Grand Diva

This is the amaryllis Emily gave me for Christmas.  All of theirs have bloomed, but this has to be the prettiest.

And how about that sunshine?  It's still cool, but just standing in a patch of sunshine makes me excited about spring - but I'll be patient.

Graysen had a birthday party today, and Katherine spent the time with me.  They got haircuts and manicures yesterday.  I'm going to ask for this one next time.

The arm tattoo is nice too.

Graysen worried about being the only girl at Camden's 7th birthday party, but she shouldn't have.  It sounded like she held her own and had a ball. 

I didn't get to read the Sunday paper like I had planned, so I may save that for tomorrow.  Emily and I are going to get the girls off to school and then go to Issaquah for some shopping:  Trader Joe's, Target, Michaels.  Who knows where else.  Oh, that new toy store in Issaquah, Snapdoodle's.  Graysen has a birthday of her own Thursday.  Seven.  Unbelievable.

Interesting Weather

It's not enough that it's rained 36 days straight.  Now we have the crazy wind back.  I just heard a crash outside that sounded like something broke, but when I checked my balcony, I didn't see anything missing or anything on the ground.  There's no glass out there anyway.  It makes me not want to have to go outside though if things are flying around.

Emily texted and said their power was out and that Katherine was terrified, so she lit a lot of candles and put them in the tub for a spa night.  I just now got this cozy picture.

Katherine's description:  Mimi, it's dark here.  All the light is gone.  We were just putting our dirty clothes in the hamper when it got so dark.  I was scared and cried a little bit, but then Mama used her phone flashlight to show us how to get out.  Now we have about 20 candles and a fire and are making snowflakes to hang up.  And we got in the tub and used a bath bomb

Find the kitty.

I took this yesterday when she was chasing her tail in the cat tower.

I just remembered this paper that Graysen brought home from school this week.

Katherine and Makenna loved their Valentine hair ribbons - slightly seen here.  Graysen came home from school and make her another one since she had two pigtails today, but I don't have a picture.

The three girls played nicely and let Emily and me have another grownup conversation, if planning a trip to a toy store and Michael's Monday is grownup talk.

This is what I found when they left.  I didn't mind cleaning it up since Makenna's Mom showed up, and they had to hurry and leave.  I love that they have a place to be creative.  Life is short, and I know how much I would have loved having half those things to play with when I was their age.

I felt someone watching me this morning when I dropped Katherine off in the barn and looked over the fence.  I think this is Lambkin, but the two sheep look just alike, so I'm not sure.  He loves to have his head scratched in spite of his serious look.

I didn't lose power but lost my internet for 3 hours.  I spent most of that time reading this:

It started off slowly but is well-written and interesting.  Four siblings are told by a fortune teller as children the dates of their deaths, and their four stories are told one by one.  Very different!

Getting into the Valentine Spirit

About time too with only 7 days left.  I had admired some hair ribbon elastics that Millie had given the girls for Christmas and figured I could craft something similar for Valentine's Day.

I had a good many pink and red ribbons in my stash, but most of them were boring, so I ordered a box of just Valentine ones from Amazon, and it didn't disappoint.

This was my very favorite.  So different and pretty.

I ended up with this selection when I combined them all.

I noticed that the original ones had a neat glued finish, but I really didn't want to go to all that trouble, so I laid out maybe 6 or 8 ribbons cut 12 to 18 inches long.  I figured I could trim and also add more as needed.

I took half of them and tied them in a double knot onto the hair elastic.  I had both black and white elastics but chose the white for this project.

Then I took the rest and tied them all together on top of the other set.

It's just too easy, but I think it's a cute little accessory for them to wear this week.

I made one for Katherine's friend Makenna who is coming over today, so I made 3 in about 10 minutes.

I'll give them a chance to add more ribbons as they want to.

I just love the look of them all mixed up.

That was my trip to the sewing room today, but I will work on the quilts this weekend!

Well-Behaved Snow

I think I knew there was a possibility of snow during the night, but I slept hard and ignored my alarms this morning since I didn't have to get up.  I was making breakfast leisurely when I got a text from Emily saying schools had a two-hour late start and could I walk Graysen over since she had an appointment in Issaquah.  Katherine didn't have to go in until 12:30. 

