Moving Time

Not far, but still a big deal.

The girls were excited to see a BIG TRUCK next door this morning.  It's especially exciting because when they leave (and the cleaners finish), that's their new house.  The Win-Bins are moving next door.

The house is about the same size as the present one and, of course, in a great neighborhood.  After seeing the house over the years and liking it and finding out the neighbors were moving, Ryan and Emily made the decision to move.  They'll be renting their house hopefully, and if it turns out not to be what they wanted, they can just move back!  I think they will be happier there though.  I'll do some comparisons when I get some pictures this weekend.

Al and Millie will be here Tuesday to help with the packing and moving.  Ryan suggested we get a few Safeway shopping carts for the transition.  Some painting has to happen before the move happens, but we're all pretty excited at the change.

It's been a busy week but nothing special to write about.  We've had some pretty clear days with lots of wind and now rain, but I feel pretty warm compared to the South and East.  I can't be sure, but I think all the towns we've ever lived in got snow this week - and this is in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and North Carolina!

We're focused on potty training and being nice to each other this week.  I see improvement all around with a few slip-ups.  We missed our eating out trip this weekend because of "consequences" of fighting and not listening.

It's such a responsibility taking care of and nurturing little ones.  I get discouraged sometimes and tired, but I try to remember that everything I do and say will be heard and digested and could have a big influence on their lives.  Just this morning in the car after we dropped Kate off at school, Graysen and I were talking about the trees on the top of the mountains and then mountain goats.  She said sadly, "I've never in my whole life seen a mountain goat." In the 10 minutes we had to wait in the car, I found a video of mountain goats on my phone, and she was jumping up and down with excitement at "seeing" them.  If nothing else, she learned how they look and about their horns and hooves and that she could add mountain goats to her list of M words that they're studying this week.

Kate is also happy at school now and looks forward to going.  She slowly walked in this morning with her hat hanging over one ear and her head in the air, and one of the aides said, "Katherine always looks like a movie star when she walks in."  She plopped down in the circle with the other kids and was giggling with them before I left.  She will absolutely love Rooster Valley next year.

I'm working on my budget and plans for next week this morning - with coffee and a fire.  It's Friday!  I can work on the quilts this weekend maybe - after I do a lot of cleaning.  I do nothing at night except collapse in my chair and read.  I'm trying to take the time to cook some instead of just snacking at night.  Elise made a good stir-fry this week, and I cooked an eye of round roast in the crock pot last night that smells yummy.  My favorite thing lately is a bowl of vanilla Greek yogurt with almonds, raspberries, and shaved dark chocolate (100% cacao).

I had the TV on this morning on a Seattle station and saw this young girl's cooking segment.  It's called  Cooking with Amber, and she made some green beans look delicious.  I'll pin her blog to the blog section since I saw a few more things that looked interesting.  Elise and I are absolutely refusing to bring any bread, processed food, or soft drinks into the house.  So far, we're not missing it this week.  Not when we have salmon and omelets and roasted veggies.  I need to get Elise to learn to like cauliflower.  I can give up Diet Coke, but I tried nearly a year and CANNOT like black coffee.  It tastes so bad and puts me in a bad mood - which is the opposite of what I'm looking for.  So I'm not going to punish myself any longer and enjoy that little bit of stevia and half-and-half.

I love my life.  I know it's boring sometimes, but I love boring.  I've read 5 books this month so far, every one of them good, and had 1 reject that I just shut and gave up on.  I'm not sure how I got a book about ghosts and the supernatural, but it got too scary and gross.  I'm now without anything I want to read.  How did that happen?  I have about 20 requests in to the library. but nothing is ready today.  Maybe the housework will come first this weekend.

I saw this right before we left for school this morning.  Kate loves her Paw Patrol pups.  I asked her if they were eating breakfast, and she gave me a pitying look and said, "No, Mimi, they're just looking at the food."

Fox Dress

Kate wore a dress today that I made for Graysen two years ago.  Several people have asked me if I sew clothes for the girls, and I have to say no.  I'm too slow, and they grow too fast.  Also, Graysen is not absolutely sure about certain things, and it's kind of a shame to use the time and have her not wear it.  Kate has no qualms about wearing pretty much anything you tell her to, and this still fits her from last fall.

I found these next two pictures on the blog in November of 2015, and I was pretty proud of myself for finding a pattern and lining that I liked.

And it still doesn't have a button on the back.  Typically, Emily and I sent her to school this morning with a safety pin instead of a button there.  Maybe I'll remember to put one on there soon.

So now I'll go get started on that quilt.

Books and Pictures

I was finishing up my second book of 2018 this morning when I couldn't sleep, and I thought about why I love to read and how my habits have changed over the years.

