The Fourth and FINAL (?) Yogurt Shack!!

Well, I think the boys did it in record time...and really it went together pretty well, of course after already having done three of them, you kind of know the routine and what comes next...so without further ado...here are some pictures of this latest Yogurt Shack..I think we all agree it is the best of the bunch...the size may be the same, but the width is wider and not as deep, although we have a ton of space in the back for storage, and Scott was able to do a better job of placing things closer to where they need to be...so YES, this is the one to keep the blueprints!

working on trim, the tables and chairs arrived

walls are painted and the metal wainscoting is up

Back of the house, Lacey and Dina putting together a shelving unit...man working on the yogurt machine parts

5 Yogurt Machines, 10 flavors...the middle one is a swirl!!

Employees behind the counter

A customer and Scott still working on projects

Now for some of those fantastic painted canvas from Chloe...we gave her free license to do something different...Scott gave her some ideas and she followed through with the whole beach shack kind of theme...then she WOWED us with all the others...

the painting is on an orange wall...notice the yogurt cup with the Shack logo??

Doesn't it make you want to come right in and get some self serve frozen Yogurt?  Sooo good!  Thanks for checking in with me on this blog...now you know what we have been up to...busy time for the Foelker's, Snook's and Prueitt's for sure!

These are back of the 'house' pictures...storage racks with all the candy, nuts, etc. (toppings for the yogurt!) and the refrigerators that hold the fruit and the frozen yogurt (the yogurt comes in half gallon containers, frozen, so we thaw it and then keep it in these refrigerators until we need to pour them into the machines.

Caleb's new adventures

Caleb is loving motorcycle racing...he has been racing at the PIR nearly every Thursday this summer...and then there are weekend races in Washougal, WA, or Mountain View near Sandy, OR...This last weekend he took the First Place Trophy.  As you can imagine, Mom, Grandma, and of course Papa are a wee bit nervous (after all, this is NOT golf or even baseball!!)  however, he LOVES it and seems to be good at it...and MOM has made sure he is very well protected.  He has all the gear to protect his neck, his chest, high boots to protect the whole leg...and of course a big old helmet.  I can't believe this is my little guy...nearly 12 years old in just two weeks...he is in 7th grade...where have the years gone??

I have two more pictures to share from this spring and early summer...again, first place plaques...now, he doesn't always win first place...it is a big deal though, so of course I am featuring him when he does win the trophy!!

the plaque for taking first

Looks like it might have been a wet and muddy ride this time!!  But First Place again!!

Yes, we are proud of him...it is not the sport we would choose for him (but that is us...grandparents who worry!).  We are happy that he has found an activity that he loves and does well and it is definitely one he shares a passion with his dad...and I think I wrote about Aaron crashing about 6 weeks ago...broke 4 ribs, collarbone and a collapsed lung...he had to have a plate put in his collarbone...he had about a 5 night 4 day stay in the hospital to repair the damage...and mark my words he will soon be back on his bike...However I think his wife, Lacey has decreed that he can ride, just not compete...it is the competitive spirit in him that can get a little out of control and he goes for the gusto...and crashes!  We need to keep him safe from himself...he has a young family to be there for...wow that was an awful worded sentence...!

Busy Life...Time to Slow down

Well, we are about ready to open our FOURTH Yogurt Shack...is that crazy or what?  We built 4 yogurt stores in 11 months...phew, I hope we are done...It is exhausting work for both Scott and Jamie.  Scott because he is OLD!  tee hee and Jamie because he gets all the hard grunt work!!  I think those two boys will be very glad to take a break...and maybe Scott and I will be able to get down to AZ and relax!  Of course that will happen after the 22 of this month as I am babysitting Lacey's children while she and Aaron get away to San Francisco for their anniversary....oh but, shhhhhh, don't tell Aaron because it is a surprise!!

