2016 wrap-up

So how did I do with the 9 resolutions I made on January 1?  All in all, not too bad.

1.  Use my fabric stash and make 6 quilts, including a queen-size Christmas quilt for Sarah and an I Spy for e's 2nd birthday.  I actually finished 4 quilts; one was donated to the Lutheran youth ministry, one was a gift to friends moving away, one was made for a friend (who paid for the fabric), and one is  ready for the next time I need one.  I started three others, one of which is now ready to be pinned and quilted, and I've begun Sarah's quilt.  Watching e has cut down a bit on my sewing time.

2.  Blog at least once a week.  Accomplished!

3.  Visit e once every three months.  Accomplished!

4.  Visit Liz and Sean in the summer.  Accomplished in July.

5.  Visit Sarah.  Accomplished in May.

6.  Visit Dad and Cynthia.  Accomplished in April.

7.  Clean out my/our closet.  Begun but not yet finished.

8.  Eat less, move more.  Specifically, walk 4 times a week.  While I started out strong in the first half of the year, since I've been watching e full-time my walks have become shorter and usually done while pushing a stroller, so I haven't counted these short ones.  Thus my average for the year is 2.7 times a week.  And the eat less part is still a dream.

9.  Have a meal or walk or such with a friend at least once a month.  Accomplished!

In the next day or two I'll post my goals for 2017.

Who is that man?

Sometimes e takes a while to warm up to new people, or even to remember those she has met before. Such was the case with Erik this week.  When she saw him and Sarah on Christmas Eve, she hesitated to get close even though she had met him two or three times before.  The same on Christmas Day.  But Monday night Sarah and Erik babysat her so her parents could go to dinner and a movie.  They played with her and gave her dinner, and by bedtime she and Erik were good friends.  She called him and Aunt Sarah by name.

I'm glad Sarah and Erik were here for almost a week, so they could spend time with their local friends and also with us.  Wednesday night we four went to see "Moana," a beautifully drawn movie with a great heroine (who reminded me of e) and memorable music.  Then we ate at Burma Superstar, a restaurant  on Park Street that Sarah had mentioned wanting to try.  The food was good, as was the service, but prices were a bit high.  When we got home we played a cooperative card game they brought from San Diego, called  Hanabi.  I think it's the only game I've ever played where you hold your cards face out, so you can't see them but everyone else can.

We also introduced Erik to one of our favorite movies, "Switching Channels," which Randy bought me for Christmas.  I'm not sure what he thought of it.

Christmas week

So, more than a week has passed since my last post.  That doesn't mean nothing has happened.  Sometimes I wish I were in the habit of writing daily, but I'm not.  Thank you for checking in.

The two Christmas Eve services went smoothly and were well-attended.  E and e, along with Caitlin, came to the the early service, which was led by youth of the church.  Then we walked back to the new house, where K had prepared a delicious pork tenderloin dinner.  Randy, Sarah and Erik soon joined us.  Randy and I left about 8:20, walking back to the church for the choir warm-up.  S and E arrived in time for the service.  We were home by 10:30, I think.

Christmas morning Randy and I were back at the church for a regular Sunday morning service; attendance was rather sparse, maybe 35 people.  Randy sang with the choir again.  When we got home, Sarah had started the lasagna sauce simmering and was making Magic Peanut Butter Middle cookies (yum!).  Our guests arrived about 4, and we enjoyed talking and eating and opening a few gifts.

This week I've watched e on Tuesday and today.  E and K were off Monday, and E off yesterday.  And she told me this morning that K will be off work tomorrow, so he will have fun with e.  I hope Randy and I will spend the day together, take a walk, watch a movie, whatever.  Just relax a bit, the two of us.

Brr!

When I stepped outside this morning to retrieve the Chronicle, the thermometer read 35 degrees.  Brisk!  Mittens and stocking cap for e when we take a walk later.  Last night I wore my long green wool coat and gloves; it is not often cold enough to need Mom's winter coat, but I enjoy this brisk air.

Whew!

This past week was full of activity.  Sunday night Randy sang in the First Pres choir's program, and I watched e so her parents could attend the concert.  Monday the choir repeated the program, and I attended, taking our friend Alice.  Tuesday e's other grandma arrived, and we celebrated e's second birthday with spaghetti and presents.  Wednesday Randy joined me at Trinity's choir practice because he will sing with the choir on Christmas Eve.  Thursday night turned out to be open when Randy decided to skip his choir rehearsal because they were to practice mostly for Christmas Eve and he won't be there.  I had been asked to watch e while her folks attended a dinner for K's company, but Jonnie watched her instead.  So Randy and I relaxed with two videos, "Scrooged" and "You've Got Mail."  Friday our small group, smaller than usual, met for dinner only.  Saturday was the memorial service for Barry and then a holiday party at Scott and Carol's.  Tonight we will attend a Koinonia dinner at Paul and Jane's.

The coming week will be relatively quiet, with no choir rehearsals or other events to attend till Christmas Eve.  Sarah and Erik arrive Friday night, so my focus this week will be preparing for their visit.  Is my Christmas shopping done?  No.  Are the holiday cards mailed?  Not yet.  But that's OK.

Two years old

Yesterday K's mom arrived to celebrate e's birthday.  She is just back from a vacation to Kona, Hawaii, where she was bucked off a horse and injured some ribs and fingers.  But she graciously offered to watch e for a couple of days, giving me a nice break during this busy time of year.  Last night we had spaghetti and meatballs, e's favorite, followed by what our family calls "colored cookies," that e cut out with the E and 2 cookie cutters.  Then she loaded them with sprinkles before baking.  She received several Elmo and Sesame Street-themed gifts--sheets and a blanket, slippers, pajamas, coloring books--as well as socks, mittens, a recycling truck, cookie cutters inside a clear rolling pin, a dress, ornament, sarong from Hawaii, and more.

These two years have sped by, full of new adventures and unexpected pleasures.  i have enjoyed writing these blog posts and expect to continue doing so.

No!

Friday e threw another of her spectacular tantrums.  Sometimes when she's resistant I can find a distraction to calm her down, but other times I feel almost helpless.  This time when she refused to stop picking up leaves and wouldn't walk toward home, I had to put 30 pounds of struggling child into her stroller, not an easy task.  Then she screamed all the way home.  She had not napped that afternoon, which may have been a contributing factor to her behavior.  She can be so sweet, cuddling up as we read books together, helping with laundry, putting forks on the dining table, then boom!  A couple of her books describe feelings by the look on someone's face, so e knows if someone looks sad or happy, and she will say she is happy or Grandma is sad.  I wonder if it is too early to work on how to respond when you feel angry or sad?

Today brings back memories...our first daughter was born 35 years ago!  We were so happy when this bright-eyed, fully alert baby arrived after an emergency C-section.  Randy got to hold her first, since I had been under general anesthesia and took a while to wake up.  We had a lot to learn about babies and caring for one, but we did it. And she continues to bring joy into our lives.

High five!

We were kicking the blue soccer ball around the back yard this morning, then e indicated we should get the stroller and take a walk.  She pointed left at the corner and we headed west.  We soon crossed the street and walked down a block we hadn't visited before, then turned toward home since I didn't have on my walking shoes and didn't want to go too far.  By this time e was ready to walk but I made her wait till we had crossed back over the big street.  She pushed the stroller a bit before saying she wanted to run alongside.  We paused in front of a house with some large blow-up decorations:  a Santa, a Mickey Mouse snow globe,  a snowman, some Chrustmas trees, another snow globe, and colored lights lining the walk.  Real eye candy!

We continued running, and e fell, perhaps because she doesn't always watch where her feet are going.  She cried a bit, but I encouraged her to just get up and brush off her hands then keep going.  A woman walking toward us saw all this and offered e a "high five" as she passed us, and e responded timidly.

Yesterday I wrote about e dropping her bear out of the crib and being unable to reach it.  Today I've just seen her drop Yellow Bear over the rail again, but straight down, and that allowed her to reach out and grab him, lifting him up till her other hand could reach over the rail and get him into the crib. I just love this video monitor!  After about 40 minutes of playing, she seems to have fallen asleep, which is what happened yesterday.

What's new today?

Watching e learn new skills is fun.  Yesterday I saw her thumb through a book page by page, no little feat for a youngster.  She is learning to count; I think it's just learning the words more than actually counting individual items, though she does seem able to count two or three things.  She recognizes many letters and shapes, and her vocabulary is very large.

Just now I'm watching as she tries to reach her yellow bear that she tossed out of her crib.  She reaches over the side of the crib, but of course she can't reach it.  She lies down and reaches through the side, first with one arm then the other, but still she can't reach.  She calls for her mom to come help, but no success with that either.  Fortunately she is in a good mood, chatting to herself.  Since she's been in bed nearly an hour without falling asleep I will probably get her up soon.  Within a couple of weeks E hopes to have window coverings in e's room; perhaps having a darker room will help with naps.