I then raised my blinds and saw that it had indeed snowed enough to cover my car, but the rain and temps in the high 30s was melting it.  We even had sunshine!  I left Katherine with Elise while Graysen and I walked to school at 11:00, and it was not even that cold.  I didn't have any trouble with ice patches, and it was a pleasant walk.  She met up with some friends and hardly remembered to tell me good-bye, but that's the way I like it. 

This was the way downtown looked as I came off the school hill.

I got Katherine to school at 12:30 and spent the rest of day puttering around and reading.  Emily came in after school to open her birthday gift, and we had such a nice long visit while the girls played.  It's rare that we can talk for more than a few minutes. 

No plans for the week except Mah-Jong Thursday afternoon.  I got a lot done on the quilt today and don't mind working on it now that I've got all the pieces in place. 

Thirty Days and Thirty Nights

I read that it has rained 30 out of 31 days in January.  I'm expecting a little more out of February.  It hasn't been terrible, and we've had a good time, but I'm so over it.  Snow is predicted tonight. I don't think it's going to happen, but if it does, it's a good time for me since I don't have to get out until Tuesday.

Emily had a good birthday, I think, even though I haven't seen her much, just a little bit in passing and some texting.  Her people at work had their usual celebration for her, this time surrounding donuts with apples to satisfy whatever eating pattern she's in.  I have a feeling I know what she chose!

She got flowers and a spa day from Ryan and the girls and a dinner at the Woodman Lodge in Downtown Snoqualmie.  She asked if she and Ryan could go early and have a little adult time and me bring the children down about an hour later.  

The girls were so excited and had a hard time picking out what to wear.  They wanted to know if it was a fancy rester-naut, and I told them that it was just a "clean clothes" one.  With stuffed bobcats and polar bear skins hanging on the walls, I didn't think it qualified as fancy.

They looked cute and were so sweet when I dropped them off, but I was totally out of my comfort zone and glad to get back home.  Driving in the rain is bad enough, and driving in the rain at night is worse, but driving during rush hour in the rain at night is the pits, especially when my babies are in the back seat.  And rush hour is rough in our little village since everyone headed to the closest 3 towns is getting off the interstate and weaving through Snoqualmie.  It was impossible to turn left without a light to get home, so I turned right and took a few back streets until I ended up where I could turn right.  It was good to get home, but I'm glad I could give them a good night.

This is only picture I got.

I got more pictures just now from somewhere else they went to eat, this time sushi (shooshi).  I asked where, and she said SushiMe which seems to be in Bellevue.  Fun!  For them.  I've never done more than take a bite of it and don't think I'll ever do more than that!

I'm glad it's been a good birthday for Em.  She deserves it.  Such a hard worker and a good Mama.  They make sure the girls get to experience a variety of restaurants and activities.

Elise had a full day of work, and I enjoyed my day off.  I did laundry, worked on the quilt, read some of my book, Remains of the Day, which is slow reading but a good story.  I think I've seen the movie but can't remember it, so I'll watch it later if I can find it.  I also took down the garbage and recycling and got that out of the house.

I had orders from Elise to get a new mop, so I ordered one from Amazon, and it came today, so that was exciting.  Nothing like encouraging you to mop all the tiled surfaces like getting a new mop.  It's nice to have clean floors and clean clothes on a Saturday night and settling down to read and listen to yet more rain and wind.  My life is full of excitement.  

Last Week in January

It's seemed like a long one.  It's rained every day and been cloudy and sometimes windy, but I'm enjoying it.  I used to think I would get depressed with so much grayness, but now I actually prefer cloudy days.  I could use a little warmth, but just knowing I have a cozy place to spend my days makes it okay. 

Our usual drive in the mornings.  Katherine is learning about mountains for M week, and she's very curious about them:  if you can feel the clouds on top of the mountains, if she will ever see a mountain goat, why there is snow just on the mountains.  I think she loves them as much as I do, and I never get tired of this view.

Maybe there are some pictures in my camera to remind me of what we did this week. 

Very few!

This needs to happen pretty much every day.  Katherine's come a long way with her bravery.