The other day I was not myself and I didn't like it much.  I guess some of it could be contributed to not always sleeping good...and on this particular day, I know I did not have a good nights rest...so I was still feeling tired and grumpy and I just wanted to do what I wanted to do...not want everyone else needed or wanted me to do.  Do you ever feel that way?  I must admit it doesn't happen to me very often...most of the time I am happy to do anything for anyone...I am a pleaser in that way.

And I had some guilt over what I was feeling...not always a good sign, is it?  Okay, so I was tired and grumpy, and my sweet mother-in-law was coming home from the hospital...Oh, I have not mentioned the trip to the hospital ...okay here it is...(so that I can remember all this in years to come...as if it is important...??)  On Monday, August 29 Elsa saw her pulmonary doctor...she checked out great...had a fairly rigorous testing and was rather tired on Tuesday...so took it easy and didn't go out...by Wednesday her back was hurting her...quite a bit.  On Thursday she made an appointment to see her doctor on Friday...her doctor was actually on vacation so she saw a PA (physicians assistant)...they took an xray fearing pneumonia...they "thought" there was a little bit of gray matter on her lungs, so they gave her a prescription for an antibiotic and sent her home.  She was pretty much in bed Friday, Saturday and then Sunday morning the pain was not good and she thought she should go to the hospital.  So Bill calls Scott at 9:30 am and asks him to take Elsa to the ER...we are there A.L.L. D.A.Y L.O.N.G...you know the drill with ER rooms, right?  They couldn't really find anything wrong with her...no infection anywhere...so they give her a big bag of liquid in an IV to see if that will perk her up and she can get up and walk...Well, it didn't really help and she was hardly able to get up and walk...very weak and shaky.  So the ER doctor decides it is best to admit her because it would not be safe for her to go home.  And he says to Scott, "I am missing something, and maybe the resident doctor can do a stomach CT scan and figure out the pain".  so by 7 PM she gets checked into a room...this is Sunday and she gets released on Thursday.  They never did find out what the pain was about...and in fact, they didn't even have a record of any pain (although she had been given pain pills several times while we were visiting).  By the time she gets home she has a very horrible cough...but it is very loose and it is high in her chest, not in her lungs...so all is well with that.  And she is very weak, but each day is better.

I think in past posts I have mentioned how difficult changes are for Bill...any little thing out of normal kind of puts him in a very bad place.  For instance, when we came to take Elsa to the ER, Bill had her walker (the heavier duty one with the seat-and it can store the oxygen tank, too) at the bedroom door...Scott says to his dad, "Dad, we want the wheelchair, mom can't walk."  "But Scott", he says...."NO, we need the wheelchair dad, go get it."  "But Scott, her oxygen is right here, she needs this...."  "DAD. GO GET THE WHEELCHAIR, MOM CANNOT WALK"...really Scott was being very nice, but firm with his dad...just a sample of how he does not accept change...when something is planted in his mind for things to happen one way, it really sends him into a frenzy if it doesn't happen that way.  (Gosh, now I recall reading a book about dealing with a "Spirited child" (this was for Caleb when he was 3 years old)...and I recall so many instances when something did not go the way he wanted it to go...he came unglued...just had a meltdown...) and that is kind of how Bill is with things.  It is sad...so we try very hard to be patient and to explain things..almost like he is 5 years old.  And to be honest, Bill is doing a fabulous job of being the caregiver for his wife.  Sometimes it is overwhelming for him...he says it is like "a wave crashing on him"....wave, after wave, after wave...we have tried to relieve the burden..we have tried to get them into a retirement home, we have tried to bring in outside help to assist with bathing and cooking....and they don't want any of it...they want to be in charge of their own lives and they don't want anyone to help...except of course FAMILY!  They will very graciously accept meals..and Bill does really good with heating things or making frozen dinners etc...but he is a perfectionist and sometimes that can cause extra stress for himself too. 