Yesterday she used a glue stick to make a chain from red and green paper strips left over from an Advent festival many years ago.  I don't expect to save it after this season; the same is true of other decorations from the past.

Napping

(Written Friday, but I was interrupted before posting)

I'm sitting at the table in the new house, reading, writing, knitting, filling time till e awakes.  Yes, today she is napping.  We used to be able to count on her sleeping after lunch, often for 2 1/2 hours, but that is changing.  Anyway, when I put her in her crib about 1:00 today, she was quite unhappy, crying, asking to get out of bed, standing up.  But I said, "Sleep tight," and left the room.  Soon I heard her call, "Poopy diaper!"  But I ignored her because she is clever enough, I think, to know that complaint usually brings someone to get her up.  Granted, a clean diaper just before being put in bed is no guarantee that 15 minutes later it is still clean, but I took a chance.  She fell asleep very soon after and is still sleeping now at 3:10.

We played in the back yard this morning, kicking the soccer ball back and forth.  I hadn't tried that before with her because the space is part gravel, part concrete, and two different levels.  But e had fun chasing the ball and stepped up and down confidently.

This week e came to our house Monday and Thursday, which may become the norm.

Wrong guess

This morning e and I tried something new.  We went to the main library for an infant-toddler singing/dancing time.  Since e enjoys music, I assumed she would like this.  Wrong!  She insisted on sitting on my lap and refused even to sit on the floor beside me.  Although the leader sang several songs she knows, like "The Wheels on the Bus," she didn't sing or do the motions.  Was it the large group of maybe 40 adults and children?  Was it sitting on the floor?  Was it coming in late?  Did I not prepare her adequately for the new experience?  Could be any or all of these.  But I think we will try it again next week.

She is currently standing up in her crib, chatting to herself with great expression, not going to sleep.  Since she's been in bed for an hour, I guess there will be no nap again today.  This video monitor is great!  I like to watch and listen to her as she entertains herself.

Advent begins

Today is the first Sunday in Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas.  Yesterday when I went to practice organ, I saw that the candles and hangings at the church have been changed to blue; for a very long time purple was the color of this season, but now it's blue, at least in this Lutheran church.  The focus of Scripture and music will be the coming of Christ into the world.  Christmas is five weeks from today; in two weeks Liz will celebrate her 35th birthday.

Last night I took off the tablecloth with fall leaves and instead put on the red one with cross-stitched winter scenes made by Randy's grandmother Brown.  Today I will begin to decorate, bit by bit, trying to stay aware of e's presence and curiosity.  We have an alphabet book that tells the Christmas story with wonderful pictures, so I will get that out.  The Advent wreath with its four candles will come to the table so we can light the first one tonight.

Like mother, like daughter

Several years ago when I was visiting my dad, his wife decided to clean out the old garage at the back of their yard.  A filing cabinet which apparently had been in my parents' house held, among other things, treasure!  For instance, all four of Mom's high school yearbooks were there, and since Dad attended the same school, a record of his high school years.  All of her elementary school report cards and most of Dad's.  File folders for each of us kids labeled "letters from Starr" or Cynthia, Mark, or John.  Newspaper clippings, essays Mom wrote for classes at the community college, Dad's evaluations from his department head, bulletins, programs from concerts and plays...all kinds of delightful things that have given me more insight into both of my parents.  I guess I come by this desire to keep memorabilia honestly.

This morning I packaged up the files of letters my brothers had sent our parents (between about 1973 and 1994) and mailed a box to each one.  Letters from college, Air Force days in Germany, early married life, I hope they enjoy reviewing those days.  And it removes a few more pounds of paper from my work room.  😀

Every little bit

In an effort to be frugal and mindful of waste, we decided to use up the little bottles of shampoo accumulated over the years.  When I pulled them out of the cupboard, I noticed a couple that were so old the shampoo had solidified; they got thrown out.  I put 8 or 10 in a small container on the shower caddy, and so far we've emptied 3 or 4.  It feels good to use them.

 A piano teacher friend took my collection of composer busts, thus clearing off the top of the filing cabinet where I keep music.  She also took quite a bit of piano music, both books and sheet music.  Other pieces I had culled were put in the donation pile.  Music will be difficult for me to deal with.  Movies can be found on Netflix, books can be borrowed from the library.  But I have quite a collection of music that I enjoy sampling as the mood strikes.

And the truck came to pick up our donation (our second this year) to the Oakland Museum White Elephant sale.  Although the big sale is in the spring, donations are collected throughout the year.  This batch included Precious Moment figurines, music, Cinderella memorabilia that Liz had collected but no longer wanted, flower vases and pots, a Karaoke machine, CD/tape player, posters, Christmas decorations, five formals from proms and weddings, and a doll's high chair. I'm sure there will be more as we continue to pare down our belongings.

Goodbye, James

Bond, James Bond has left the building.  He had been with us since EeK drove up in mid-July.  In those four months we grew accustomed to having the tuxedo cat around.  He would be sleeping then dashing up and down the stairs.  He would sit on my lap and allow me to pet him, but if Randy joined me on the couch he would mosey over to Randy's lap without looking back.  When I came downstairs each morning he was right there asking to be stroked and wanting a treat.  He left hair on cushions and more than once threw up bits of this and that for me to find in out-of-the-way places.  He was our guard cat, screaming if another cat came on our deck, even getting out a couple of times to confront the gray cat.

Yesterday E and K took him to the new house, which will provide lots of new space for him to explore.  We will miss him, at least a little bit, but we will enjoy being able to leave our bedroom door open.

Here? Or there?

We are still trying decide if it is better for me to watch e at her house or at mine.  At hers, she can become familiar with her new space, she can see her mom during the day, we can explore the new neighborhood.  It is easier for E not to have to drive out here then home again in morning traffic around the schools.  But I find myself wishing I were home so I could do my own things while she naps, or even while she plays, now that she plays more independently.  On the other hand, last week I finished reading a book and knit more on the sock while she slept; at home I probably would have done neither.  At my house, I can do laundry and other chores with e helping, and Randy can see her.  But it can be very distracting for Randy while he is trying to work to have us making noise and passing through his office.  Last week we were here three days and there two days.  If it were just  me, I'd have her here daily, but I imagine we will continue to divide time between the two sites for a while.

Yesterday I made Thanksgiving dinner for E.  They will go to K's family in SoCal for the holiday, and E thought they might not have turkey, so she asked me if I would do a traditional turkey dinner.  Lynn and Jim, Dena and Alan joined us.  K made his famous mashed potatoes, E made succotash, Dena brought salad, and I did the turkey, dressing and gravy, with Brussels sprouts too.  Cranberry cake and date-nut pinwheels rounded out the menu.  On Thursday we will dine at Dena's along with some other friends.  I just realized I forgot to capture last night's event with a picture or two.  😟

My, what a temper!

Yesterday I watched e at her new house.  We walked over to the park, where she enjoyed playing on the new-to-her equipment.  But when it was time to leave she erupted into a tantrum that lasted all the way home and longer, maybe thirty minutes all together.  Crying, grabbing at my ear and spectacles, thrashing around on the concrete deck then in the house, quite impressive.  Finally I thought to offer her a mini peanut butter cup, which caught her attention, and she calmed down.  After lunch, she napped for three hours.

Today we're at my house, and so far have had a peaceful time.  At the park she had me put her in the swing and give her a push, then told me to sit on the nearby bench, perhaps because that's what the other adult present was doing as he watched his charges.  Her head began to droop and her eyes closed as she finished eating lunch, but I guess I didn't get her into bed quickly enough.  That was about 75 minutes ago, and she is still talking to herself, apparently wide awake.

It's ours!

One week ago tonight K, E, Randy and I sat at the dining room table with a notary and spent about an hour signing the papers that made the new house ours!  Tuesday the funds were transferred to an escrow account, Wednesday afternoon we got the keys, and that evening Sarah arrived.  Thursday movers loaded the furniture in Phoenix and then delivered it here Friday afternoon.  Sarah and e "helped" the two young men who delivered the furniture by watching them and offering encouragement.  We ordered Chinese take-out for dinner and ate in the new house.  Our first adventure--when we shut the door into the family room to help e stay put, we couldn't get it open again.  Fortunately E's tool box was on the bar, so Randy took off the door knob.  No, didn't help.  He took out the linch pins from the hinges.  No good.  The bolt was securely holding the door in place.  Finally K began to chisel out that part of the door.  We called Bill and Carol, who live around the corner, and asked if they would come help us, thinking that if they pushed on the door from the other side it would open.  When they arrived Randy dropped the keys out the window to them.  Nope, no good.  Finally K got the bolt out, and we were free!  We invited Bill and Carol to join us in the Chinese dinner, but they had left their meal on the stove and went back home.  The door is nice and sturdy, heavy wood.  But the door handle was either poorly made or poorly installed or I don't know what.  There was simply no way we could get it open.