This is my current pile - my finished book on top with the others plus 5 more on hold at the library waiting to be picked up.  I think I got a little worried about having a supply of good reading.  I do have a book downloaded on Overdrive, but there's nothing like holding a book in my hands.

No one in my family really liked to read when I was growing up.  The only reading materials in the house were newspapers, the Sears catalog, and cookbooks.  Miz Hood next door had some ancient magazines - Life or Look, I guess -  in a bookcase, and I would pore over them while my grandmother watched "Days of Our Lives" with her every afternoon.  And while Debby and my brother were up to no good in her kitchen, peeking in her pots and pans and closets.

Then I discovered the library.  If I went during the summers, I had to walk.  It was about a 15-minute walk in the heat, but it was worth it.  Sherry would visit every summer, and we made that trip at least once a week, bringing home as many books as we could carry and reading them outside under the china berry tree - probably cooler than the un-air-conditioned house.

I remember being sad when I had to start to college and realize I would have no spare time for reading and later what a thrill it was the first time Mike took me into that amazing library in Auburn.  Every new town we moved to, finding the library was one of my first missions.  Sometimes I had to drive to another town, but I always found them.

Mike shares this love of reading too, and we read to the children and stressed the importance of reading.  After he retired, and even before, he was just a reading machine.  There was always a pile of books stacked beside his chair, and our trips to the library were one of things we enjoyed most about living in Montgomery and Snoqualmie.

Elise now reads a lot and Emily as much as she has time for.  We exchange ideas about books and discuss them, but I think I'm the only one of the three who is obsessed right now.  I've had periods in my life where I didn't read so much, letting other things take precedence, mainly sewing, I guess, and the appearance of the computer.

I was reading to Graysen as soon as I got a chance to hold her, it seems, and she and Katherine very seldom turn down a story.  It's hard to keep them from bringing home every book they pick up in the library.  I'm so glad they love it, because some days that's about all I have the energy for.  I love it when I clear a space on either side of me, and they snuggle in with their sweet-smelling hair and little warm bodies.  Graysen is beginning to learn to read now, and Katherine is learning her letters too, so I guess they will be reading to me soon.

Since Emily and Ryan are moving, we have the impossible task of trying to sort through all the books we've collected.  I did well with paring down my possessions when we moved out here, but Emily just cannot get rid of a book.  And now it's time to part with some of Mike's books if we can - professional ones, college textbooks, even high school ones.  (I'll never give up the Hamlet high school paperback where I discovered my name written inside the back cover!)  It's heartbreaking to let go, and I'm not sure how much we can do.

Pictures are another thing I have to organize.  I do have mine in some sort of order in boxes with labels, or once did, but all the ones from Mama and Eleanor have to be looked at and sorted too.

I took one stack this morning and just put them in 4 piles - and cried the whole time - so I'm not sure how effective this project is going to be.  I want to scan a lot of them and organize them and label them for the girls.

It looks like an impossible task right now for all of us.

After I get the girls delivered to school this morning, I plan to come home and work on their quilts.  Graysen reminded me yesterday that they would be sharing a room in the new house and when were their quilts going to be ready.  On my.  She's learning she has to light a first under me to get me to do anything.

I think it will rain all day and be cold, so it should be a good day for sewing - or reading!  

Allie

I've had granddogs and grandcats, but this little beauty is my doggie niece.  I can't wait to snuggle with her and play with her next time I'm there.

She and her siblings were abandoned near the home of Kathy and Alan in Andalusia.  Two others were adopted, but Allie was left behind,  She's so shy and scared, but she looks like she's coming around.  I know she'll get friskier every day.  Beautiful markings.

All Days are Good

I was going to try to write at least a sentence every day to keep up with our lives right now, but yesterday just didn't seem worth it.  Not that it was a bad day - far from it - it was just things I've documented before, and also Blogger.com does not let me download pictures from my phone.  Sigh.

Then I was lying in bed last night thinking about the day, and I realized that even on mundane days, there are so many good things.  Missing Mike every day is going to happen, and I just need to let it.  There's not one thing I can do to bring him back and have our lives like I used to, so I need to be more aware of the things that make me happy in the life I have now.  And there are many.

I thought about Graysen and me laughing so hard we could hardly breathe at a video where she was hit in the face by a swing.  Really!  When she saw the end where the swing hit her, she just howled with laughter, which made me laugh too, although I sure wasn't laughing at the time it happened.  Then she asked to see it over and over, and all 3 of us laughed a LOT.  It doesn't take much.

No children were injured in the making of this video.  It did hurt for a few minutes even though she laughed.



