Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend, Karl & Audrey and Jill & Josh were able to visit for the weekend.

The boys worked on the retaining wall project.

The girls made several trips to Home Depot for block & decomposed granite fill.

Jill is shown here, mowing the yard.

Jackie was still recuperating from her oral surgery on Friday.

But by Monday, she is feeling better and able to do a few light chores around the house.

There was family fun time: by pool and even some boat time on the lake.
I hope Audrey enjoyed her first recreational boat ride!

There was good food ~ Doug smoked some pork ribs.

Retaining Wall

Step 1 - Dig a trench

Step 2: Add the rocks
Step 3: Build the wall
Here they are shown using the angle grinder to make a piece fit where the wall meets the house.

Step 4: Enjoy the final product.

Still need to add more dirt and fill with pea gravel.

More oral surgery

Today, Jackie had her four wisdom teeth removed.
She is shown here resting with her ice pack.

This is the final member of the Kuklenz family to have their wisdom teeth removed.
This makes a total of three this year (Karl, Doug & Jackie)

After this week, the soft foods diet can be retired!!

Learnin' to Sew

Jackie wanted to learn to sew.
This is the pattern she picked out [Simplicity 2886]

Cutting all the necessary pattern pieces.

Putting the pieces on the fabric and cutting them out.

Sewing the bodice lining into the bodice.

Ironing the bodice.

Final pressing!

A front view, with her hands in her pockets.

Front view...oh yeah...I did it myself!

Back view of the dress.

Close-up of the seamstress and the finished product.

JOB WELL DONE!!!
A+

Another Early Birthday Present

This is Doug's new plant trimmer.

This will come in very handy trimming the pom-pom bushes!

Early Birthday Present

I surprised Doug with a 2 day car rental of a Cadillac CTS.
Jackie took this photo of him coming around the side of the house to see his "birthday surprise".

I think he thought I bought it at first.

He is thinking about buying this car (in red, of course) once the truck is paid for.

Only 15 more months honey!

Rear View

Side View

Front View

Interior

Console

Checking under the hood.
Once he saw the brace and cover, he was thinking
"Maybe I won't be working on this car!"

Nice size trunk space!

We took a road trip up Interstate 35, 92 miles to Ardmore Oklahoma to try a restaurant we've always wanted to try. Two Frogs Grill. When we drive by it going to Iowa it is always early in the morning and then when we drive by it on the way home. We figure we are only 1 1/2 hours from home...so we always just keep on driving.

Two Frogs Grill, located at Exit 31A, Ardmore, Oklahoma

Link to the menu

Doug had the Catfish Leon (catfish filets topped with crawfish tails and sauteed in cajun "VOODOO" spices. I had the Mahi-Mahi (seasoned with lemon pepper and charbroiled over an open flame) and Jackie had the small rack of baby back ribs.

The sides were all excellent (cole slaw, potato salad and red beans)

We will definately stop by here the next time we pass through.
The food was wonderful!!!

Mom - Sunday update

Mom has been moved from Room 378 to Room 377 since the oxygen did not work in that room. Her oxygen levels had been low. She is also complaining of severe head and back pain.

The doctor rounded around 9am and told mom, that the twisted bowel is not seen on the most recent xray. The nasogastric tube has been removed and she will be monitored for vomiting and abdominal distension to see if the problem re-occurs. She is not on oxygen any longer, as her oxygen saturation has increased with the tube removed. Mom was given oral pain medication for the head/back pain.

Her mood is overall better, now that she has the tube out.

There are currently no discharge planning in the works.

Prayers for continued healing!

Please send mom a note and let you know you are thinking about her:
http://www.trmc.org/send-a-card.cfm


Trinity Regional Medical Center
Room 377
802 Kenyon Road
Fort Dodge, IA 50501
515-573-3101

Mom - Saturday Update

This morning, mom had an xray (no results yet, so we don't know if the bowel is still twisted or is getting untwisted). They did stop her nasogastric tube from draining at about 10am until about 6pm. That is when she vomited... so they started the tube draining again. They did give her a shot of something for nausea. Dad states she is rubbing her stomach alot tonight, so it must be bothering her. She's trying not to take the pain medication, because she wants "the tube" out of her nose. Even though this tube is helping her, she doesn't like it at all!!! She has been up sitting in the chair tonight and has been up and walking the halls a few times.

She has not had many visitors but loves the internet greetings she is getting through the Trinity Regional Medical Center link: http://www.trmc.org/send-a-card.cfm

Trinity Regional Medical Center
802 Kenyon Road
Room 378
Fort Dodge, IA 50501
515-573-3101

Happy Birthday Mom ~ Get Well Soon!

Happy 71st Birthday Mom!

I had talked to my mom Wednesday and she wasn't feeling real good. She was complaining of a stomach ache every time she ate. Yesterday (Thursday), she went to Emmetsburg with her friend Carolyn and still didn't feel too good, but didn't want to pass up a chance to go to the casino. Dad called me around 9pm last night that she was still not feeling good. I told him to take her to the Fort Dodge to the Emergency Room.