Saturday and Sunday E and K worked on unpacking, stocking the pantry, that kind of thing.  Today E is working here at our house because the internet is not ready for her to use securely.  She figures it will take maybe a week to completely move their things out of here, but they were able to sleep at the new house last night for the first time.

Oh, dear

Several days ago I pulled out "Sing Hey diddle diddle," a book of 66 nursery rhymes with their traditional tunes.  I played and sang many of the songs while sitting on the piano bench with e.  Now we do this once a day.  Sometimes I just recite the rhymes instead of singing and playing.  Sometimes  I stop before the last word in a phrase, and e finishes the line.  What a memory she has!  One of the songs was familiar to her because I have often sung it as I put her to bed, "Oh, dear, what can the matter be?"  Yesterday as we threw a tennis ball back and forth to each other, it landed in a patch of ivy.  " Oh, dear," said e.  So cute.

While we continue toward closing on the house next week, we still have doubts about the wisdom of this decision.  It will be a huge project to renovate the ground floor unit into livable space.  There are many unknowns, about the foundation in particular.  But the eventual rewards would be great.

Sleep, little girl!

For the past couple of weeks e's afternoon nap has been inconsistent.  Some days she has slept, but other days she has just sat in her crib and chattered to herself, playing with her yellow bear.  We are definitely not ready for her to give up that nap!  When she doesn't sleep she is often cranky in the late afternoon/evening, which is why we think she still needs to nap.  One night she dozed off as she was eating supper.  So we have talked about different ways to help her sleep.  I hope something works.

K is in Myrtle Beach this week for his family's golf tourney.  About 28 of his uncles and cousins have gathered for this annual event.  They will golf, fish, play cards, talk and eat.

Only a week or so remains till we close on the new house.  It's time to gather funds together for the escrow company.  It feels quite scary to make such a big decision, to buy a house that needs work.  But there's also a sense of adventure.

Still distractable

While e seems a little more willing to be buckled into her car seat, it is by no means always easy to persuade her to sit down.  Yesterday she climbed in without too much trouble as we were about to go to Trader Joe's.  But after we had our groceries in the car, she didn't want to sit in her seat.  She wanted to be in the front seat.  I kept reminding her we needed to get the milk home and placed in the refrigerator, the 1% milk in the jug with a pink cap that we bought for her mom.  Finally that sank in, I guess, and she allowed me to buckle her in.

Last night E and K went to see "Jaws," part of the classic films series at the theatre.  As they left, e was unhappy, but we calmed her down.  Then a few minutes later it was time for me to leave for choir practice.  More tears.  But I suggested she show Grandpa what was in her red purse, and that saved the day.  She took it over to him and I left.  They read a few books before going upstairs to get ready for bed.  After a clean diaper and brushing teeth, Randy went to get his reading glasses so he could read some more to her.  When he returned she indicated he should just put her in bed, so he did and she went right to sleep.  His second night of babysitting went smoothly.

I don't know how much longer we will be able to use distraction as a tool, but for now it is usually effective.

The way we were

E and K arrived Saturday after about thirteen hours on the road.  Both of their cars were jam-packed with clothes, electronics and other things they did not want to place in the storage unit.  We unloaded, putting some items in the garage and others in the house.  It will take a few days to settle in, to unpack and find places for everything.  Already I think we will move the garage items to the other side so the van can park inside and the Camry on the street.  I think e was happy to see her parents after nearly a week without them.

K toured the new house Sunday afternoon, declaring it "Amazing."  Randy talked to the seller, learning more about the lower level and the foundation.  I still have doubts about whether we will be able to remodel it as we hope.

Today, e and I return to our previous routine with me watching her from about 7:30 till 4:30.

Do it myself

When I held e last night, singing to her before putting her in bed, I was taken back about eighteen months to the days when I was just beginning to take care of her.  She was so little yet strong, cheerful and loving.  She is still all those things, just a lot bigger!  Her favorite words seem to be "do it myself."  And most of the time we let her try, if the activity is safe.  Yesterday afternoon for the first time I saw her put her right leg over the edge of the crib and convinced her that was not a good plan.  But I imagine it won't be long till she learns to climb out of bed.

E and K plan to leave this morning for the long drive up here, bringing both cars full of items they didn't want to put in storage.  I expect it may take a few days to settle back in.  Tomorrow K will go see the new house in person for the first time.  I hope he likes it!

Damaw Ta and Dampa Wandy

That's us!  Admittedly I can't spell phonetically very well, but that's what it sounds like.  This morning about 7:20 I heard e calling for me.  Finally, for the past day or two, e has had a consistent name for me; she named Randy quite a while back.  It brings a certain glow to my heart when I hear her call me specifically.

I like the way she is learning what things are.  She's worn a bib every day for many months and knows what one is and that it covers her shirt under her chin.  After a meal I take a wet wash cloth and clean her face and hands before she leaves her high chair.  So she will point to the bib and name it, then point to the wash cloth and say,"Not bib.  Wash cloth."  Numerous times.  Sometime she holds the cloth under her chin while saying, "Not bib."  I don't know if she's trying to convince me or just working out the difference, or maybe just having fun.  We see this with other things, as well.

We are having a good week with e.  She hasn't cried for her daddy, which I thought she might; "My daddy!  My daddy!" are two of her favorite words.  She's affectionate, eats well, sleeps all night.  But all is not perfect.  Her growing independence and frequent use of "No!" can be trying.  Yesterday we went to the park with my friend Carolyn, and e climbed around the play structure, went down the slide and made Carolyn and me take our turns sliding, and wanted to be pushed in both the toddler and the big-kid swings.  I pushed the stroller on the walk home with e beside me till she decided to go on the grass.  I reminded her she had to stay on the sidewalk, not the bike path (closer to the street), but she just laughed and ran.  So I picked her up and put her in the stroller.  Maybe she will stay on the walk next time...maybe not.

New adventure

This morning E and e will fly up from Phoenix, then E will fly back this afternoon leaving e with us.  Since E and K are busy packing up their house and preparing to turn over keys to the new owner on Thursday, they decided it might be easier for them as well as e if she were not there.  So we volunteered to take care of her this week.  E and K will drive up at the end of the week.  This will be e's longest time away from her parents and our longest time caring for her without them.

When Liz was about this same age (just a little younger), Randy and I left her with his aunt and uncle for a week while we went to Hawaii.  She had spent time with them but not for an extended visit.  Lynn brought her to the airport to meet us when we returned.  She looked unsmiling up at us from her seat in the stroller, as if to say, "Who are you?"  Or maybe it was, "Where have you been?  And why didn't I get to go?"  We were glad to have some time to ourselves before the new baby arrived and thankful for Lynn's help.  Now we will get to experience for ourselves what it is like to have a toddler without her parents for a week.

Blue Angels

Each fall San Francisco hosts Fleet Week.  Often the Blue Angels, the Navy's precision flying team, appear, as they did this past weekend.  The six jets take off from Oakland International a short distance from our house, so we get a first-hand experience of their power even if we don't trek into the city to see their show.  Thursday afternoon I was shopping at the nearby Safeway when I heard a roar.  The checker said it was the jets on their way to practice.  Friday just before three I heard the same sound and dashed out the front door, looking up.  I saw four, I think, but one of the navy-blue planes screamed right over my head, exposing the large yellow letters on the undercarriage, U S NAVY.  Pretty exciting!

Saturday I again saw (and heard) them fly over as they headed across the bay for their acrobatics; thousands of people were at Crissy Field and other sites waiting to see the extraordinary event.  When I went back in the house I turned on the TV to see if a local news channel was airing their show.  Yes!  Not the same as being there in person, true, but this way I heard commentary from a Navy officer and saw film from a cockpit.  In a certain diamond formation four jets fly with 18 inches from wingtip to canopy, going maybe 500 miles per hour.  Talk about concentration, eyes on the lead plane, rolling on cue, closing in to this tight pattern.  Imagine the hours and hours of drill and practice.  I admit I don't think about the military aspect of this weekend; I just enjoy seeing the unique show.

This morning I heard the roar again and didn't get outside in time to see the jet.  But as I began my walk a bit later, I heard then saw two Blue Angels soaring toward the west, perhaps on their way back to their home base, NAS Pensacola.