Gymnastics was fun.  She had a new friend from school join them.  This video is uneventful except that Emily noticed in the background that Kate was repeatedly saying, "I don't want Gracie to eat my lunch."



I think she was talking about her little bag of snacks she was consuming here.

It was so cold and windy afterwards that I didn't really want to go to the corndog place because you have to get out, but they really do love their Thursday outing.  I decided to be lazy and go to McDonald's in North Bend, the drive-through.  We have been there only twice, so it's still a thrill for them.  Graysen calls it Nick-Donald's.  Adding to the thrill of the Happy Meal was a Shopkins surprise inside.

We love them a lot and want to collect all of the sets.  Smart move, McDonald's.  I wonder if you can buy them without buying a Happy Meal.  Something to check into.  Next time, maybe we'll go to Issaquah where they have a playground.  These days with biting wind and rain are not going to see Mimi at an outdoor park huddling on a bench.

More positives:  It's Friday so an easy day.  I came home from delivering the girls to school, and Elise had just made a pot of coffee.  I sometimes enjoy watching TV in the mornings (sometimes not), so I'm doing this with The View on the background.  The guy who had a panic attack on air is talking about meditation.  I'm interested but haven't gotten into it.  Emily swears by it and really wants Elise and me to get into it.

She shared this link about mindfulness in children with me, and it's really great to read and digest these things and then put them into practice.  Em is the best mother for tuning in to her children's feelings and allowing them to discuss them and find alternatives for anger and sadness.

Every day that passes is one day closer to spring.

People are just NICE here.  I've met a few mothers since I'm always at school or gymnastics, and they are so sweet to include a Mimi.  I love talking and laughing with them and learn a lot from them.

Graysen and even Katherine are really interested in reading, and I'm about to request some good books from the library.  And some more for me.  I can't stand to run out!

I'm doing well on keeping up with my daily planner, taking my pills, and writing in my gratitude journal.  Small steps but hopefully the start of good habits.  Mindfulness - just keeping my mind on what's important.

Sunny Day

We were blessed with a beautiful day today - if a little cold and windy - and I appreciated it so much.

I took this picture coming out of the library parking lot.  We are about to have rain and more rain for days, so I think everyone who could was out enjoying themselves.  While the whole rest of the country is shivering and suffering.  The predicted "bomb cyclone" is scary to think about.

My day was easy.  I took the girls to school and came home and read until time for my doctor's appointment.  I always enjoy seeing Joanna at the clinic down the street.  She loves to listen to my problems and encourages me!  Not that I have many since my cough has died down.  She did tell me I needed to do more about my blood pressure.  I feel fine, but I'll obey her.

I then went to the library and picked up 3 quilting books I had requested.  I'm getting panicky because I'm about to finish my book and might not have a good backup.  Maybe I should do a little housework.  The book I'm about to finish is "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  I don't have patience for cutesy, trying-too-hard-to-be-funny books, but this one is not.  It takes place right after WWII and is a series of letters between different people.  Really amusing and an easy read without being silly - but they still deal with the horrors of the German occupation of Guernsey.  I learned a lot - sometimes more than I wanted to know, but I've really enjoyed it.

I then went to Safeway for groceries.  I had put it off way too long and dreaded going in, but it was perfect.  The lovely new store and not too many people milling around.  I went just at 11:30, so the smells come from the deli were amazing.  I ended up getting Elise and me a bowl of soup apiece and a pasta dish for lunch.

So that's the third day of the new year, and I've yet to pick up a needle of any sort.  I'm doing exactly what I want to, but I'm mindful of the way I'm spending it.  I just don't even like to open the computer except to check emails and write these mundane things.  I do spend most of my days with the girls, but when they're not around, I'm going to do things at my own pace and sometimes just skip things I don't like to do.  I think that's a perk of old age.

Day 2 of the new year

After such a long period of non-babysitting and holiday doings, my first day of work came on my third alarm at 7:00.  First two are at 5:30 and 6:30, just so waking up at 7:00 is not such a shock.

It was really a good day:  Pancakes for breakfast and cheese cut in cat shapes.  The girls played surprisingly well all morning.  We decided to get out even though it was cold, so we did a lot of bundling up and went out for what I thought would be a brief walk.  Oops, something is missing.

We noticed some papers blowing around on the sidewalk in front of the house, so we went on a cleanup walk.  We found only that piece of paper, 2 plastic bags, and a straw wrapper and ended up at the trash can at the park - of all places.

Since it was so cold and kind of windy (although the sun was trying to shine), we had the park to ourselves except for a man throwing balls for his dog on the soccer field.  Graysen said, "That sun is brighting my eyes."

