Haircut Day

Dad came to stay with me while Annie and Mom went to the temple. I gave him a much needed haircut and we had lunch together. Then Dad and Lucky snuggled together for an afternoon nap.

Mom's Birthday 12-12-2008

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My Days with Daddy

For the past year, Kathy, Annie and I have all taken Dad one day a week while Mom works. It's Dadddy Daycare! He had been falling a lot when he was alone so we decided he needed to be supervised. That was over a year ago. Once a week he comes and spends the day with me. My day is Tuesday and that's a treasured day. When he comes I am usually in my pajamas because I'm cleaning and doing laundry. He always tells me how cute I look, I think his eyesight is still pretty good but he is not a very good liar either. My dog, Lucky, is so excited when he comes. He runs out to great him and Mom. Lucky knows he will have a napping buddy for the day.

After a long search and many prayers, they have found a home....in our ward in Fair Oaks. It's a five bedroom with three full bath home in Phoenix Field just off of Sunset and Hazel. It's perfect for the Skinners and the DeGruccio's. There is a bedroom downstairs right off of the garage with tile floors in the hallway which will make it easy for Dad to get around. Mom and Dad's room is very close to the family room and kitchen which will be nice for Dad also. It has a nice sized family room, good sized kitchen, with a breakfast nook. A formal dinning room and large living room that is separated by doors. The doors are my favorite part. They are swinging doors so I walked through them like I was in a western with my hands in my pockets like was holding on to my guns ready to break up a fight. I'm sure the kids are gonna like those doors or maybe just me... anyhow they better not take them out! All the rest of the bedrooms are upstairs. They will be moving the first of year so this will be a busy Holiday season for them. Monty is our Bishop so we couldn't let them move too far! We are so excited for them and are grateful for prayers being answered!

The Adventures of Grandpa

Grandpa D comes over my house every Tuesday now, I traded with Annie. I really enjoy having him here. This Tuesday was rough though because he has been really weak. It has been really difficult for him to get up and he has been extra tired. He still seems to come up with wise cracks and ask for a Pepsi now and then. Here he is taking Lucky for a ride. Lucky enjoys having him over and he becomes his buddy for the day. He is usually found curled up next to him or atleast at his feet. He even follows him to the bathroom.
This week Annie, her girls, and I went to look at a house they have put an offer on in Fair Oaks and it was so perfect for them and really beautiful. But with the economy it has taken a while for them to get an answer. For their sake, I hope they get an answer soon. Prayers please??
It's fun to have Mom so close, Annie and I took a walk the other night with her and introduced her to some angry white trash. An incredibly angry, recently returned from Iraq, ragging human being. We thought we would try to get him to stop yelling explicatives at the school custodian but he just transfered his anger to us. I think Mom was thinkin..."what the h... are my daughters talking to him for?" We escaped any harm. Grandma also helped alter Chelsea's homecoming dress and make it more modest....Chels asked for that not me. She's gonna look so beautiful tonight!! It's so nice to have them close by.

Welcome to the Neighborhood!

Many are asking where Mom and Dad moved to, well that's a long story! They were in the process of finding a home large enough for them and the Skinners when they put their house on the market. Since Monty was just called to be Bishop of our ward (Fair Oaks 5th), they thought it would be best to look in the ward boundaries. Mom and Dad's house sold before they could find another one to move into so they are currently at Annie and Monty's home. (Which is ten houses down from mine). So I'm not complaining. They are eagerly looking for a large enough home for them all. Because of the housing market, most of the homes they are looking at are either in foreclosure or a short sale so the process can be a long one. It's a little cozy but the kids are enjoying the company. It's one big party at the Skinners. Dad recently went to the doctor and we found out that he has been drinking way way too much water. Duh? So, limiting the salt intake and cutting way back on water has made some dramatic improvements. And less work for all of us. Dad sometimes gets confused of where he lives but still seems to find the salami where ever he is....Mom seems relieved and it's nice to be able to see her daily and really help in Dad's care. We appreciate your prayers as this isn't an easy task for anyone. I personally appreciate the Skinner's taking on this responsibility and know they will be blessed for it. This is a new chapter in the DeGruccio's life, and it's going to be a good one. They are surrounded by family and in an awesome ward with a loving Bishop. I know they will be loved and appreciated in our ward! They have an offer on one home and are looking into making an offer on another since they haven't heard back from the original one. Keep for fingers crossed and keep them in your prayers!