Baking together

The other day e helped me make cornbread to go with the pea soup.  It was hard to hold her back!  She wanted to do everything, and I had different ideas.  But we got it mixed and put it in the oven to bake.

A small red stool sits on the kitchen wall opposite the stove, and we have taught e that is her safe place.  So when I need to open the hot oven, I tell her to "Go to your safe place," then I wait to open the door till she is sitting down.  Sometimes she gets a hot mitt out of the cupboard before she will sit down, but she seems to understand that the stool is her place in the kitchen.  She also sits there or on the floor by the other step stool to eat snacks.  I look forward to the day when we cut out cookies together.

Randy sometimes lets her stand on the tall step stool beside him to "help" him cook or wash dishes.  He taught her how to safely climb up and down on the stool.

Olé!

K's mom was in Spain recently and brought back a souvenir for e.  This flamenco outfit is so cute!  The dress features a red-fringed neckline in front and all these ruffles.  Of course, there is a red fan for her to open and close and wave around.  Don't the shoes just make you laugh?  She's not even two yet and already wearing heels!  And you should have seen her stamp her feet when her grandma Jonnie said, "Olé!"  What fun.

Jonnie also had matching outfits for e and her two cousins, all of whom were together a couple of weeks ago for baby Bella's first birthday.  Bella and Vivian wore black leggings with white dots and pastel pink shirts with a cat's face; e had pink or coral leggings with white dots and a gray shirt.  It's good to have cousins.

Yesterday morning we met with the mortgage guy and turned in our mortgage application and all our paperwork.  Today the realtor will prepare the offer, and tomorrow we all four sign it and turn it in.  I expect the sellers will choose the offer they want very quickly.

What a week!

One week ago today Randy toured an open house E suggested and came home enthusiastic about the possibilities of this three-story Victorian.  He saw EeK living in the upper two stories which are nicely decorated; the ground level would be for him and me, nice for aging grandparents.  The catch? That level would have to be COMPLETELY remodeled.  We both went to see it on Monday, and I was less excited at the prospect of living in a place less than half the size of what we have now.  Yes, we would have access to the entire house, especially the very large family room/den on the second floor, but still our unit would be less than 1000 square feet.  Quite a change.

Tuesday we began the work of filling out the mortgage application and gathering bank statements and tax returns.  Randy asked a man we know from Trinity to look at the place and give his opinion; Ken has been a builder here for many years and actually knows the home's owner, who is a contractor himself.  We spent a lot of time reading city building code on line trying to determine if this bottom floor can legally be converted to living space; previously it was office space.  This morning E will fly in to visit the house in person, rather than through our eyes or the photos on a website.

Offer letters are due on Wednesday, October 5, so there is a sense of urgency about the whole thing.

I did spend some time one afternoon sorting through Christmas decorations.  My original goal was to empty at least one of the nine boxes, but with the possible downsizing I guess I'd better empty more.  I'm collecting things in the blue room to donate to various places, so I need to be done before e returns.

Music

Monday morning e and I walked to the library to pick up a book held on reserve, the fifth installment of the Outlander series.  While there I found another book for e, a version of "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" that includes a new couplet for each stanza instead of just repeating the first phrase.  For instance, "She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes, Toot Toot. She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes, Toot Toot.  Yes, she'll whistle like a train as she speeds across the plain.  She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes."  Very clever lyrics, and "she" is the Bonnie Bandit, a young girl with long braids.  We've read or sung that book at least 10 times already.

Monday afternoon a fellow piano teacher I know from chorus came by to look at the music I purged from my files.  Carolyn and I enjoyed chatting about teaching, retirement, husbands at home all the time.  When e woke up she came down and allowed Carolyn to play with her, and they had fun with the stacking cups.  I think I would like to get to know Carolyn better.

Sometimes when I pause while blogging I return quickly to finish the post.  Other times, not so much.  It is now Sunday morning.  EeK left Friday night for PV and Bella's first birthday party Saturday.  Today they will continue to Phoenix.  Our house is quiet with just Randy and me...and James.  I've made a list of things to do before they return next month.

Food, fun and Chopin

Saturday afternoon we all went to a barbecue hosted by friends from First Pres.  Most of the guests were from Koinonia, and since the group often prayed for e last year I thought they might like to meet her and her parents.  She enjoyed running around the back yard and climbing up to the tree house.  I enjoyed chatting with people I don't see very often.

Sunday morning EeK went to Tillman park to play in the sand and climb on the large play structure.  E said e stayed active for about an hour.  After lunch e and I stayed home while the others went to some open houses.  At supper Friday night Randy put on a CD of Chopin.  I mentioned hearing one of his beautiful nocturnes in the old Hallmark film "The Secret Garden," and E took up her phone and ordered it for me.  A neighbor brought it to our door yesterday; it had been delivered to him by mistake.  So after e went to bed we watched it.

"Much better"

New words and phrases pop out of e's mouth daily.  After a bout of diaper rash she says her bottom is "much better."  Or after I check the eye she's been rubbing and find nothing, she assures me it is now "much better."  I heard her say "yellow" for the first time the other day.  Thursday night the "mean cat" came on the front deck and James got out (briefly) to respond to it.  Lots of noise ensued and e cried for 10 minutes or more as I held her and her parents dealt with James and the screen door off its track.  Her dad assured her the mean cat was outside, so she must have repeated that a dozen times once she calmed down.  Admittedly sometimes the only reason I know what she is saying is due to the context, but still she's increasing her vocabulary.

For some reason e has decided she does not like being in a car seat, which has caused us a lot of frustration.  This makes a simple trip to Safeway take a lot longer since she has to be coaxed into her seat both at home and then after the shopping.  I end up feeling like I will never try to take her out again.  And walking down to meet K at the ferry then driving home with him is no longer an option because she won't leave her daddy's arms.  You may say "But she's only a toddler, surely you can just hold her down and strap her in."  Well, maybe I could if I weren't worried about hurting her, and the height of the car seat in the van adds awkwardness.  Just another thing that makes us think more creatively.

More company!

We had a busy weekend.  K's brother and girlfriend arrived Friday after driving up from Palos Verdes and stayed till Sunday morning.  They slept on the couches in the living room, and fit in well with our tendency to revolve around e's schedule.  It was also my birthday, so Randy made two delicious pecan pies.  Clay was comfortable playing with e.

Yesterday afternoon E, K and Randy visited some open houses, trying to get a feel for the type of house and location E and K want.

This morning e is sleeping in.  It is 7:15 and I haven't heard a peep from her or E.  K has left for work.  I have caught E's or Randy's cold; we are going through lots of Kleenex.

That old devil cat

I was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal when James began hissing and yowling.  The draperies behind me were closed but they don't quite reach the floor, allowing James to see out onto the deck.  Our self-appointed guard cat saw the gray calico and warned him to get away from the house, which it did when I opened the drapes a bit.  James then ran over to a window, to make sure the other cat hadn't just moved to the front walk.  I don't know what to do.  September is usually pretty warm, and we like to have the sliding doors open to allow breezes to flow through.  Randy just put new wheels on the door to the front deck, hoping they will keep the door on its track when James leans on it, and we've begun using the latch/lock on it.  But if James goes into attack mode every time he sees that cat, I'm afraid that sooner or later he'll get out.  Would he actually fight the calico?  I don't know, but I'd rather not find out.

As we walked back from the mailbox yesterday, e stepped in a small puddle.  I guess she liked the sound because she walked back and forth through it several times.  She squatted and put her hand in the water, then just sat down in it.  How funny!  After a bit she stood up and we returned to the house, where I took off her wet, muddy clothes and put them in the wash.

For two days now she has not napped.  She gets in her crib easily enough after lunch, the chatters to herself and bear but does not sleep.  Yesterday after almost two hours of this I just got her up again.  By supper she seemed cranky, so I think she still needs the nap and will continue to give her the opportunity to sleep, or at least rest in her bed.  This also will allow me to do some things without her.

Some good days

When I don't write for a few days it can be hard to remember what has happened since the last post.  But maybe I can think of something if I just start in.

Linda stopped by last Friday morning after Jazzercise to see e and to chat with me one last time before her move to Chicago.  She has enjoyed watching e's growth, especially as a preview of her Anna's growth.  The movers were to pack her belongings today then load the truck tomorrow and head east. Linda and her sister-in-law will begin their drive tomorrow afternoon, probably.

Yesterday, Labor Day, Dena and Alan joined us for a supper of sausages, potato salad, broccoli salad and more.  Fortunately e had napped and was quite responsive to Dena.