Scott finally had a heart to heart with his dad and told him he had two choices...move to an assisted living place ...or...allow some people to come into his home and assist with the daily living...He has agreed to let people come into the home and help.  Phew...that is BIG...that is HUGE...of course it hasn't happened yet, so we still may be dealing with some issues.  The last time I had arranged for a lady to come and assist Elsa with a bath, Bill didn't like the fact that she didn't bring a towel or soap or shampoo...OMG, I had to explain that she uses their things...the shampoo that Elsa likes and the soap that Elsa likes...but he had it in his head that she would come with her own supplies, so he was rather put out that she didn't come prepared, so he took a dislike to her...

It really is TOO LATE IN THEIR LIFE to go to an apartment...they would not do well...the time was two years ago, when they both were able to get around and could hold hands and support each other...now it would not be in Bill's best interest to move...he would not be able to find his tweezers...(okay, a little inside joke here...a sad little joke...if it can even be called a joke more like a story:  a year ago, we took a tour of a retirement facility and we all loved it...Bill actually gave his credit card to the lady to pay for the first months rent...this was on a Friday and we picked a date two weeks away and they would move.  So the following Monday, I go to their house and Bill takes my hand and sits down with me and says, "Last night I had to use the tweezers, and I thought to myself, "where would the tweezers be in the new place?"  And I said to him, "Well, I would probably put them in the bathroom and I would tell you where I put them".  And he says, "I just can't move because I wouldn't know where my tweezers are!"  "Okay, no problem, you won't move".  And then he puts his head in his hands and weeps....I kid you not...he weeps because he is relieved that I am not angry and disappointed with him.   See what I mean?

Scott and I have kidded each other about making a will and signing it saying what our daughters can do with us...but then I said we would probably not believe that it was our signature...so then he says, well, let's make a video of us ...we can laugh now about it, but in truth those are so very difficult times to go through with aging parents...they want their independence, yet they need help....they don't like strangers going through their kitchen...yet they need help...Elsa takes a lot of different drugs and even though John sorts it all out for her in those wonderful weekly pill holders, there are still different inhalers she needs to take and Bill needs to be responsible for that...and that can be overwhelming for him...those waves come down on him and it can be too much...

So when I started this post, I mentioned I was out of "sorts"..grumpy and not myself...and I guess it was because a lot of the "help" was falling on my shoulders...now normally John is the BEST caregiver ever...and so patient and kind...but he and Robin are in Norway for only 10 days...but it was while she was in the hospital and now that she is home, I am feeling the need to be helping a lot...just for the sake of Bill's peace of mind.  Today I asked if I could bring some bacon and make some BLT's for them for lunch...oh, they surely would love that.  And indeed, they said it was the best lunch ever...and the tomatoes were freshly picked from my garden...so yummy!  And I got up early and made a casserole for them, bought a couple of rolls and had Scott get a Caesar Salad from Papa Murphy's ... all this for their dinner.  Today, September 11 is Bill's 89th birthday...he loves Stanford's ribs and onion rings...I think perhaps we will get a take out order for him and maybe I will make some peach cobbler for his birthday dessert.  Gosh I am feeling better already...I guess just getting my feelings and thoughts down on paper helps a lot. 

I have been spending a lot of time at the new Yogurt Shack also...and running errands getting supplies and such...so there is always so much to do and I feel pulled in so many ways...and I did have to have a good talking with myself the other day...this will not always be like this and I don't want to look back and regret the time I have spent with either Bill and Elsa or even my Dad...I want to be the giving, kind and patient person I normally am...and they are so appreciative of the help (of course I am family, so that is a given!).  I just hope we don't go to battle when it is a new person...I will let you know how that goes...

