my mom ~ Dorothy turned 84, daughter Julie turned 33 and Jessica, our niece turned 18. Their picture above is taken with the "cake".

Julie came home with Luke (2 yrs) and we were all happy Joe got to come home as well. Andrea had to visit her mom & dad as she hadn't seen them for a while. Joe & Andrea are buying a home in Wheaton, IL. They are busy with trying to close and also trying to sell their home in West Allis, WI.

Some of us went swimming in our pool, it was so cute to see the 3 kids play together and laugh.

Wow, we are getting a dandy of a lightning and thunderstorm right now as I type this (a little after midnight). It is pouring!!! At least I don't have to water tomorrow! LOL

Hey, Joe & Andrea.......HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ON THE 20th!! Yeah!!!

Big Hugs,
Janet

Happy 4th

2010-07-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th....and be safe.

Janet & Jeff

Father's Day Fun

2010-06-21T08:13:00.000-05:00

Saturday started out with Joe putting the brick and stone around the pool. (His labor was Jeff's Father's Day surprise)

Then Joe went to the grocery store and got all the fixings for Chicken Kabobs. He used red onion, and green, red, yellow and orange peppers, pineapple and chicken breast cut up and marinated in a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. Anna helped put everything on the skewers and then Joe grilled them. Yum-yum they were delicious!! Thanks Joe!!

Sunday, Jen, Dave and the kids came in to town. We went to Schreiners for breakfast and then we all went swimming. The kids sure love the pool. Anna swims like a fish and Molly is so happy that she screeches with joy. Her little legs were a kicking like crazy. She loves her little canopy floaty.

We had a wonderful weekend, that ended with a big nap for Jeff!

Big Hugs,
Janet

Luke's School

2010-06-17T20:48:00.001-05:00

We met Julie to pick up Luke from his school. He showed us all around and was so proud. He attends this Montessori School in Lombard, IL. He started this past Sept. when he turned 2. He loves it and loves all his little friends. They call him Lukey! lol

Toodles, Janet

Brookfield Zoo

2010-06-17T20:40:00.000-05:00

Went to Brookfield Zoo in Illinois while we were there over Memorial Day Weekend. It was awesome...very clean and beautiful flowers. Nice shot of the tiger eh? Luke got to pet some goats, which he enjoyed. We stayed a little longer than Julie, Mark & Luke and rode the tram around the entire zoo. We were nearing the last 15 minutes of the ride when I noticed that Jeff was "sleeping"!!!! He had sunglasses on and thought I wouldn't notice.....ya right!
Hugs, Janet

Our trip to Illinois

2010-06-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

We went to visit Julie, Mark & Luke over Memorial Day weekend. We stayed at a hotel with an outdoor pool (which Jeff & I enjoyed). The temps were hot on all days which was awesome. It was funny that Jeff tried to get Luke down off the playhouse/fort and ended up having to come down the slide himself! Go grandpa!!!

You can see the "memory" garden in honor of Chloe above. It is full of pretty plants, angels & butterflies. God rest her little soul.

Not sure if you can see Luke's black eye and scratched neck.....he was in a fight at his school the day we picked him up. He threw sand at another little boy and Luke took the brunt of the fight. Oh boy......

Later....Janet

Luke goes to the Cubs game

2010-05-29T20:34:00.000-05:00

Luke went to the Cubs game on Thursday with mommy and daddy. The Cubs won by 1 run. There was foul ball and a nice Dodger player gave it to Luke.

Luke is so proud of his new ball.

Happy Memorial Day!!

Molly 6 months!

2010-05-20T16:04:00.001-05:00

Molly discovered she can make music and boy...did she ever! This kept her attention for over a half hour. She was loving it. She was singing to herself after her nap today, that's how I knew she was awake. Look out...American Idol...here she comes!

I have been planting the flower pots that past 2 days. We have such gorgeous weather. Sunny and 70's = perfect! I am going to plant the garden next. It will have to wait for the weekend as tomorrow I have Molly, pick up Anna from school and then go to the Scrapbook Cottage for our once a month all night scrap. Pretty soon it will be time to put up the pool too. Can't wait.

Have a great rest of the week and weekend!

Hugs, Janet

Family outing....

2010-05-18T15:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a real treat! My Great Uncle Norm and his daughter Sr. Renee and my mother went to Schreiners for a lunch outing. Sr. Renee lives in Omaha, NE and visits her dad monthly. It was so good to see both of them, it has been a long time. Sr. Renee's mother (Clara) and my mother's mother (Caroline) were sisters. We had a couple hour visit and we really tired Norm out. It was fun catching up with family.