Today e and I spent probably 45 minutes or more walking around the neighborhood looking at ducks and dogs, watching the landscape crew cut grass, seeing a painter prepping the house a couple of doors down, and rolling the basketball back and forth to each other.  I got out the old Duplo blocks and was surprised at how easily e put them together then broke them apart.  She did not nap, and I expect K will put her to bed pretty soon.  E flew back to Phoenix this afternoon to check the house and to keep her doctor's appointment tomorrow.

Here we go again

Yesterday I resumed caring for e while her parents work.  We went out for a walk, with e pushing her stroller, but just a few feet from the door she heard a truck backing up or something and said, " Sit," indicating she wanted to ride in the stroller.  So I put her in it and away we went.  When we got back to the house, Sarah and Erik were up, and e interacted with them before they left for a walk.  They came up here hoping for cooler weather, and while it was cooler than San Diego, especially in the mornings under the marine layer, the sun appeared by noon each day and warmed things up.  After lunch I put e down for a nap, with the promise of "watch Elmo" after her nap, then took Sarah and Erik to the airport.  I appreciated Sarah's work of sorting through things she had left in her closet.  She took some items, left some for E to bring when they drive south at the end of September, and designated others for me to dispose of.  Thank you, Sarah!

We watched a video with Elmo and balls when e woke up about four, then took a short walk with her pushing and pulling her little plastic wagon.  I had a piano student at 5, after E finished work.  After supper we rearranged e's room so we could re-loft one of the beds.  The other twin is now lofted in my sewing room again.

This morning we spent quite a lot of time in her room playing with the toys she hadn't seen in a couple of weeks.  European Sleepworks delivered our new queen mattress, and I look forward to sleeping on it tonight.  Now we need to shop for a bed so we can get it up off the floor.

Full house!

We have a full house!  Sarah and Erik arrived Thursday night.  They visited a brewery Friday, then had lunch with friends yesterday, after Erik went running in the cool morning.  Last night E, e and K arrived after spending the day in the car, e's first do-it-in-one-day drive here from Phoenix.  They wanted some time with Sarah and time to rest up for work on Monday.  Last week was very busy for them as they cleaned house and gathered loan papers.  We plan to go out for lunch today.

Adapting to change

After a five-week absence (three with us, one at her house with me watching her, and one in the Midwest with her parents) e returns to day care today.  I hope she enjoys it.  This weekend she and her parents will drive up here and stay a while as their house goes on the market.  Though it may be a bit confusing for her to switch from one care situation to another, I wonder if it may not be better in the long run for her to be able to adapt.

Linda came over after Jazzercise yesterday, and we chatted about an hour about her upcoming move to Chicago and our transition to having EeK living with us.  I will miss her.

I've been working on the "Soul Searching" quilt and have finished four of the nine blocks.  I forgot I had planned to change the orientation and have some long strips with prints that may look funny if turned 90 degrees.  Oh, well.  Just have to wait and see when all the blocks are done.  I laid out the yellow strips yesterday and realized I need to change a couple because they are just too pale to register as yellow, so I may have to buy some new fabric if I can't find anything suitable in my scraps.  The picture on the right shows the placement the pattern uses; the one on the left is better suited for a rectangular or bed quilt.  After I finish all the blocks I'll try both layouts and decide which one to use.

Always working

The other day I was reading a book called Pinkalicious to e, about a little girl who made pink cupcakes with her mother on a rainy day.  One page showed the utensils and ingredients they used in baking; I didn't name these things, just read the text.  All at once e climbed off the couch and went into the kitchen, where I heard her open the one unlocked cabinet and take something out.  She brought me "her" whisk.  Sure enough, there was a black whisk on the page.  Her mind is always making connections.

Quiet

With e and her parents in Ohio this week, we have a quieter house.  James jumps up in a lap when one is available and seems happy enough until Randy shuts him in the green room at night.  Then he bumps against the door, as if to ask why we're punishing him.  But by morning he seems to have forgotten the indignity.  He sleeps a lot, looking dead to the world, then all at once sits up and runs up the stairs.  It's rather fun to watch!

Tinker Toys

One thing we saved from years past is a container of Tinker Toys, plastic not the original wooden rods I grew up with but still a lot of fun.  Following an illustration I built this Ferris wheel which e enjoys spinning.  It uses almost all of the pieces in the box.  I showed e that the blue rounds have a hole in the center that a rod can go through, so she played with that feature and we created some rolling things.  Then we made an axle with wheels and handles and called it a lawn mower, which e rolled back and forth while making a specific sound.  She often clings to me when we're outside and she hears the landscape crew cutting grass or blowing clippings off the walk, but she likes this quiet version of a mower.  Maybe I'll take it apart while she's in Ohio this week; when she returns we can build something else!

By the way, I've attached a picture of the water table to the post titled "water table, wagon" if you want to see it.  I also added a bit to the post about dust.

Ice!

This morning e and I again played outside at her water table.  The water left in the basin felt cool in spite of the high temperature, but there wasn't much remaining.  So together we used the hose to put more in, and it immediately felt like very warm bath water, OK but not what I wanted.  What to do...ahh, of course.  We went into the kitchen, took a mixing bowl from the cupboard and filled it with ice, which we dumped into the water table.  It melted pretty fast, so we repeated the process until the ice maker in the freezer was depleted.  By then the water felt quite cool and pleasant.  e seemed to enjoy playing with the melting ice, grabbing pieces and placing them in a cup or just holding them.

Seeing the empty bowl, she decided it should be filled and used a cup to transfer water from the table to the bowl.  After we poured it back in, she moved to the other side and did it all again.  Needless to say she got herself wet, but since I had removed her shirt and pants before we went out she probably enjoyed the sensation of the cool water on her tummy and legs.

I think the next time she's at our house, I will put out a tub of water and some cups, a sieve, maybe a bowl or two...if it's warm enough!

Water table, wagon

Wednesday morning we took off e's Elmo shirt, went outside and put fresh water in the water table, a table about 18 inches tall (excluding the center tower), two feet in diameter and six inches deep that has several water play devices attached to it. The water was quite warm, I suppose because the hose lies in the sun.  After a while one of the little balls rolled under the table, so e lay on the patio tiles to reach for it.  When she stood up her chest was brown due to the little puddles on the tiles, dusty from the dust storm.  I rinsed her off, then she lay down again a couple of times so I'd rinse her again.  I had to laugh, she is so cute when she does things like that.  After we came back in, I put her pants in to soak, but I'm afraid they may never be white again.

Another fun activity these days is the chase.  I push the shopping cart (which doesn't require me to lean over too much) and follow e as she pushes the little red Radio Flyer wagon from the sliding door in the family room through the kitchen, around the dining table and back to the door. She can go very fast!  Sometimes she allows me to pull a big black ant with red wheels that has a long-enough cord that I barely have to lean over.  She can do this for a very long time without tiring.

After supper K took another load to Goodwill, and then we moved furniture a bit to prepare the house for showing after the Ohio trip.

Dust, broomstick, blocks

Yesterday we had a dust storm, not too bad, but my first one.  I noticed the sky getting darker as the wind picked up, so I thought it would rain.  Instead we had dust flying.  Visibility was still good here at the house, though I could tell something was blotting out things in the distance.  I actually went out back just to see if I could feel dust in the air, but I couldn't.  Afterwards a thin layer of reddish dust covered the patio and a lot of leaves had been blown into the pool.  When she heard me mention dust, e went to the door of the laundry room, indicating she needed help.  I opened the door and she pointed to the broom, wanting to sweep up dust.  Her mind is always working, making connections.

Later I pulled out a couple of jigsaw puzzles for e to work.  A piece was missing from one, so I got down on my hands and knees to look under the couch.  I saw a couple of golf balls and mentioned them to e.  She smiled and went to retrieve the bit of broomstick used to block the sliding door, then lay down and swept it under the couch.  Clever girl!  I guess she had seen one of her parents do that.  So we got the balls out but no puzzle piece.

We've read a Dr. Seuss book many times about feet of various kinds, including "up feet, down feet."  So I made a wall with steps out of e's large blocks and then helped Peppa Pig (a 10-12 inch stuffed toy) climb up and down while saying "up feet, down feet."  What fun e had with that!  She tried other animals as well and wanted to put her feet on the steps but, of course, they were way too big.  Since the blocks are designed for toddlers they don't latch together too tightly, and as we played the wall fell frequently.  But it was easily redone and play continued.

Words

Children probably understand a lot more words than they can say.  Certainly e does.  Sometimes I think we need to remember that old proverb about little pitchers and speak carefully around e.  Her vocabulary grows almost daily, though I can't always understand what she is saying.  "Noise" is pretty easy and " outside" (she often points to the door), but she can't do a hard "c" sound yet, so words like "buckle" are interpreted in context, generally.  She loves to stand in front of her high chair and fasten the straps, and when she's in the seat in a shopping cart she can buckle herself in, but then she asks for someone to undo things so she can fasten them again...and again.