A Smaller "Sweeney" Reunion

This is my cousin Deleth's home, she hosted the reunion for us...since we were all in Seattle...actually we were south and east of Seattle for the Iacolucci reunion, we got together even further south (that worked for us who came from Oregon!) and met up with just some of the Sweeney family.  My mom only has one sister still living, Lorraine, so with her two daughters who live in the area, they planned the Sunday brunch for us.  We had cousins come from Chico, CA, and one cousin was in town from Phoenix visiting his daughter, and another cousin and his wife from Post Falls, Idaho.  The day was beautiful and my cousin has a very beautiful home with gorgeous landscaping and the baskets of flowers were breathtaking...and all of it is done by her husband!  Wow, wish he could come work some magic on my landscaping!!

Auntie Lorraine

Bernie, cousin Mike, Jamie, and Kerry

Cousin Gerald, SIL Diane, Bernie, back of my dad's head

Kirsten and Julie

Cousin Linda, my dad, cousin Richard

Cousin Marcia, Lorraine's daughter

kids...

Travis, son of Marcia

Scott and Gerald

 

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Deleth...the cousin who hosted the party!  Are you wondering why I am putting a name to the faces on the pictures?  You do remember the Title for my Blog, right?  Well, I want to remember in 20 years who these people are...so I must name them here...even though I think that I will always remember them...who knows what my mind will be like in 20 or 30 years!!

Oh...and next time I go to a reunion, (shhhh, don't tell Scott...) I think it best that I go by myself...but at least after this year, everyone knows he exists!! 

Our Annual Family Reunion

Our annual Iacolucci reunion was held this year on August 13 at Tony and Janet Pinto's house in Maple Valley, Wa.  We had nearly 90 family members gathered including my husband who has not been for many many years.  We had a birthday celebration with cake for our two older members of the family...my Dad who will be 90 in October and his cousin, Fred, who will be 80 this year.  My cousins son has a catering business in Seattle...called Emerald City Catering...and I think he specializes in Italian food...but I could be wrong about that, I do know that he brings everything Italian to our picnic and let me tell you, the food was delicious!!  Spaghetti, meatballs, two kinds of raviolis with a pink sauce, short ribs...oh my, it was fabulous...we had salads and garlic bread and then lots of desserts made by family members, including the TWO Costco cakes for the the birthday boys!  We had biscotti's...Melinda's famous recipe...so good.!  We had pitzels, and then of course several kinds of chocolate brownies and I brought the Mirabel Magic Cookie...everything was so good and it was so nice to see the cousins and aunts...The Matriarch of the Iacolucci Family is my dad's sister, Elvera who was 92 in July!  And she was there --- here she is in all her glory...such a sweetie...

Does she look 92?  And does she look Italian?  She borrowed the hat to keep the sun out of her eyes while pictures were being taken...

Fred (80), My dad, Ben (90), Elvera (92)

Carol, Nancy, Dad

Jamie, Dina, Teale

Kids playing bocce

Michael, brother Marty, Melinda, Teale (Marty's daughter), Ellie

This is the Iacolucci/Pinto family...just a small part of this whole clan
 We are blessed to have such loving and kind people in this family...ones who really treasure keeping the connection between all of us.  My Grandfather, Giuseppe (Joe) had three brothers and two sisters...they all married and had children.  My Dad, Ben was one of six children...they each married and has a family...so you can see how this can grow into a really large group.  And truth be told...we were missing a LOT of people just from my father's siblings children...my first cousins.  And we keep growing!  My father has another sister still living, Carm, and she was not at the reunion as her husband Fred is not in good health and she cannot leave him alone.  So we miss all  those who could not make it this year.