Last night Jeff passed a kidney stone the size of a whole peppercorn! Yes, he was in major pain!! This is the first time he has passed one. Usually he has to have surgery (3 times). I keep telling him to drink more water. He'll learn, right? Poor guy almost didn't make it across town from work last night. He came home pale, in pain and wanted to vomit. Glad that is over.

What a gorgeous day today, sunny and warm. Bought my flowers and will plant this week. Love flowers and working outside.
Hope you all have a wonderful week.
Love, Janet

Sisters

2010-05-13T12:19:00.000-05:00

Been a while since I posted......
Our Joe & his wife Andrea are moving to Illnois! Joe accepted a new job with Kellogg's. We are happy for him, although now he will be farther away (3 hrs.). :( I guess it could be worse....it could be across the country. He will be closer to Julie now which is nice. Actually they will only be about 10 minutes from each other. Maybe we will see them more now that they'll be in one area.

Anna & Molly showed up one day with their hats on. Jennifer knit Molly's (it is so cute). Anna had her hat from winter, but it looked so cute on her as well. Had to take a bunch of pics, of course. Molly is rolling around now and is so entertaining. She is 6 mo. old today! Time flies!! Soon school will be out for Anna and then we will get both girls every Wednesday and Thursday.
We will have to get the pool set up soon...if it ever warms up!

I had my CT scan a couple of weeks ago, and all is well. Everything is the same, stable. There was one new thing and that is that there is a lymph node about the size of a big jelly bean next to my pancreous. Guess the doctor is just going to watch it for a while. Jeff has been feeling pretty good. He did have a headache on Mother's Day, but we went for brunch and he probably ate something that he shouldn't have. He does pay for it when that happens.

HAPPY MAY TO EVERYONE AND GOD BLESS..............
Janet

Anna's First Holy Communion

2010-04-19T10:55:00.000-05:00

Anna made her First Holy Communion yesterday, April 18, 2010. It was a beautiful sunshine-filled day. Father John did a wonderful job with his Mass, homily and Communion Service. Uncle Dan Gilgenbach played his saxaphone during the entire service which was just beautiful. His playing at the Communion Mass was a special surprise gift for Anna. Dan & Julie are Anna's Godparents. It was so wonderful to have grandparents, great grandparents, aunts & uncles at the party. It was fun watching Anna open presents....it was hard for her to refrain from the excitement of getting $$$$money. She received many wonderful gifts also....prayer book, rosary, bible, cross, necklace, music box, movie, and many other nice things.

It was a busy weekend for her as she had her dance receital on Saturday too! She did a ballet & tap routine. The program was over 3 hours...whew! Here is a picture of Anna in her dance costume. She did a wonderful job at dancing.

Have a wonderful week........and enjoy the sunshine!
Hugs, Janet

Happy Easter from Our Family to Yours.....

2010-04-04T09:20:00.000-05:00

Wishing you all a Blessed Easter...............

Above, our precious grandchildren, Anna, Molly & Luke. We are waiting for the rest of the family to get here to share an Easter Ham Dinner with all the fixings. The kids will look for baskets, eggs and toys. We will Peck Eggs, our tradtional Easter egg-pecking fun.

Molly has a cough, and so do I. Jeff just got over having a broncial infection. I really would like summer to be here soon. Hopefully we will be able to take the kids outside and use their new "bubble making guns". The sun is out but it is only in the 50's right now. Guess we'll have to bundle the kids up....they need the fresh air.

Happy Easter.........
Love, Janet & Jeff

THE GRANDKIDS

2010-03-17T19:05:00.000-05:00

How cool is this....making magazine covers!! I just had to share.

Hugs, Janet

Anna & Molly

2010-03-01T16:44:00.000-06:00

Anna, 7 1/2 yrs. and Molly, 3 1/2 mo. = sisterly love. It is so funny to watch Molly see how many of her fingers she can get in her mouth at one time. lol.... Molly sure loves Anna and vice-versa. All Anna has to do is talk to Molly and she is all smiles. Anna loves carrying her around and reading to her too. Hope this lasts forever!

Jeff is really doing well with his headaches. He did have a small one a couple of days ago, but nothing like what he had. It comes down to the right meds, eating the right things and doing his bio-feedback. Sure makes life better without daily headaches!!