Yesterday we played a new game using the 30 or so animal picture cards.  I spread them in a big circle on the rug and had her find and pick up the lion, the dolphin, and so on.  She did very well!  She likes to place the cards back in their box, about the size of a VHS tape, which can be a challenge due to the semi-circular cutout on each edge of the box.  But she is very persistent and works at it for several minutes, putting cards in, then dumping them out and putting in more.

Back in Phoenix

Kyle, e and I left home Friday a little before 6 PM and had a fairly smooth drive to Palos Verdes, where K's mom lives.  Traffic slowed to a crawl on I-5 twice due to accidents.  We saw one car up on its side on the shoulder.  Other than that, we made good time, stopping just once for fuel.  e stayed awake till nearly 10.  I didn't count how many times I sang "Hush, Little Baby" and other songs like "Down by the Bay."  At one point K chimed in with a verse about a parrot eating a carrot, and believe it or not that is exactly what I was about to say!  We arrived about 12:40, carried in our luggage and went to bed, though e decided to stay up for nearly an hour her dad reported the next morning.

Saturday afternoon e's aunt and cousins came up, and we enjoyed seeing the three little girls together.

We left PV at 4:00 this morning, stopping a couple of times.  Soon after crossing into Arizona we stopped again, about 8:30, and e woke up.  She was a great traveler.

Randy cut the back of his right hand last night and ended up calling Dena and Alan to take him to the ER at Kaiser, but it was a fairly minor cut.  The doctor glued the edges of the wound together and suggested Randy not make a fist for a few days.  When I spoke to him a few minutes ago, he had taped a plastic glove over his hand and was about to clean the litter box.  He'll be fine.

Tears

Monday e had two crying spells, both of them my fault.  I like to take a morning walk so we headed out.  Usually e rides in the stroller to start then she pushes it as we approach the house at the end of our walk.  For some reason I let her push at the beginning then she didn't want to sit in the stroller.  Weeping and wailing ensued, lying on the sidewalk, frustration on my part at being thwarted by a toddler.  Finally I picked her up and took her home.  No walk that morning!

Later I made the mistake of showing her Elmo on the front of her diaper.  She decided it simply would not do to use that diaper, so I pulled out another one and showed her it did not have Elmo.  Well, she didn't want that one either.  Back and forth we went until I played the "I'm bigger than you are" card and just fastened one on her.  Lesson--don't show her the front of the diaper.

E said e was fussier the week K was up here without them.  Perhaps these squalls were partly due to E's absence.

Too much

Yesterday e and I went shopping.  We parked in front of Trader Joe's then walked to the fabric store.  e walked beside me, stopping to admire the bits of blue glass set in some blocks of pavement, pausing to check out the workers pushing big bins of cardboard, looking at other shoppers.  At Beverly's we found the Velcro display, and while I looked for what I needed to replace the snaps on Jack and Missy's clothes e found a display of thread within her reach.  After I returned a couple of spools to their place I picked up e and made my selection.  Who would have guessed Velcro came in so many permutations!

Then it was on to Trader Joe's for eggs, milk, and a couple other items.  The checker gave e a strip of stickers which she enjoyed on the drive home.  I unloaded the groceries, leaving e in her car seat, then went to Safeway.  After a bit e indicated she was ready to get down from the shopping cart, but alas, I wasn't done yet.  Eventually, though, we finished and I unbuckled her from the cart, only to put her in the car seat.  A cheese stick helped ease her frustration.  I guess that much time buckled in to a seat was just too much.  Maybe next week we will go shopping on two separate days.

Last night I found 22 purple fabrics for the quilt; I need two more so I'll check a couple bins for scraps.

What did I do?

Sometimes I wish I could remember more about our life thirty years ago when our children were toddlers.  How did I spend my days?  Did I spend as much one-on-one time with Liz as I do with e?  I probably did, I just don't recall what a typical day was like.  I know I put her in the stroller and we walked to South Shore occasionally.  We had just one car, so if I needed it for a doctor's appointment or something, I had to take Randy to work in San Leandro then pick him up at the end of the day.  Sometimes Liz and I took him for a picnic lunch at a park near his office.  Carol and I took the children to the park and other places.  But I don't remember day-to-day details.  I did have piano students most of those early years, with a teen sitter coming in to watch Liz.  I did not quilt much, though I did work on cross-stitch projects as a I sat in a chair out front watching the girls play on the grass with neighbor children.


Yesterday I cut out the turquoise pieces for the Soul-Searching quilt.  The red, pink, yellow and orange are already cut, as are some of the white and black pieces.  Still to cut are blue, green, purple and dark (black? brown? gray?  not sure yet) and lots more of the white/neutral pieces.  The white pieces will link the colored shapes that remind me of Christmas ornaments.  My goal is 24 different fabrics in each color without buying anything new.

Fun!

Watching e run, hearing her talk, seeing her use a spoon to eat her yogurt (then switching to her fingers), listening to her announce her preferences, all are signs of her growth, and it is a lot of fun.  She seems quite at home here, especially since she has a bigger crib now; the old porta-a-crib was just too small for her.  Next week will be a test for all of us, as E returns to Phoenix by herself for a week.  Days won't be much different because I will watch e.  But K will have bedtime duties by himself, and middle of the night wake-up calls, if any.

E and K took me to see the new Star Trek movie Saturday, leaving Grandpa Randy to feed e and put her down for a nap.  They did fine together, though as we left the house she was very unhappy.  Later that day Randy and I went to an A's game with a group from church.  The game was not particularly thrilling until the end.  The A's came to bat in the bottom of the ninth down 1-3, then proceeded to get a hit, then two home runs, thus winning the game against the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3.  We left before the fireworks show.

Vacation, part 4

Monday we ate lunch at Mission BBQ, and I got a big surprise.  I ordered a pulled pork sandwich.  On the table was a little carton with six bottles of different sauces, so I decided to add a little Memphis Belle sauce to the dry pork.  I squirted a bit on the meat, replaced the top of the bun, and took a bite, maybe two.  Suddenly my throat felt like it was closing up.  I could breathe OK and talk, but it was a strange and scary sensation.  I ate some French fries, drank some sweet tea, and assured Randy and Liz that the sensation was passing.  I don't remember ever experiencing anything like that before.  Randy thought perhaps it was a response to whatever was used to give the sauce a smoky flavor.  So I took off the top of the bun with the meat stuck to it by the sauce and cautiously ate the rest, with no further consequences.  The whole thing was probably way less than five minutes, but it felt much longer.  A lot of soldiers were lunching at this restaurant, located near Fort Bragg.

After we ate we drove a few minutes to the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, where we strolled along dirt paths enjoying the various types of trees along the Cape Fear River.  Some plants were blooming, but mostly it was a green walk.  While in the shade I didn't mind the heat, but out in direct sun I was quite warm.  The coolest thing we saw was the Patrick Dougherty Stickwork Sculpture.  "Maple and sweet gum saplings were cut, collected by the truckloads and stripped of their leaves, then woven together to create this amazing addition to the Garden.  With doors, windows, skylights and curving passageways, you're encouraged to get inside this monumental artwork and explore."

Liz made fish tacos for supper, then we watched "The Rocket," a film about a young Laotian boy who entered a rocket building contest.  The movie provided a poignant look at the society and culture of this poor area.

Tuesday we flew home via Nashville,  E picked us up at the airport, then we went out to supper with E, K, e, K's brother and girlfriend.  And now we're home again.

Vacation, part 3

What fun!  I attended a yin yoga class with Liz and enjoyed it.  While quiet string music played in the background the young instructor led us through various stretches, usually in a seated or prone position.  Nothing fancy, just gentle movements and deep breathing.  When I did Jazzercise several years ago we spent time stretching but each pose was only a few seconds; these were one or two minutes each.  So quiet music instead of rock, a small group of people instead of thirty or forty, longer stretches...quite a change for me.  But I enjoyed it a lot.  After class we shopped for groceries at HarrisTeeter then stopped by a friend's apartment to feed her cat before coming home for lunch.

While we were out, Sean and Randy decided to install a new timer switch for a living room light fixture and enjoyed a trip to Lowe's for tools.  Alas, the switch was not suitable for this particular case, but they each learned something during the process.

Liz and I played a game of Scrabble with the score pretty even till the very end, when I went out and she still had the Q and a V.  Sean grilled hamburgers for supper, then we watched "State of Play," a movie with Ben Affleck as a congressman investigating a private security company and Russell Crowe as a newspaper reporter investigating the death of Affleck's mistress.  Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, several well-known actors played parts.  It was tense!