Family is and should be very important...to learn your roots and to see where you came from is so important, it helps define who you are...my Grandpa Joe died when he was about 75...I was maybe 5 years old.  He left Italy when he was 12 years old...coming for the American Dream...he lived in Philadelphia with an aunt and uncle on his mother's side.  He worked at a grocery store to pay for room and board. When he was a teenager he  moved to Seattle, he bought a house and after the house was paid for, he took a trip back to Italy and married my Grandmother, Rosa.  He returned to Seattle and worked for 5 years to save enough money to pay for my grandmothers voyage.
They had 6 children...and of those six, three are still living...one being my dad and this year on October 18, he will turn 90 years old.  He was so sure he would not live long after my  mom died, but he is going strong!  Yes, he tires easily.  Yes, he cannot do all that he used to do.  Yes, he does his own cooking.  Yes, he does his own gardening, keeping the orchard, pruning, harvesting, canning, and freezing.
It is what keeps him going...he loves it.  Without the garden he would be lost...it is what motivates him to get up and get out!!  Growing up in the depression years also helped to define him...he works hard to put food on his table...he harvests so that he will be sure to have healthy home grown food - and he boasts that he saved $30 at the end of a month because he was able to use all the vegetables from his garden.


I was very happy that nearly all of my family was able to make it to this reunion...especially since we were honoring my dad.  Unfortunately, because of the motorcycle accident with Aaron, Lacey's family was not able to make the trip up north.  We missed her and I missed sharing her family with all the others...so they would have an idea about the "connection"...the Iacolucci Family Connection!

Some of my latest Projects

As you know, Lily received her First Communion this last May, and I started to put together a framed picture of her...but then life got in the way, and the picture and the supplies I purchased ended up getting into a stack of miscellaneous things and it was buried.  I am in the process of reorganizing my "studio" and ran across the picture, frame, bling, and my sketch...so I decided right then to put it together...and while I was at it, I did one for Ellie too.  Her first Communion was two years ago...but I think the girls will like hanging these two pictures in their bedroom.

First up is Ellie, she was almost 8 when this picture was taken..now she is 10.  I stamped the background and added some die cut flowers.  The bible verse is from Matthew.  You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

This is Lily this past May and she too was almost 8 years old...she was so excited to receive her First Communion...can you just see her eyes sparkle?

A Time to Gather Thoughts and Share some news

I must apologize for neglecting this little bit of my life...blogging to keep you all posted on all things (or at least most things) that are or have been happening in my life!  Where to begin...I guess since my last post was about Scott's parents, I will start there...

Elsa came home from her Care Facility on July 6....we made the house as safe as we could...we removed area rugs, big and little!!  and we removed a coffee table (you know, the big kind in front of couches...wonder how it got the name "coffee table"....do you suppose that people use to sit on the couches around this table and that is where they placed their coffee and sweet desserts???  hmmm...something to ponder...but for another time!!)  At the time of this move, we (the kids of said parents) were quite concerned how this whole living alone would work out...and we definitely had our ups and very low downs and a lot of stress and concern...but things have worked out...maybe it is good to not post so often and just wait and see how things turn out...it was something we had to "let go" and trust in God...because we were pretty sure things would not be so good at the Senior Foelker house!  But Elsa is doing remarkable, she is done with Physical Therapy and he helped her to learn how to get around and move on her own...but he cautioned her to always use her oxygen...as did the Occupational Therapist...so it was coming from others besides the family...I know what it is like thinking that you have always done such and so...and then when you do it now (at whatever age you may be) you discover that it is
1. harder to do;
2. you really can't do it;
3. you do it and then REALLY suffer for it the next day
...hmmm...you ask how I know this?  okay jump ahead a month plus and I was pressure washing a patio for Dina (you know, my OLD patio!!)....after all, I have pressure washed these sidewalks, driveways, patios for years...we never paid anyone to clean our hard surfaces...yeah, well, this old gal isn't the young chick she feels like .... okay I really only feel that way inside...where the heart is...not the knees or the back or the shoulders...they probably feel every bit the 61 years I am...and I wouldn't be surprised if they actually feel a bit older than the 61 years!!  hah! hah!! (AND...after cleaning that said back patio...yeah, well, I felt like a Mack truck ran me over....)   So, I now have a lot more empathy about understanding how the parents feel when it seems they no longer have control of their life or what they use to do, then can no longer do...my Dad keeps telling me that he use to weed his garden for hours, now he can maybe do one hour and he has to call it quits...he has to go in and take a nap!!  I ALWAYS tell him, "DAD, you deserve a nap, you have earned the right to a nap...just take it!"