I am so looking forward to spring.....it can come any day now. I am anxious to plant a garden and just plain be outside. I suppose I'll have to wait a month or two yet. :(

Happy March to All....
Janet

The Kiddles.....

2010-02-09T17:04:00.000-06:00

The grandkids sure are growing! Like weeds!!!

Jeff has been feeling quite well. Had a small headache a few days ago, and we are sure it was something that he shouldn't have had to eat. Otherwise it has been going well with the new "low-tyramine" diet and his meds.

We are getting snow...again...looks like about 5 inches so far. It just makes you want to snuggle up to the fireplace and read, with a cup of cappachino...of course. Stay warm everyone.

Hugs, Janet

Hooray...no headaches...

2010-02-01T11:19:00.000-06:00

Since Jeff got out of the hospital in Chicago on January 19th....he has only a few headaches. He would rate them as 1, 2 or 3's at most. But the greatest thing is that he has had 5 days in a row with NO headache! I am sooooooo happy for him.....it's like getting my old Jeff back. It is a challange with eating the right things as they are not foods that you would think would be right to eat. ie: he can have American cheese but no Swiss etc. He cannot have raspberries, bananas or pea pods or peanut butter, but he can have coffee cakes, etc..... and the list goes on. We are cooking fresh, eating 3 times a day (on time) and going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time. It is real important he takes his meds on time. He is doing biofeedback daily, especially if he feels a headache coming on. Jeff called this morning and he is really excited and happy to be back to work.....and that's a good thing!

Everything else is "ducky" around here. We had Molly & Anna Saturday night while Jen & Dave went out on a date. It was fun having the kids here, we love it!

P.S. the National Headache Foundation has the recommended "Low Tyramine" diet that Jeff is on. If you want to check it out - here is the link: http://www.headaches.org/pdf/Diet.pdf It is good for anyone who suffers headaches of any kind.

Have a wonderful week!

Love, Janet

A Night Out!

2010-02-01T11:04:00.001-06:00

Lyn, Kay & I went to Backyard Grill for get together for Christmas/New Years. We talked and talked for 4 plus hours!!! Guess we solved the worlds problems....LOL LOL

I got some results from the video swallow test that I had this week. I have penetration to the trachea of liquids when I swallow, including water, saliva. I need to run to the clinic and pick up meds. Good grief...if it's not one thing, it's another.

Jeff is HOME from the hospital....

2010-01-19T21:31:00.001-06:00

It has been a bit since I wrote on here...but we have been dealing with getting Jeff to get in to the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. We went to Chicago for a 3 1/2 hr. long appointment at the Diamond Headache Clinic on Jan. 12th. We are real impressed with the Doctor! We chose to see Dr. Merle Diamond, daughter of the founder. After the appointment, Jeff was admitted to St Joseph's Hospital. The 9th Floor is dedicated strictly for the Diamond Headache patients, they have 2 adult wings and one pediatric wing. He came home tonight. He has had a headache 24/7 since last February. If you want to check out where he was, the link for the clinic is: http://diamondheadache.com He had every test under the sun while he was there, CT's, MRI, MRAngio, & a MRN. Everything was okay with these tests. His carodid artery showed 3 strands instead of ???, but they said it wasn't that uncommon. There were constant blood draws and IV's with meds. He did major biofeedback and went to other various classes, including a pharmacy one. They are using a combination of drugs to help him keep the headaches to a 1, 2 or 3 instead of the 7, 8, 9 or 10's that he has had. He came home adding an additional 8 drugs...but I guess if it helps, it is worth it. He cannot go back to work until Feb 1st. They want him adjusting to being back home and doing the biofeedback before he goes back to work. This is in an effort to avoid getting a rebound headache. Glad he is home!! He is also on a low-tyramine diet. It is the diet used by the National Headache Foundation also. Makes sense. He was telling me about some of the other patients and where they were from. One was from Appleton, the rest were from all over the United States. This clinic is world renowned. Will keep you posted on progress. Thanks for all your prayers.

Love,

Janet

Christmas Eve/Christmas Day

2009-12-28T22:44:00.000-06:00

Anna loved showing Molly the manger scene at her church. Later in the Mass, the priest put the baby Jesus in his crib. Molly is 6 weeks old now and is reacting to people by smiling at them.....it's so darn cute....I love it!