E, K and e arrived in Alameda last night.  I wish I had been there to welcome them, but I'm sure they were fine.  After all, E used to live there and K has visited numerous times.  Even e may remember the layout from her visits.  We will see them tomorrow night.

Vacation, part two

We did visit the Southern Pines Brewing Company yesterday, where the others shared a flight of beers and a couple more, and I was the designated driver.  A food truck arrived, and we ordered four different grilled cheese sandwiches, each one cut into fourths so we could sample each variety.  No pizza after that, but we did finish Sean's birthday cakes with ice cream, followed by pop corn as we watched Guy Fiori on the Food Network explore barbecue restaurants and burger places.  A strong thunderstorm passed through, with heavy rain and wind. Randy watched from the front porch.

This morning I will go to yoga with Liz.

Vacation

Wednesday's flight was smooth and just a couple of minutes late arriving in Raleigh-Durham.  We connected easily with Liz and enjoyed the 90-minute drive to their home, where Sean had supper waiting for us.  Thursday we toured the Airborne & Special Operations Museum and learned about the role the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations units played from World War II to the present.  When we returned home I began working a Charles Wysocki puzzle titled "Whaler's Bay."  Randy read and napped.

Friday morning Liz went to a yoga class, and I continued working on the puzzle.  After lunch we watched three episodes of "Outlander."  It's easy to see why this is a popular story and series.  Liz made a good dinner (pasta with asparagus, peas, mushrooms and pancetta) followed by a special dessert, hot chocolate fudge cakes, which have a gooey center surrounded by cake.  Delicious!

This morning Randy accompanied Liz and Sean to their running course, but I stayed here to do laundry, finish the puzzle and blog.  I think there's a brewery visit in store later and dinner at a barbecue place.

The adventure begins

Monday night K arrived, and so we begin this next period in our lives.  The rooms are ready for their new occupants though I imagine things will change.  My view of what is needed may not match theirs.  A lot of the things that were moved out of the two rooms ended up in our bedroom, so when we return from visiting Liz and Sean we will tackle that, as well as shopping for a new bed.

Almost done

We're almost done!  Thursday night we went to the nearby Chinese restaurant for supper so we wouldn't have to cook then clean up, and thus were able to start our work a little sooner.  We've spent a couple of hours each night this week moving furniture around.  Randy is great at figuring out how best to move things, using a hand truck, blanket and tarps to save our backs as much as possible.  He plans ahead:  "If we turn the chest like this and put this side down, then it will be easier to maneuver around the corner," and he's almost always right.  Years ago he created to-scale floor plans for some rooms, with little icons of the beds and such; these have helped immensely as we considered how to rearrange these rooms.  Every time a piece leaves the spot it has stood for years it exposes the carpet and baseboard, so I vacuum there.  Last night we baked a frozen pizza, another easy supper so we could get to the next step of moving the beds.  Beds are now in place, though sheets need washing before they're ready for sleeping.  We ended up switching some chests we'd already moved, tedious but I think the result is worth it.

This morning after practicing organ I plan a visit to Target for a couple of things I missed when I went on Tuesday.  We will put the recliner in the blue room, the rocking chair in the green room, move the desk E will use, then work on finding places for the little things displaced in all of this.  I don't think the house will be perfect but it will be comfortable, and we will tweak things as needed in the coming weeks.

Up and down the stairs

Randy and I have been moving furniture around, something we hardly ever do.  Chests that have stood in front of the living room windows for many years are now separated, with two upstairs and two over by the big desk.  The TV is now in the living room, as is the sofabed (what a challenge THAT was to get down the stairs) so we'll have more seating available; both of these items had been in the green room and had to be moved so the queen bed can be placed there for E and K.

One of my biggest tasks has been sorting through VHS tapes.  Some are ready to be taken to the recycling center, others are in a box to donate to the Friends of the Library for their big book sale, and some are waiting to see if I can dub them onto DVDs.  Some we will replace with new DVDs, like "Switching Channels" and "Sneakers."  Right now the living room is cluttered with tapes!  I keep thinking I would like to watch some of the old "NYPD Blue" or "La Femme Nikita" episodes I recorded, but is that the best use of my time?  No.  Will I ever take the time to watch them?  That's a good question.

A friend is coming by this morning to take our donation (several boxes and odds and ends) to the Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale.  The group operates a large warehouse and accepts donations year-round in preparation for their winter sale.

So, things are moving around here, and soon our life will change with the addition of two adults, one toddler, and a cat.

Making space

Yesterday in the green room I took down two boxes from the closet shelf.  Each had held toys left from some thirty years ago, and now they were nearly empty since I had taken things out for e to use.  Some of the remaining toys are for children a bit older than e so I will keep them.  I found and recycled old Happy Meal boxes; why did I ever think someone would want to do the puzzles on the boxes?  A couple of dolls jumped into the White Elephant Sale donation bag.  There's one more box with toys in another closet; perhaps today I'll get to that one.  And maybe I'll end up with just one box instead of three!

I also worked on photo albums.  For many years when my friend Carol and I attended quilt shows one or both of us would photograph the quilts we liked then print the pictures, often getting double prints to share with each other.  Thus I filled five albums.  While I used to flip through these photo galleries for inspiration, I haven't pulled them out in years.  So I called Lynn to see if her quilting
group would enjoy looking at them and even taking them off my hands.  "Yes," she said.  The albums with mostly appliqued projects go to her on Tuesday for her group meeting the next day.  The albums with pieced projects stay with me, unless I change my mind and send those as well.

In the process of examining these albums, I discovered that one had a lot of pictures of the black-crowned night heron.  I reorganized those, tossing poor prints and cropping some to better fit the album pockets.  For several years now I have observed these birds on my walks along the lagoon.

Which brings up an interesting question:  should I continue to print pictures?  I haven't printed any in quite a while, just uploaded them to the computer.  They look good there, nice and big, good color.  But I can't look at them if I'm not sitting at my desk.  I think of all the pictures of e on my iPad; I enjoy swiping through them and haven't printed many.  But I'm running out of memory.  In order to continue taking new pictures and videos with the device, some of the old pictures have to be deleted to make space.  If I want to look at them wherever I am, I guess some prints are called for!

Halfway point

July begins today; the first half of 2016 is done.  What will the second half bring?

This seems like a good time to report on my goals for the year.

1.  I finished one quilt and started another.
2.  Blogging continues!
3.  I visited Phoenix in early June, reaching the goal of one visit each quarter.
4.  We fly to North Carolina this month to see Liz and Sean.
5.  Visit Sarah---accomplished
6.  Visit Dad---accomplished
7.  This week I did more work in my closet, discarding empty boxes, sorting patterns, clearing off a shelf.  But I haven't yet gone through all the clothes.
8.  Eat less?  No.  Walk 4 times a week?  I walked just 14 days in June, not walking while I was in Phoenix.
9.  Spending time with friends?  Yes, an A's game, dinner, walk at Arrowhead Marsh, and more.

All in all, I'm pleased with my progress.  If only I could change my eating habits.

Getting ready

The batik quilt is finished!  It's quilted, bound, washed, dried and labeled, ready to be given to its new owners.  The pattern is called Bits and Pieces.  I have used this pattern several times, using various fabrics.  Once I had prints with large vegetables.  Another time the recipient asked for pink and purple.  And I did one using some of these same fabrics, incorporating the leftovers from that one into the current project.  I really like these colors and hope my friends will, too.

Several quilts are waiting for my attention.  I'm not sure which I will work on next.

I finished dealing with Liz's papers yesterday, so the desk where I was working is clear, ready for E to use when she comes.

Last night we pulled out the floor plans for the green and blue rooms, placing the various pieces of furniture in different configurations, trying to determine the best arrangement for each room.  Adding a queen bed to the guest room presents a challenge and will probably require us to rent a storage unit, at least temporarily.  I've been reading about mattresses, looking at various websites, thinking about what I want to replace our current mattress.  Randy has taken on the task of moving the TV with all its accoutrements downstairs.  He will also put locks on various cabinets to keep little hands from getting into cleaners and other harsh products.

Meandering

Yesterday I finished quilting the batik quilt.  I chose to do a meandering free-style machine quilting, which seemed to fit the quilt better than my usual diamond grid pattern.  It's a little harder on my hands because I have to move the quilt around under the needle without the help of the feed dogs, but if I spread the work over several days it helps.  I plan to begin binding it today.  Tonight is our turn to host the dinner/game group, so some house cleaning needs to be done first.  I think we will play "Old Maid," a game requiring little thought, no reading of small print, and not much strategy.  Only one other couple is coming.

