Day 1 - Disneyland!

Addy and her parents came to visit this past week. We picked them up at the airport on Tuesday and headed straight for Anaheim.

An overnight at a local hotel where Rachel luvs the tangerine/rum drinks -  
 
Addy got to admire the scenery - 
 
and I had time to relax by the pool with my current Heidi Bears project -
  
before we were up bright and early the next day for our big adventure. 
 

And adventure is how we started out - instead of heading into the usual parking structure, we were passed all around - over and under, hither and yon - to an out-of-park "overflow" parking structure on the far side of the park . . . overflow at 9 a.m.???? We should have been in California Adventure by 9:15, but with our driving "adventure" we finally got there about 10. And headed straight for Radiator Springs Racers -

 
where the line was "only" 50 minutes long . . . So what did we do to pass the time, you ask?
 
We played "how many pieces of washi tape can we put on mommy before she notices". Pop and Addy's giggling got her attention shortly after this or we might have gotten the entire roll on her by the time we reached the head of the line.
 
We had time for a few more rides 
 
before the surprise appointment we'd been teasing Addy about all morning -
 
a hair, make-up and nail session, 
 
complete with new dress and crown, 
 
at the Anna and Elsa Salon in Downtown Disney.
 
Doesn't she look glamorous!! It absolutely made her day when a couple of random women, waiting in line with us, asked Addy all about her "make-over".  
 
And even though she had at least a half-pound of gel in her hair, by late afternoon Addy's natural curl had won, refusing to stay where it belonged even a second longer.
 
Addy got autographs and photos with Anna and Elsa,
 
who were both extremely charming, asking Addy questions and talking to her like they were all girlfriends. Addy was beyond thrilled. 
  
We hit California Adventure and a major portion of Disneyland before my feet gave out and I begged off from Pirates in favor of a sit-down (and chocolate funnel cake).
 
By 10 pm, we were done, but Disney had one last surprise in store for us. We walked out of the Star Wars shop just as Mickey and Minnie arrived. Addy was first in line for autographs and photos -  she was so happy and excited. 
 
Even though this shot is grainy and dark, it remains one of the highlights of a fabulously fun day. 

Autograph Pillow

Leia was blessed with a fantastic long-term sub teaching her class this year. 
 
Unfortunately, today was Miss J's last day - the regular teacher comes back to work Tuesday for the remaining few weeks of school.
 
I got to know Miss J while volunteering in Leia's classroom and wanted to do something to make her last day special. 
 
So last week, Mary, Leia and I picked out some fabric; 
 
I cut it up and had each of Leia's classmates sign a square; 
 
then sewed it into a quilted pillow*; 
 
and had Leia present it to Miss J during the farewell ice cream party today.
 
I think Miss J liked it!

* The pillow back design was a fortunate "oopsie". I only bought a half-yard of the main fabric, not quite enough for a solid back, as I'd planned. While stuck in traffic on the way to quilt night - to get help from the sewing experts - I came up with this design, which allowed me to also document the school name, grade and year. Very happy with how it turned out.

Down On The Farm

It's been awhile since we've had both grand-girls at the same time, so when the stars aligned today, we packed them up and headed out for some fun at a local farm.

There's plenty to do -

pony rides,

brushing the sheep

and the very pregnant, very patient, goats.

Leanne loves the swing - go higher! -

Leia likes climbing the rope wall,

and they both agree that the sandpit is for making pancakes and waffles for PopPop.

And just like the cousin/sisters they are,

they love to bicker and argue get along pretty well.

Most of the time.

Crochet Happens

I'm behind - again - on posting completed crochet projects. I'd rather put up pics of cute grandgirls and the silly fun we have, I guess. But I have finished a few things lately -
 
a shawl made with gradient yarn I picked up at Yarn Fest from Wooly Wonka Fibers. Love the name and the yarn. (Details are here.)
 
I've worn this almost everyday - when I could get it away from Leia. Made the mistake of wearing it when I volunteered in her first grade class.
 
She whipped it off my neck and around her shoulders, and that was the last I saw of it until class was over.

Two samples for upcoming classes - 
 
Bruges lace scarf, made with Knitted Wit's Cashy Wool - yummy merino and cashmere blend. The color is gorgeous, even if it looks a bit weird in these photos. 
 
Entrelac bowl class, both felted and unfelted versions.
 
This was the first time I'd tried felting in my new-ish washing machine and I wasn't sure how the high-tech electronics and low-tech felting would mesh. 
 
I ended up pouring 2 pots of boiling water in the machine to get the temperature high enough, then letting it go for a normal cycle without checking on progress. Nerve-wracking, but it worked.   

Boys and Toys

Hubby has been excited about the Apple iWatch since it was announced last year. He ordered one the first day they were available, but not within the first couple of hours. As a result, he was told delivery would be delayed almost 2 months, to around June 24. (insert sad hubby face here.)
 
But guess what arrived yesterday? Over a month early?
 
The packaging is beautiful, as you'd expect from Apple.
 
That white disc in the box? That's the magnetic battery charger - very, very cool.
 
As you would expect, hubby immediately sat down, read all the instructions and got his new toy up and running in record time.
  
Yeah, right. Research and set-up is my job. I may not want one (hubby still doesn't believe me when I say that . . . ) but that doesn't mean I don't want to play with the newest tech toy. 
  
Best of both worlds. For both of us. 

Great Flood of '15

We finally got some rain today. 
 
Can't you just hear the newsies screaming, "Flood Watch 2015!!"?  
Sooo much excitement in S. California when nature does that H2O thing.
 
Leanne and I went out to play in the rain and look for rainbows,
 
and she got to use the umbrella we bought her months ago for the first time.
 
And she was sooo willing to share. Not.
 
"Get out from my burella!" 

Half Day

It was hard getting up this morning - I am soooo not a morning person - but the Tunisian beading class with Darla Fanton was definitely worth it.

We worked with tiny beads (6/0), thread and a smallish crochet hook - thank goodness for the table-top magnifier I bought yesterday. No way I could have done this workshop without it.

Great class, very relaxing with everyone working at their own speed and the beads all pre-strung by Darla.

I'm going to miss Yarn Fest - where else can you find backstrap weavers hanging out in the hotel lobby?? - but I'm really (really, really) looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.

As soon as I got out of class, we headed for Denver and the Mythical Creatures exhibit at the natural history museum. I think most of Denver had the same idea - the entry line was looooooong . . . until smarty Rachel remembered the self-service kiosks in the lobby. Bye bye, standing in line!

The exhibit was really interesting. Addy was excited to see unicorns but not so much the dragons and krakens.

Tomorrow is a free day and Tuesday we fly home. Addy is advocating for a visit to the Ft Collins children's museum and finishing up her embroidery.

I think we can arrange that.