Okay, back on track with Elsa...let's see...Bill took her by himself to her hair appointment...quite an accomplishment as the salon is in Sellwood...on 13th....and do I dare admit that I DO NOT LIKE driving in Sellwood...too many cars...NO parking....narrow streets....parallel parking only...and to be honest I seriously  think that Bill Foelker has ABSOLUTELY NO BUSINESS driving in Sellwood....but he did it and took care of business and now they think they can conquer the world...seriously last night on my way to PIR (Portland International Racing....to watch Caleb race his motorcycle) Elsa calls me and I tell her I am on the road to PIR and she says, "Oh the next time you go..tell us, we would like to go and watch too!"  ARE YOU KIDDING ME???  And it wouldn't surprise me if they decided to drive there themselves!

Oh...about the PIR?  Yeah, we missed Caleb's first race as he raced the very first one and we were stuck in traffic, but we get a call from Aaron who also raced and guess what?  He CRASHED!!  Yeah and it was not a good crash either....broken collar bone and needs surgery.....4 broken ribs...and a collapsed lung...now we knew about the collar bone and the ribs, but the poor guy could not sit down because he could not breathe...had to call for an ambulance to take him to Meridian Park Hospital...Scott suggested that just because Immanuel is the busiest hospital in Portland and we could just picture sitting for hours in the waiting room...so they took him to our neighborhood hospital...and after Xrays, discovered the collapsed lung and guess where they needed to send him?  YUP...Immanuel...because they are considered the best in Trauma care and now that he has a collapsed lung, he is considered "trauma"...so the ambulance took him there at 11:30 PM...he is in a lot of pain and is trying to breathe deep to keep his lungs clear...he will be okay, and Yes I have NO doubt that he will be back on that bike in no time...He will NOT follow doctors orders, I just know him too well...I have always said, you can take the boy out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the boy...that is just how he is wired!!  And just to share with you about Caleb...he too is LOVING this sport and he is really good at it...kind of scares us...a couple of weeks ago he raced and won both of his races...and one of the races he fell and had to come from behind...and he did and he took first place...he got a plaque for those two wins!  I fear he takes after his dad in that he likes the "extreme" sports...no golf for him!!  And believe me, we tried...we have pictures of him in Arizona...on the golf course, swinging a club..hitting the balls into the holes...Oh, Man, where did our little guy go???

Okay, should I stop for now, or continue this long story...and not many pictures either!  Well, wait I have a few when Elsa came home:

ready to get out of the car and go in the house

Elsa sitting down...first time home in almost 2 months

Addie and Tristan stopped in for a visit with Papa Ben

Tristan's TWO year birthday party

Papa Ben and Caleb after a baseball game

Thursday, August 18....So I think I have you all up to date...let me just add that Aaron has a plate in his collarbone and he is still experiencing pain and not sleeping well at night at all...but he went out to PIR with Lacey today to watch Caleb race...Bill and Elsa are getting out a bit and going to their favorite Starbucks and sitting and having their coffee mocha and do some people watching...they have stopped in to see Scott a couple of times at the new Yogurt Shack in Westwood also...but then to have Elsa say anything, it is a bother to go anywhere and not even worth the effort...she has to take the walker, Bill has to store it in the car, then get it out, then get the oxygen, carry it around with her...all a big pain...I think she needs a little attitude adjustment...she should be so happy she is still here to spend days with her husband!!

We are going to go up to Coeur d'Alene on Sunday and spend a few days up there at Gozzer...Dina's family will be there also...Unfortunately, because of Aaron's accident, their family will not be coming up this summer.  We will miss them for sure, just not the same without the whole gang there!  Thanks for stopping in and catching up on the family news...