This weekend Julie, Mark & Luke will come and we will celebrate again, as Luke was sick with ear infections in both ears and they were unable to come yesterday. We look forward to seeing them and getting pictures of all 3 kids together.

Tomorrow I go to Medical Imaging for a video x-ray swallow test. Never had one before, so it should be interesting. Jeff had the flu today and was in bed all day....not good along with his headaches. :(

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Blessings, Janet

Merry Christmas...to all...

2009-12-26T08:29:00.003-06:00

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch of their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

- Luke 2:8-11

Merry Christmas
To All
Jeff and Janet

Christmas Eve Day

2009-12-24T12:23:00.000-06:00

Here it is...Christmas Eve Day and our weather is not going to be good. We had a couple inches of snow last night, with freezing rain early this morning. It is not bad right now, but the prediction is that we are to have a lot of freezing rain all night tonight. This will make horrible driving conditions for the kids to come home from Chicago and Milwaukee. We are canceling plans for Christmas Day and moving it to this Sunday, hoping weather will be better for driving. This is the first time in 37 years that we have had to move our celebration to another day. The "ice" scares us and we cannot see risking our children and grandchildren driving in those conditions. We pray that Sunday will be better as predicted.

We wish you a Merry Christmas & A Happy, Healthy New Year!

P.S. Jeff will be going to the Diamond Headache Clinic, connected to St. Joseph's Hospital in Chicago on January 12th.....so keep him in your prayers that all goes well. It will be a 4 hr. appointment and he will see Dr. Merle Diamond. :) He may have to stay there as an inpatient for 6 to 12 days. Hopefully we can get to the root of the problem(s) for his headaches.

Love & Peace,

Janet & Jeff

Below are some special pictures of the grandkids with Santa. Note that Luke (2) is screaming bloody murder. He is yelling "help me", "help me", "help me" at the top of his lungs! Anna & Molly loving it!

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN.....

2009-12-09T15:34:00.001-06:00

I should have known better! I couldn't drive my car through the water like a boat in the Flood of 2007 and guess what?....my car cannot ski it's way through 3 and 4 ft drifts either in the 16"+ Snowstorm of 2009!

I went to the Scrapbook Cottage (or rather tried) at 10:15 am. Mary & Traci could not make it in, so I offered to put a sign on the door and cancel the class for tonight also. No problem, Jeff had snowblowed for 4 hours (he did a few neighbors too). I got in the car, made it down Prairie Rd and on to Campus Drive and POW, hit a drift that was 3 to 4 feet high! Yep...I am stuck! Had to call my neighbor Bill and he picked up Jeff in his truck and they came to my rescue. They had to shovel me out and then push! The blowing snow (40 mph) made it totally impassable. AFTER I was stuck, I realized that the plow had never been on the side of the road that I was on and there was only a small lane going down the other side. It was white out conditions and I didn't know until my car stopped! By the way, as I was stranded in the middle of the road, the city Plow came up behind me, went around me, and continued. Nice. The mailman told Jeff he had got stuck 5 times. Good grief......I went back home and here I stayed! Jeff is off work today, but most businesses are closed anyway.

Stay Warm & Dry......

Hugs, Janet

1st Snowstorm of the year.

2009-12-09T09:51:00.000-06:00

Yep...first snowstorm of the year and we got over 12" of snow since last night and it is still snowing with 40 to 50 per mile winds. It wasn't windy yet when I took these pictures early this morning. Pretty....another one of God's paintings. Jeff is off today and has been snowblowing the neighborhood for the past 2 hours. I cannot not even see him out there!

I love the snow, it makes it look more like winter.....after all, we are in Wisconsin! I am sure the skiers, sledders and snowmobilers will love this new snow. We actually used to pray for snow when we had our Ski Shop in Fond du Lac. It's hard to believe we have been out of that business for 15 years.....wow, where does the time go?

I need to get busy baking cookies and wrapping presents and making my Christmas cards! Today would be a great day for that and I might even get Jeff to help.

Wishing you all a Happy Winter.........Janet

UPDATE & Molly ~ 2 weeks old

2009-12-03T11:04:00.000-06:00

Molly will be 3 weeks old this Friday......she is at the doctor right now....we'll see how much she weighs! She is a good eater!! (drinker) lol UPDATE: Jen just got here...Molly weighs 7 lbs. 8 oz. and is 20 1/4 ". Wow, she gained 1 lb. 5 oz and grew 2" in almost 3 weeks! :)

Anna loves her so much, she hold her every morning before school for a half hour. It cracks me up as Anna will tell me that I am not feeding the baby right or that I am not burping her right.....etc She is very protective of her little sister. It is precious.