Graysen started gymnastic Friday.  She had been on a wait list, and it was a surprise to her when I picked her up.  The teacher seems very disciplined and seemed to be keeping the girls occupied when I noticed.  I decided to just stay there since we needed to pick up Katherine right after class.

This is the only picture I took, because after they ran around like crazy for about 5 minutes, they went out of my sight.  I noticed them on the trampoline and again on the balance beam.  Graysen said she didn't fall once and learned exactly how to do it.  We'll see.  She was completely distracted by the older girls doing beautiful floor routines to catchy music, and Graysen is completey into competing for trophies now!

 She's insisting on doing her own hair in the mornings, and I'm glad to let her do it.  She probably does a better job than I do.  She dresses herself too, so my main job is brushing Kathrine's hair and keeping them both focused on what they're doing.

 This morning she had a lot of trouble getting that one pigtail to be in just the right position to be cute.

She wanted me to take a closeup to send her mother - who was just exactly like her when she was that age.  I want to do it myself!!

Layla misses Elise being gone so much lately and expects me to throw things for her to fetch.

I accidentally poured some hard food into one of the water bowls today, and she didn't forgive me.  She stared at the bowl and then stared at me, and finally she went over and drank a few drops and then started pulling out the pieces one by one.  I fixed it.

I walked into the sewing room and started working on that quilt this morning and got a good bit done.  For me.

Emily hints that I need to finish them before the girls stop loving castles and princesses.

If I don't lay it out on the floor, I'll get my rows mixed up, and I knew this would happen.

Cats just feel like everything you do is for their comfort.

 She makes it hard to make up my bed every morning since she's just deciding to sleep after a night of romping in the halls.

Tomorrow is my baby's birthday!  The girls wanted her to skip work tomorrow, but she's looking forward to the party her employees always have for her.  We'll do gifts and celebrate tomorrow night when she gets home.  

There is a possibility we'll go see Little Women this weekend, but we'll have to watch the weather to see if we have another snow.  I bought groceries today like I was expecting a blizzard.  I think they should last us for two weeks.

I've been doing Bright Line Eating for 11 months now and am on track to lose my 50th pound before the end of February.  It hasn't been as hard as it seemed to give up sugar and flour.  I still have a little noncompliant food sometimes, but I'll have been a year without fast food (and not one sandwich!) and a year without sugar in my coffee - that's the worst.  I know I'm healthier without sugar and flour and eat plenty of protein, fruits and vegetables - LOTS of vegetables.  I do occasionally indulge in a Diet Coke, and when I do, I thoroughly enjoy it.  I admit I don't keep a journal or meditate and haven't joined any boot camp-type programs associated with the program, but I think I've done great without all that. And have become a better cook, experimenting with herbs and spices and different ways of cooking vegetable (or liking them raw), and can make muffins and waffles and even pizza without sugar or flour!  My favorites.  Emily has joined me and is less serious than I am but is still on board with it.  It's fun to compare notes and encourage each other.  Her goal was 15 pounds!

Stay at Home Weekend

My usual weekend, just the way I like it.

The Win-Bins went tubing, which I approved of but wanted no part of.  I see nothing fun in what Katherine described as, "I wanted to scream, but I couldn't because the snow was hitting me in the face."  I can't think of anything I had rather NOT be doing, but I'm glad they had fun.

I did very little housework but worked on a quilt for a little bit.  I worked the NYT crossword puzzle all the way for the first time in my life.  I only had to look up the last word, because I didn't want to guess.  I'm sure Mike would be shaking his head at me, but I'm proud of myself!  It's not pretty, but I can't use a pencil, so mistakes are hard to correct.

I finished one book, which was better than it started out.  I enjoyed the writing more than the subject matter, so I'll see if he's written anything else interesting.

I couldn't make it through The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin or In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende.  I think I would have read more of the latter if I hadn't had 3 or 4 new ones waiting for me.

The girls came over for a few hours this afternoon since Graysen didn't have school (and Katherine didn't go), and we walked to the library.  We actually saw sunshine this morning, and Elise opened all the blinds, which cheered us up a good bit.  It was still brisk and a little chilly, but we had a fun walk and got a heavy bag of books to bring home.  These girls are at such a good age now.  I think I've said that a lot lately.  They're cheerful and chatty and still innocent enough for a good bit of imagination and adventure on our walks.  We named the trees in my parking lot today.

