Happy Happy Birthday!!!!

Today we met with my family to celebrate Grandpa (my Dad), Uncles Dean & Gary's birthdays! It was lots of fun...(

Here's Dad with the birthday card we gave him....he didn't even open it up all the way because he wanted to get to the presents...they never grow up!

Gary is listening to a Hoops and Yoyo musical card. He always gets the boys musical cards and I thought it would be fun to give him one...a rather obnoxious one...

Dean is done...he had lunch, his cake, his presents and is ready to go home.

Afterwards, we went to Gilroy and visited my Grandfather @ the cemetery...and did a little wine shopping at Safeway. They had my Murphy-Goode Cabernet on sale!!! Sigh....

When we *finally* got to Salinas, we decided to go to Monterey for dinner...unfortunately, Karen and Haku-Jeff couldn't join us...but, we did bump into the Marks after we ate! Jeff couldn't figure out "why" Curtis was walking towards him...hee hee...

Many thanks to Auntie Irene for "cat-sitting"...She had to explain to Shaq that he wasn't going to get any food until he took his medicine...that must have been an interesting conversation.

Peter Cottontail

Jeff's Mom, Bachan, bought Peter Cottontail today...isn't he cute? The boys played with him after learning how to play Mancala....looks like we have a new game. Bachan also saw a 4-player Mancala game in a catalog...now that looks like fun!

Meanwhile...I was waiting for the above video to load...and I am now stuck trying to figure out a tanagram puzzle...while watching NUMB3RS....maybe I'll look at the "Hint" on the back!

re cu per ate

www.dictionary.com lists recuperate (verb) as being:

1. to recover from sickness or exhaustion; regain health or strength.
2. to recover from financial loss.

Green Grandma (Kobayashi) is coming home on Saturday!!! yeah...her roommate @ the convalescent home is going home tomorrow...so, things are getting better on her front. She is doing better walking and do the few steps that she will need to do @ home.

Shaq (Wingman) is not as drugged up as he used to be...but, is having problems barfing...I think he is eating all the hair that is on his shirt...since his shirt is clean. The worse part is that the first occurence was on our bed...at 5 am this morning. To make things even worse...I was drying the comforter and while we were at basketball practice he got sick again...sigh....luckily, it wasn't as bad as this morning...just a little irrating and I won't have a comforter tonight.

As fo the second definition...um...well, let's just keep hoping....I have hope....

"Wing Man" Shaq!

Shaq had his operation today for the little bump on his right shoulder....for a little bump, there is a large incision....

The nurse suggested getting a shirt to put on him, collars don't work on him...they just make him grumpy...so, we got this "Wing Man" shirt... Jordan and Neil nixed the pink "I'm Purrrfect" shirt...

I'll spare you the picture of the incision...it's gross!

mochi mochi mochi!!!

Yesterday I was looking at my mochi recipe book and I came across the tri-colored mochi recipe...again! I have been wanting to try it...but, I've been scared....

So, I decided that if I have a can of coconut milk in the pantry...I would try it...and I did!

It turned out ok....Jordan likes it. You can't tell from the picture...but, it is pink/white/green.

I don't think it is chewy enough....I'll share it with Jeff's grandmother, (who is coming home from the convalescent home on Saturday)...and some teachers at the boys' school.

Tomorrow, Shaq is going in for his surgery...sniff sniff...hope everything goes well... (see Feb 9th post)

One more done!!!

This is my year to complete projects!!! This shopping bag "looked" like a fun project...but, it turned out to be a little boring...and tedious...I threw away the instructions as soon as I finished the handles....
It is really impractical...since it is double-strand crochet with a cotton yarn...it's really heavy....
but, it will be a good knitting bag....to keep by my chair....I don't even know if it will make it's way
to the gym during basketball practices...

But, I did get to use some material that I found in the remnants @ Joann's. I loved the material...but, couldn't figure out what to do with it....isn't it pretty?

I think I need to make some flowers or something to jazz up the outside....I did pick up a magazine with beaded flowers.....hmmmm...next project?

Tri-City Basketball Tourney

Neil had his first basketball tournament of the season. Lauren (my cousin's daughter, came out to watch! She brought some yummy cupcakes for the boys. It was nice catching up with her, and I promised to have her, Jackie (her sister) and Matt (Lauren's boyfriend) over for dinner soon. (I need to dig up those pictures of Lauren when she was a BABY!)

I remember when Lauren was born...and both Lauren and Jackie were my flowergirls @ our wedding. Sigh...she will always be that little girl...and um, well...Jordan is now taller than Lauren...I think Lauren is trying to stretch herself in this pic...