Family Pictures Slide Show

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Mike's Graduation 5/17/2008 from Notre Dame

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Farewell...Please turn your speakers on!

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Goodbye 2524 Stansberry Way

In October of 1965, Eileen and Richard Barbieri (now DeGruccio) moved from North Highlands, California to a two story home at 2524 Stansberry Way Sacramento, California 95826. Our phone number was 363-7003, that's my phone number please call me. (That was my song I sang to remember it!) They had two children Kathy (4) and Ricky (2). They were given a house warming present soon after when they discovered baby number three was on it's way. This was a new four bedroom home in a new development called Larchmont. The neighborhood was filled with children along with an Elementary School (O.W. Erlewine) just down at the end of the street. They had no idea that they would spend the next Forty-Three years and raise all five children there. That next June, I was born. Followed by Michael, Five years after in February of 1971, and then Annie Laura 7 years later in June of 1973. This was a home filled with love and laughter. Many congregated there. Whether for pool parties, free counseling, needing a place of refuge or a home cooked meal. Mom did a lot of entertaining even if it was just for us. My favorite was the Japanese Dinners. She would go all out putting a table low to the ground so we could eat sitting on the floor just as the Japanese do. We would cook tempura right there at the table in the living room. We never did dive into sushi...who would of thought Japanese Food would be one of my favorites to this date? Dinner time was always a favorite, you never knew what the conversation would be. I have to admit, I loved to shock everyone. It was a rare occasion to not have a homecooked meal every night. We also barbequed a lot and hosted many swim parties. It was a tradition to feed the Youth on New Years Eve after the dance so they wouldn't all be out al night driving around. We fed lots of missionaries and many singles from the young adult ward. Two of my favorite relatives lived with us for a short time, along with many others. I recall both Grandfathers living with us at some point. We were always taking in strays. My own little family lived there for almost a year while Chelsea was three, Alyssa was 1 and Emily was still in my tummy. Emily came home to Grandma and Grandpa's house and spent her first five months of her life there (which may explain why she's so sweet). Alyssa's damage to their upstairs has been covered with paint (her pencil drawings all over the upstairs hallway) and the water damage from closing the drain and leaving the water running in the upstairs bathroom, there is no sign of that either. My Mom didn't even get upset over that! In fact there aren't too many signs off how it was as I remember, so much has changed yet the feeling I feel as I drive up to my childhood home remains the same. The love and the spirit that always permeated the walls of that home. It was a place you could go to feel accepted for who you were, to feel loved and to feel "at home". This is what Mom and Dad created in those 43 years. Nothing can change that. The best thing we can do is to carry that spirit into our own homes. I invite those who have memories of 2524 Stansberry Way to share them and I will add them to my post. Goodbye running around the house while Daddy played the piano, goodbye Christmas Eve's sitting on the stairs peeping through the bannister waiting for morning to arrive, goodbye backdoor that Sugar, GiGi and Poppy scratched at, Goodbye swimming pool I practiced holding my breath while I swam two lenghts of the pool, Goodbye stairs we slid down and snuck down, Goodbye Kitchen where so many wonderful memories were made, Goodbye front door that so many wonderful people came in and out of our lives....

-Thanks for the blog. I hadn't gotten to emoitional about this until now. And yes it brought back alot of good memories. Let me think about those memories for a few days and I will share them with everyone.

Kathy

9:41 PM
-so sweet. Well Put. Even made me shed some tears and think about my own home and how I want it to feel.
You have been blessed to have such a wonderful heritage. Love you person!!
Tammy
11:42 PM