New-ish Project

Back in 200…3? ish? I made a “you and me” photo album for hubby as a valentine’s present.

Still working on the ugly captions…

I thought I’d update it and make it into a digital book this year for our 50th anniversary… anyone surprised it’s turning into a bigger, more complicated headache project than I ever imagined??

Might not be so bad if we didn’t have photos spread across almost every room in the house. And if I didn’t have almost 50,000 pix just on my phone alone. And I could decide if I want it to be “you and me” or eeeeeeeeverybody in the family. 

Photos are (mostly) done, just need to do the text and get it to the printer… maybe it will be back in time for Christmas? Crossing my fingers. 

Gifted Flag Quilt

I forgot I hadn’t posted this, but since it’s especially appropriate today, let’s just say I held it until now on purpose. 😜

This was one of two flag quilts I started in early September (here) and took to my longarmer pal before we left on vacation. (I gave the second one to my Guild for their veteran recognition program.)

Binding and labeling* happened when we got back …

Forgot to get a good pic of the label…

before I passed this on to my friend on October 22…

and she presented it to her 94-year old Korean War vet dad the next day. I think he liked it. 🤩

Happy Veteran’s Day to all who served. 

* I designed the label on my computer, including a flag in the background, and added name, rank, dates and ‘thank you for your service’. Pretty pleased with how it turned out. 

Back To It

What a week. The election, then the Mountain Fire. Marie worked an election site from last Saturday through late Tuesday night, so we planned to have the girls overnighting from Sunday to Wednesday. Then Wednesday the Mountain Fire started - fortunately on another side of town and blowing away from us - and  smoke was impacting their apartment … and Marie got called in to work/volunteer doing traffic control for the sheriff’s department… plus schools were closed … so we got to keep them the rest of the week. 

Highly recommend the free app Watch Duty. They had the most current info during the fire.

Matt’s house had the power turned off Wednesday due to the fire (it came back on Friday night), so they’ve been hanging out here in the evenings to shower and recharge batteries (people and i-gadgets). 

 Home-made cheese puffs. So good!

Apparently, I’m too old for 24/7 fun and excitement anymore … so tired. Hoping to get back to a regular schedule when the kids go back to school…. Wednesday? Very grateful the fire wasn’t closer to us and incredibly sad for everyone who lost their home. I haven’t heard of any lives lost, which is a miracle - the fire was huge and moving soooo fast. 

P.s. can you tell that Jac cut the cheese puff dough? Gave her the pizza cutter and let her go. 😂

Trick or Treat

Jac came home sick from school at noon and I thought trick-or-treating was dooooomed

Leo’s pumpkin

but fed her a sandwich (to counteract all the sugar she ate this morning 🙄) 

and it looks like she’s good to go again. Hooray!

Jac asked to be a wolf princess this year and Leo is a character from the game Call of Duty. 

Donovan is a skeleton and really loves this costume (I want his shoes…)

Matt and Mary always go big (literally) with decorations.

Jac’s little white pumpkin is now a brown unicorn. 

So artistic!

Leo used a picture as a guide but did all the carving herself. 

It’s amazing!

Pumpkin Bash

We’d planned to take “studio” pictures of the grands in costume today, but…

Since I was determined to get Halloween pix,  

Plan B became a trip to the local pumpkin patch, 

which I’m sure the kids enjoyed more anyway. 

Jac was first out of the Amazing Maze

The pumpkins were *very* picked over 

but there was something to please everyone, 

although Donovan had to pick up a couple before he found one to his liking…

and was not thrilled when his hand landed in the pumpkin guts spilling out the bottom of this one. 😜

Leo was the only one to get a big traditional orange jack o’lantern.

”Look, GramGram - if you hold it this way ⬆️ it’s a butt and if you hold it this ⬇️ way it’s a baby!”

Jac tried out a few that were small or fancy 

before settling on this all white one that cradled well in her arms. 

Photo bomb!

The biggest surprise though? Donovan spotted this little striped cutie and his search was immediately over.

I love how different their choices are. 

Donovan discovered he loves Dr. Pepper, especially when it belongs to Sissy…

Happy Halloween!

Rule of 3

It’s a rule, right? Three related things happen and you’re done. Firm rule, no takesie backsies…

Doorman, er bunny 

Over 10 days, we’ve experienced kidney stones, cataract surgery and a 36-hour hospital stay for chest pains. (Surgery scheduled for mid-November; eye is improving; lots of tests with negative results is good… may need a couple more…)

Good news is that Los Robles Hospital is much nicer - facility and people - than Pleasant Valley. At least we know where to go now…. 

Halloweeeeeeen!

We’re a bit behind with decorating this year - 

too much other stuff going on -

but Jaclyn begged Pop to let her help put up the Halloween stuff.

So while I made a sweet reward (German pancakes are always a winner)

the two of them got the inside decorated Friday 

and the outside done today,

including 2 (3?) trips to the hardware store. 

It’s starting to feel trick-or-treatish!