I had requested 5 books for them and 3 for me.  We read the first chapter of Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party.  Graysen loved it more than Katherine, but Katherine hung in there.  Gray's teacher has been reading these books to the class, and I wanted to see what they were all about.  We thought the first chapter was hilarious, or maybe we were just in a silly mood.  Then we played a guesssing game with Katherine with her alphabet puzzle, and there was more laughter.  We then read Dragons Love Tacos, which they loved - but not enough to request tacos for dinner.  They ate little pizzas, mac and cheese, broccoli, and grapes for lunch, followed by a raisin bagel.  I doubt they'll be hungry too soon.

By the time Emily picked them up - about 4:00 - the wind had started blowing like crazy again, and it was colder.  I was glad to come in, get a cup of tea, and start my book, This One is Mine by Maria Semple.  I've liked two of her books so far, so maybe the third one will be good.

Emily sent me this picture just now of the girls painting at home.  What a perfect place Emily and Ryan have made upstairs for the girls.  A bedroom, a playroom, and a big room for their desks and craft table.  Lucky little girls.

I would frame this if someone gave it to me as a gift!

We're going to have to figure out something to do with these cats!  Ever since Bowie has become social, he and Layla are constantly running up and down the hall at night and knocking things off the counter in the bathroom and just being cats.  The only problem is that Elise has to be at work at 6:00 in the morning and needs to get to sleep early.  That means we need to separate them and hope they'll learn to sleep at night instead of all day.  Bowie is in Elise's room, and Layla is in the hall, and they're mutter-purring at each other and sticking their paws under the door.

It may be a long night for me.  That's a yawn!

My amaryllis is just about to burst into bloom.

It's back to the routine tomorrow, and we have 6 days of rain forecast.  Fun, fun, fun.  And then I see snow by the first of next week, but hopefully it won't stick.  This sunshine has made me ready to start thinking about spring.  I can think all I want to, but it's a long way away.

Getting Through Thursday

Just a messy and miserable day with puddles up to the kids' knees in places at Rooster Valley.  They loved it though, of course.

Yesterday and today they took field trips to see "the big log" and look around the depot and walk through town to get hot chocolate.  Katherine can tell you how to count the rings to tell a tree's age and what causes logs to get mushy when trees fall down and many more things I didn't know.  That was a long way for those short legs to trek through the pouring rain, and I really feel for the teachers.  I'm not sure why they schedule that trip in January.  There must be a reason, but it always seems to be miserable weather.  I'll try to find some pictures on Facebook later and post those.

Debbie and I played Mah-Jong at the Y today, and it was pretty fun.  I didn't win a game but came close.  The coffee was good, the room was warm, and we had a lot of laughs.

This looks like I know what I'm doing with all these pairs, a pung and a kong, but I was only hoarding dragons.  I know the words but not exactly how to get where I want to be.

Debbie invited the girls to her place to have some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and both of them accepted with enthusiasm.  In fact, Katherine even ageed to be dropped off there while I picked up Graysen.  They loved the muffins and pretty much told Debbie everything they knew while they were eating them.  It was a nice break for the afternoon.  We then came back here and had just about an hour to do ABC Mouse before Ryan came and got them, 20 minutes apiece.  Katherine has gotten pretty adept at dragging and dropping things, better than me, so she's able to do all the assignments at her level now.  She gets a little nervous about popping balloons with certain letters on them because there's a timer, but she's getting good!

It's nice to be in for the night and drinking my cup of tea before sleeping.  It should be an easy weekend.  Emily usually gets off early on Friday, and they are going tubing this weekend, so I'll have some nice ME time.  I once again haven't been to the mailbox in a week, so that will certainly be an exciting project tomorrow.  Gray has early release, and I might let her sew when we get home if I'm feeling pretty laid back.

My book, The Orchardist, is a little weird and not interesting enough to keep on reading, so I'll put it back in circulation tomorrow and start a new one.

So that was the soggy Thursday.  Boring.  But good to know I got the girls to and from school safely, filled up the car with gas, enjoyed some grownup time, and have the weekend in front of me.