They did go and after some tests she was admitted. She has been diagnosed with a twisted bowel probably due to adhesions(scar tissue) from previous back surgeries. Her symptoms were: severe stomach pain after eating, abdominal distension and vomiting. She had an xray and CT scan in the ER. She had an NG(nasogastric) tube placed through the nose, past the throat and into her stomach to aspirate /drain the stomach's contents.

The doctor was in this morning and said she wants to keep the NG tube in for a few days to see if the bowels correct themselves. If not surgery may eventually be needed.

Trinity Regional Medical Center
802 Kenyon Road
Room 378
Fort Dodge, IA 50501
515-573-3101

Here is a link to send a card to her http://www.trmc.org/send-a-card.cfm

Prayers for healing is requested!

Tree Trimming

Saturday morning, Doug started trimming the plants in the front yard.

I went out to check on him and this is what I found.
I did not know his intentions were to trip the pear tree in the front yard
...apparantly he didn't either.

It started with cutting one branch that was in the way and kind of snowballed from there.
So I changed my clothes & shoes and helped haul the branches to the back yard.
Sorry...no BEFORE photo of the tree.

We are hoping that the grass under the tree will grow better now that more sun can get through!

Clean-up

All of the branches in the driveway,
waiting to be cut down to size for the garbage man on Monday.

Some of the small branches made it into one of the yard bags.

The rest were tied together and neatly stacked for the garbage man.

Plantar Fascititis

Doug went to see Dr Robert Taylor, DPM at Stonebriar Foot and Ankle, Thursday afternoon for heel pain, he has had for the past few months. He had xrays and was diagnosed with plantar fascititis. He was treated with a cortisone shot in each heel and orthotic inserts in his shoes. He is NOT supposed to go barefoot around the house, but wear shoes at all times and do stretches of the plantar fascia before he gets out of bed in the morning and also several other times per day.

Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory process of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a thick fibrous band of connective tissue originating on the bottom surface of the calcaneus (heel bone) and extending along the sole of the foot towards the five toes.
It has been reported that plantar fasciitis occurs in two million Americans a year and 10% of the population over a lifetime.
It is commonly associated with long periods of work-related weight bearing.
Among non-athletic populations, it is associated with a high body mass index.

The pain is usually felt on the underside of the heel and is often most intense with the first steps of the day. Another symptom is that the sufferer has difficulty bending the foot so that the toes are brought toward the shin (decreased dorsiflexion of the ankle). A symptom commonly recognized among sufferers of plantar fasciitis is increased probability of knee pains.

ANTS

I was getting ready this morning and saw a few renegade

ants running around on my bathroom counter.

I put out some Terro and in a little while I had hundreds of them running around enjoying the ant buffet.

The ants finished the original Terro buffet, so I put out more.

The ant traffic is now dying down, I hope that's the last I will be seeing of them in the bathroom

Vacation planning in progress

Aloha...means hello & goodbye.

We have begun planning for our next vacation. Doug and I are headed back to Hawaii next spring. We will fly into Honolulu ,Oahu and stay for 3 days. We will visit Pearl Harbor (USS Arizona, USS Missouri, USS Bowfin, Battleship Row & the Pacific Aviation Museum). If we have time we'll head out to DiamondHead and also visit the Wyland Gallery. Our favorite artists (Walfrido) resides on this island and his art is featured in this art gallery. His painting "Angelic Light" is hanging over our fireplace.

We will island hop via Hawaiian Airlines, traveling between Oahu and Maui.

We will conclude our vacation in Ka'anapoli, Maui. We had such an enjoyable time there last time, we can't wait to go back!! This part of the vacation will be little more relaxing. I think we will plan a little snorkel time; visit the rainforest (Ioa Valley State Park) and the dormant volcano (Haleakala National Park).

A hui hou ............... til we meet again!

Happy Mothers Day to Me!

Today, I received the above bouquet of tulips from Jill & Josh.
They are just starting to open so they will be really pretty in a few days.
I just love tulips and daffodils in the spring!!
I hadn't bought any for myself yet this year, so this was a real treat!


Yesterday, I received a Mother's Day card from Jackie and
the above bouquet of daisies & roses from Karl & Audrey.
Daisies are my favorite flower ~ simple and beautiful!
If you remember we had many colors of daisies at our wedding.

This is the inside of the card from Jackie.
She drew a picture of a bouquet of flowers
"ProFlowers.com for college students"

Thanks to ALL my kids for remembering me and making me feel special.
I know we won't get to spend the day together, but I will fondly remember all
those breakfasts in bed you all helped with when you were younger
and the lovely handmade gifts.
I love you all!!!

ALS Walk - October 30th

I am now a registered walker for the "Walk to Defeat ALS"
scheduled for Saturday, October 30, 2010.
I've been walking every day and I think my knee is finally up to it.

The 3 mile walk will take place at Quik-Trip Park in Grand Prairie, TX.

My team name is KLM
This has two meanings: "Kuklenz's Love Maarten"
and is also the moniker for the Royal Dutch Airlines as Maarten is from Holland.

If you would like to make a donation Click here

Let me know if you would like to accompany me on the walk!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The ALS Association is the only non-profit organization fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease on every front. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure.

Each year, the Walk to Defeat ALS brings communities together in the fight against Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Though we walk for various reasons, we are united in our quest to find a cure for ALS.