We watched "Love and Mercy" this week, a movie about Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame.  His creativity during the 1960's was outstanding; he had mental health problems but music poured out of him.  The film's director chose Paul Dano to portray Wilson during the 60's and John Cusack as Wilson in the 80's.  Great choices!  We didn't find it distracting at all to have two different actors for the changing time periods.  Each was equally believable.  Dano even sang well.

Work continues on clearing out closets and other spaces.  I cancelled my trip to Phoenix next week, as K will not be out of town after all.  So I will be able to sort through more books, clothes and other things.

Closets

As we prepare for family visits this summer, I worked in a couple of closets yesterday trying to clear space for guests to put their clothes.  Some gift bags went in the recycling bin, others in the donation pile.  Ditto with books, class notes from college days, CD's, and general stuff.  I sent pictures to our girls asking, "Do you want this?"  But much remains!  I had planned to work just a bit then get to the quilting, but I was on a roll so sorted through things till it was time to make supper.  As I prepared lentil soup and cornbread, I watched my first-day-of-summer video.  Can you guess what it is?  Yes, that original summer blockbuster, "Jaws."

Father's Day weekend, 2016

The Hawaiian print tablecloth is finished and on the table.  It emerged from the dryer without the lumps seen with its previous backing fabric.  The time spent re-doing it was worth it.

The A's lost the game Saturday, but we enjoyed sitting in the stands sharing the event with friends.  Another friend, Dena, called during the game to invite us over for supper.  We accepted and ate delicious mixed-grill at their house.

Last night while we watched the NBA finals game 7 (the Warriors lost) I pin-basted the batik quilt and now must decide how to quilt it.  A diamond grid?  A large meander?  A small meander or loops?

This week I plan to continue cleaning out closets, recycling or donating things we no longer need.

A good week

Today is Friday.  The Hawaiian print tablecloth is quilted, waiting for the finished edges.  I bought the binding fabric for the batik quilt.  I had lunch with a couple of friends on Tuesday.  Randy and I went to see "Love & Friendship," based on a Jane Austen story.  The heroine, Lady Susan, was no Elizabeth Bennett!   Yesterday I bought a new cell phone.  My old TracFone is 2G, and by the end of the year AT&T will have upgraded their service in this area so my phone will no longer work. I bought another simple phone and transferred my phone number and remaining minutes from the old phone to the new one.  Last night as I worked on my new phone Randy watched "The Water Diviner," with Russell Crowe.  He was recording the Warriors' game 6 in the NBA Finals, but when we hadn't heard any fireworks from Oracle Arena by 9 we figured they had lost.  We may yet watch the game, though.  This morning I have done laundry and vacuumed; this afternoon I plan to sew.

I am reading Fourteen, by Stephen  Zanichkowsky, one of fourteen children. Subtitled "growing up alone in a crowd" this memoir is hard to read.  There was so much unhappiness in this family, lots of physical punishment, no affection shown by the parents to the children or by the children to each other, just over whelming fear.  I can't read too many pages at one sitting.

Tomorrow we will go to the A's game with some friends.

Monday, Monday

Today begins the last week of school.  My piano students will get some end-of-term note tests and general assessment so I can send progress reports to their parents.  They both plan to take some lessons this summer, but between their travels and mine there won't be many times we're both available.  I need to prepare a letter regarding summer lessons.  Yesterday I checked the school district website and discovered classes resume early this fall, on Monday, August 22.  I think that's the earliest I've seen for first day of school, two weeks before Labor Day.

Today I will take a walk, do laundry, record a song for Rod, work on the piano lesson things, and maybe buy the binding fabric when I go out to get milk. The flower tablecloth is waiting to be sandwiched and quilted.  There's always something to do!

Play-Doh, music and signing

Thursday night, while K was out of town, E and I finished the Charles Wysocki puzzle we'd been working on this week.  All three of our daughters still enjoy working jigsaw puzzles, and we all like the Americana style of Wysocki.  Figuring out a landscape scene is easier (and more fun for me) than an abstract drawing.  I wonder if Lynn has finished her puzzle with the ruffle edge pieces.

Friday I kept e home with me and E worked from home, so e had brief interactions with her mom all day.  After breakfast I played a Raffi album on my iPad, and we sang and danced.  Well, I sang along but we both had fun walking around the family room, swinging our arms, stamping our feet.  Then we brought her little table into the kitchen area; I wanted to let her play with her Play-Doh without having to worry about getting it on the carpet.  The set includes six small containers of the clay, each a different color, as well as some animal molds like cookie cutters and three rollers that put texture/patterns on the clay.  It was fun to see her play with this.  She was intrigued with making balls and rolling "snakes" we could form into letters.

Seeing e use sign language still surprises me, but it does help her communicate.  She can sign "help" when she needs assistance and "more/again" when she wants more food or another reading of a book.  One of my favorite signs is when she points to her wrist then to her mouth, "time to eat!"

I head home this afternoon, eager to see Randy, but I know I will miss this little family.  Fortunately I have tickets to return the end of the month!

What a girl!

The borders are sewn on the batik quilt.  I had hoped to prep the binding but there wasn't quite enough of the fabric I wanted to use.  So when I get home I'll go to Beverly's and buy a piece of dark blue or purple.

Yesterday I kept e home, and we had a grand time together.  We started with a short, maybe 20 minutes, walk along the lagoon/lake, seeing lots of yellow gold flowers (which she pointed to and said, "More") and a few ducks.  After cooling off a little when we got home, we went outside again, this time to the shaded back patio, and I put water in her water table so she could play.  It did not hold her attention for long, but that's OK.  We stayed inside the rest of the day reading, singing, building with blocks, and talking.  When she woke after a three-hour nap, we shared a bowl of Kix.  I put some in her mouth, then e would put some in mine.  She seems to really enjoy this.

She is growing so fast!  She walks confidently and even fast, almost running at times.  Her vocabulary is increasing.  Some words are not clearly pronounced, but she is consistent with the sounds and manages to get her meaning across most of the time.  This morning we practiced blinking...so cute.  Yes, she occasionally does get frustrated when told "No," and she may lie on the floor and cry, trying to convince you she should have more raisins or another cheese stick or whatever.  But usually she can be distracted with a question, like "Where are your shoes?" or "Shall we ride the horse?"

Today she went to daycare, but I think I may keep her home tomorrow.  It seems much easier for me to watch her here at her house than at ours.  One important advantage at our house is the temperature outside, but here she has her toys and more open space to run around.

In Phoenix...again

Aaahhh...I just spent some time outside, alternating between the pool and a deck chair, savoring the contrast between the cool water and the heat.  The pool has not yet reached a high enough temperature to feel uncomfortable, so it was fun to do some running in place and kicking while standing in the shallow (maybe 4 feet) end, which just happened to be in the shade.  I came back in the house before 10:00 to avoid more direct sun.

My flight late Sunday afternoon departed and arrived on time, and K was at the airport to greet me.  He thought e might already be in bed by the time we reached the house, but she wasn't.  So we played a bit before she went up to her crib.

Saturday I had cut the batik fabrics for the Bits and Pieces quilt and put them in my suitcase.  Yesterday I sewed them into 24 blocks, then arranged the blocks into 6 rows of 4 each, trying not to have the same fabrics touching, always a challenge with this pattern.  Then the blocks were sewn into rows and the rows together.  Today I plan to add the narrow inner border and wider outer border.

In case you wondered, the original reason for my trip was to help E while K traveled on business.  But his plans changed and he is home this week.  Since I was already in the mood for a visit, I came ahead but decided to treat it more like a vacation, not a childcare trip.  So I help a bit with her but have not kept e out of daycare...yet.  Maybe tomorrow.

Progress report 2

It's time to report again on my progress regarding my New Year's resolutions.  You can see them listed in the first January post.
1.  I continue to use my fabric stash.  So far this year I've finished three quilts, and two of them have gone to their new owners.  I've just begun two new quilts, one of which will be a gift.  The other may be a donation to the youth or nursing home ministry at Trinity.
2.  I am blogging regularly, though I often think of topics but don't write about them.
3.  I leave Sunday afternoon for another visit to e, meeting the goal of one visit each quarter.
4.  We have chosen a date to visit Liz and should have the tickets bought this weekend.
5.  I visited Sarah in May, so I've met this goal.
6.  I visited Dad and my sister in April, meeting that goal.
7.  My closet--a little bit has been accomplished there, but much more purging remains to be done.
8.  Sorry to say, my eating habits have not changed much.  I walk an average of 3.7 times a week, almost but not quite the 4 times a week I aim for.
9.  I'm doing well at spending time with friends.  Just last Saturday Linda and I had lunch at Marti's Place.  And I've been at Lynn's three times recently to work on a tricky jigsaw puzzle.

It's good to have these goals in mind.  When I feel like I'm not doing much, I can check my progress and see that I am indeed accomplishing something.