The girls had such fun and didn't seem to mind the cold.  At least the slides were dry.  I was miserable but hid it well, I think.  They got to run off some energy, so it was a good time for them.

After lunch, the girls put together puzzles on the floor.  When Kate went up for her nap/quiet time, Graysen and I were going to sew a little and let her work on ABC Mouse.  But she went into her room and spent 2 hours pulling down clothes and dressing up and playing with her dolls and just making the best mess.  I got some time to read and take a brief nap by the fire.  Good times.

Nice show of temper from Katherine at the end.  IT'S NOT FUNNY!



I think I forgot to post a picture of the only sewing I've done lately.  I found this lovely Christmas fabric and made these easy burrito-style pillowcases for Christmas.  I haven't taken a picture of them, but today I got this from the monitor during nap time.  Not very clear, but it reminded me I need to make them some more for other holidays and some with their names on them.

Grandma Bindert made the owl quilt on the bed.

Tomorrow won't be as much fun.  I have my annual checkup and have to buy groceries, but at least the weather should be nice.  

So - a New Year Already

I had just gotten used to the old one!


As with all my journals ever, I feel like I need to say something on January 1st, whether I have anything to say or not.  But I usually do.

We celebrated the end of 2017 Eastern time last night.  That way, Graysen could stay up long enough to see it happen (Kate couldn't make it that late - maybe next year) and so older folks could mosey along home in the fog.

Graysen put together 2 puzzles and played several games of memory with her mom before the countdown started.  It was a long wait for her, and I think she expected a little more fanfare. 

She counted down from 30, but when the ball came on the screen, it startled her, and she jumped up to run.

As I left, we could hear fireworks all around us - so I guess there were a few more people on Eastern time. 

I brought a puzzle home with me to waste time on.  New Year's resolution #28.  No more than 30 minutes at a time working on this.  It's addictive.

It's more fun to work on it with Emily, but I'm afraid our together time is about to end since she is over her illness presumably and needs to work.  Blah.  And this is a weird puzzle too, full of crazy little vignettes.  We would enjoy talking about it.

I got up early to enjoy as much of the day as I can since it's back to work tomorrow.  It started in the usual way with a cup of Starbucks Holiday Blend that Elise and I stocked up on.  This looks strong enough even for her. 

I have my books ready to go.  

My little pink planner all filled out for the week and hopefully to be consulted often (and not lost).  I converted one section to monthly expenses and got rid of that notebook.  

 My Gratitude Journal Debby gave me last year.  I guess I wasn't grateful enough because I still have plenty of room.  

My little notebook Emily gave me for my birthday that I jot down just anything I think about.  

And the first book of the new year.  I'm maybe 30 pages into it, and it's really good.  The title is not one that would have interested me, but I read a review on it that convinced me to request it from the library.  It's a series of letters written during World War II in England between an female author and her friends.  Nothing too deep or serious but just makes me smile, exactly what I need right now.  

Considering I have what I'm sure is a broken toe.  It's not my first Christmas/New Year's one, and I really have not enjoyed this.  I expected more sympathy last night, but Ryan cut his thumb yesterday, and the girls both had boo-boos to show me.  And who can top Emily's 2-week bout with pneumonia.  So I have to suffer in silence.  The culprit, though, is being thrown out of the house.

This hedgehog was given to us years ago by our dear friends Diane and Jeff and I believe brought from England.  I always think of them when I see him, and he usually has lived outside on a patio or porch.  Here, I have kept him at my bedroom door as a door stop.  But no more.  I've run into him a few times over the years but not full force like I did Friday night.  It's swollen and blue but not painful any more, thank goodness, so I can go about my business with shoes on if necessary.  I'll put him on the balcony for time-being.

This picture makes me look like I'm dressed for snow, but actually it's a really neat accidental purchase of mine.  I ordered Mama a sherpa-lined short robe since she's always cold and in her wheelchair the majority of the time.  When I got it, it was way too big for either of us, but I couldn't stop touching it.  I decided to order her a smaller one and keep the large one for a snuggie this winter.  Its wonderful - like a blanket with sleeves - and I'll probably wear it a lot.  And the pockets!  It's not that attractive, but it doesn't have to be!

So, the beginning of a new one.  Last year was not so good for us in terms of coping with Mike not being with us.  In fact, it was awful and nothing we were prepared for.  But we did get through it, and we'll get through this one too - maybe a little easier than last.  I don't know.  No promises.  But it's always good to have a clean slate and new start, so I'll see what I can do.  That to-do list in my new planner is still there and not getting checked off - except for writing on this blog.  I'm afraid that's easier than getting out and buying groceries.