Jeff is still suffering with his headaches every day. We have all the info in to the insurance, now we have to wait and see if they will approve him going to the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. Please say a prayer that it goes through. He is at his wit's end.

I am doing fine....stable, not remission. A side from being tired...I am doing well. I fell in the computer room this past Monday.....yes it was a klutzy move! Pushed the computer chair away from the desk, got my foot caught, fell outstretched to the right.....hit my forehead on the bookshelf (solid wood)...got a goose-egg bump. (nice)lol lol Bruised both knees, the left one is swollen and really sore. I may have to call the doctor as I have titanium knees and I want to make sure I didn't hurt something in there. :(

Had a great Thanksgiving....ALL our kids were here and the grandkids too. Loved it!!! It was a little hectic but all in all was relaxing too.

Have a Blessed Day.....

Janet

Molly & Anna meet for the first time.....

2009-11-15T17:46:00.000-06:00

As you can see, Anna adores Molly! Jen & Dave left the hospital this morning with Molly and came right over to pick Anna up from our house. Anna was antsy all morning....she could hardly wait! She will definately be a great big sister to Molly. Anna could not keep her eyes off of Molly....it was so sweet to see. Jen calls the baby "squeekers" because she is always making little squeeking noises. Baby is down to 6 lbs even.

Jeff went to the Packer game today with his boss and 4 of our priests from Holy Family Parish. The weather is perfect...they should have a great time. Our son Joe is there also with a bus group from Milwaukee (they started to party at 11:00 am this morning), so I hope they are not too rowdy...they are sitting real close to where Jeff is sitting! oh boy......

Well, one event done, now we can concentrate of Thanksgiving and Christmas :)

Have a great week.....Janet

Hopper's Faith.Hope.Love

FUN SNOW DAY WITH DADDY

Belated Christmas, New Years & Jen's B-day!

Christmas postponed...

Grandma's Little Helper!

Our Illinois grandson

Halloween .....

Another friend in need of prayers.....

Packer Pet Parade

Today's news....

60th Wedding Anniversary

Wisconsin Fall Day

Brunch at the Copper Dock with friends

Celebrate.....and having fun with the grands...

A Prayer

Remembering.......9-11

My tree frog friend.....

Mt Horeb - scrapping!

Bike ride.....

Messy Molly.....

Put today in God's Hands

Dinner for Daddy

Baptism

Ta-Da....other eye surgery complete!

Eye surgery today......

Jeff's Birthday....again!

Happy Birthday....again!

Memorial Day

Our "39th" Wedding Anniversary......

10 days old

Anna ~ Ballerina

Janet's Birthday

One Week Old

Our daughter Julie & Family Easter

Welcome Baby "Jake"

The new red wagon.....

Birthday girl ~ Scrap Club

Cousins

Top of the Morning!

It came in "3's"....

More Snow!!

Luke & Mommy visit us!

Chicago - 2 ft snow...Luke loves it!

After the blizzard!

My Friends Birthday!

Sun & Snow Day

Doctor Day

Baby, it's C-O-L-D outside

Merry Christmas......

Happiness can be learned.

The following came from : http://www.happylifeu.com

Enjoy Your Happy LifeLearn to Be Happier Now

Let it be for a Peaceful and Joyful Holiday

Let it be for a Peaceful and Joyful Holiday

A different Christmas Poem

WHERE IS THE LINE TO SEE JESUS?pause my music box on the side column before playing this one.

Bad news, good news, good news, bad news, good news.....etc.

Jeff going back to work soon!

Anna & Molly

Molly turns "1"

Dave's Birthday!!

Mauthe Lake in the Fall

2 Birthday's!!!

Pumpkin Picking!!

I knew I needed a "husband sitter"!!!!

Staples are OUT!

The 1970 Grad Sistuh's

Jeff has hip replacement!

Luke turns 3 and Joe turns 30

9-11 prayer

Molly's Recovery

Happy Labor Day

Luke got a haircut!!!

Molly is all set for surgery.....

Dermoid Cyst

Dermoid Cyst Causes

Family Luncheon at Schreiners

Gorgeous Weekend!

Relay for Life Cancer Walk

Fun with Grandpa in the Pool

Enjoy Your Happy Life
Learn to Be Happier Now