Travel Day - London

It's finally here! We've been planning this trip for over six months. Day 1 - today - was LAX to London's Heathrow via my favorite international carrier, Air New Zealand.

 

 We originally had seats in Premium Economy (and they were pretty nice …)

 

but a few days ago I scored us an upgrade to Business Premiere.

 

So sweet! The price included access to the first class lounge at LAX - cushy seats and free food/drink -

 

plus real food with real flatware (knives! non-plastic forks!) and a white tablecloth on the plane,

 

and best of all, lay-flat beds! So much better than trying to sleep sitting up for 10+ hours.

 

 We're spending 3 nights at a Hilton hotel in Southampton before boarding Cunard's Queen Elizabeth on Saturday for a 14-day cruise. Stay tuned!

 

 

First Weaving

Leanne's first project is off the loom, washed, hemmed and living at her house.

 

She's pleased with her towel,

 

as well she should be.

 

Didn't she do a nice job?

 

I was surprised by how well she remembered the different steps

 

and how conscientious she was, always trying to get it right.

 

I think she's going to be a natural at weaving. 

Field Trip

Leia's last 3rd grade field trip was to the Chumash Museum in Thousand Oaks.
 
Hubby and I have lived in the county for a looooong time and we didn't even know there was a Chumash museum.
 The Chumash didn't have drums; they used  clapper sticks instead.

Turns out it's pretty cool.
 
A Chumash elder told stories (they were educational, but don't tell the kids. . .),
 
the kids made abalone necklaces,
 
using sand and their fingers to polish the shells -
 
and then we hiked down the dusty trail - keeping a sharp eye out for rattlesnakes - to the full-size Chumash huts where the kids could explore at will.
 
The weather was cooperative - slightly overcast and cool - and the bugs were tiny and cute(ish).
 
All in all, a great day and a nice way to (almost) end a fun school year. 

Weekend Weaver

Taking Deborah's dish towel weaving class - plus teaching the little girls - has gotten me fired up about weaving again.    

 

I have very little interest in multi-harness weaving anymore; it's just too time consuming and too hard on my back. In fact, I've put my Baby Wolf up for sale. A tough decision but she's sat in a corner, unused for over five years. It's time.

 

Rigid heddle weaving though? Simple and quick to warp, easy on my back (when I remember to use a tall table), with lots of interesting things to try.

 

So Saturday I joined Deborah in her studio for a color blended scarf class. So fun - and done before I went to bed that night, including wet finishing, because . . .

 

 

I needed the loom for Sunday's tool bag weaving class.

 

This one used a variable dent reed (brand new toy tool) so the cloth is sturdier/thicker on the left side (tan yarn) than on the right, which will allow the finished bag to stand upright. 

 

I finished weaving the fabric at home Sunday night but haven't done the zigzag stitching and wet finishing yet.

 

I'm a little nervous to cut up my weaving but I'm also excited to have a woven-by-me tool bag to show off.

 

We'll see if excitement or dread wins out over the upcoming holiday weekend.

Edit: found this pic from Sunday's class online. Fun day!

 

Fiber Baby

Jac got her first yarn ball today.

 

 

She and Lily Kitty were trying to claim the same toy, so Lily got the old, well-chewed yarn ball and Jac received a nice, fresh, baby-friendly version.

 

And like any good fibernista, she immediately pulled it apart,

 

inspected the yarn and gave it back to me to be rewound.

 

Gotta start 'em young on the fiber path!

Porcupine Personality Test

The girls cooked dinner for us tonight and the way they approached the porcupines says soooooo much about their personalities.

 

Leanne (and me too) dig into the gooey mess with enthusiasm and bare hands. 

 

Leia has no intention of touching that yucky stuff without gloves (and an apron, if she could have found one.)

 

But she has no problem getting her hands dirty when it comes to baking - especially if we're talking cookies and she gets to lick her fingers (not this time with the biscuits). 

 

And they both are more than willing to help eat what they make. So yummy. Seconds, anyone?

Careful and Honorable

This was on the wall in Leia's classroom tonight during open house. So beautiful.

 

Clothes Shopping

I seriously dislike clothes shopping. I buy jeans once a year (or two) and hit the Columbia Outlet for shirts when they have a sale, but that's about it. I wasn't always this way . . . maybe it's an age thing? Nahhhh.

 

We leave on our next big trip in less than a month, so it's getting down to the wire to find  traveling duds. Today was one of our few kid-free, appointment-free days (who knew retirement would be so busy?!) so hubby forced accompanied me to Dillard's in Palmdale (closest place to find formal attire) and then the T.O. mall. 

Good news? I have everything I need except shoes - and it only took us eight hours, door-to-door. Better news? A settlement check from Chevy - that I'd misplaced for months and was due to expire in June - paid for most of the shopping spree. That made it almost worth the aggravation. Almost.

Baby Visit

Look who came for a visit this weekend

 
with his big brother, Travis. 
 
Isaac sure looks different at 7 months vs 3 months. He's a big boy now!
 
Mom and Dad were attending a company party nearby so the boys stayed with us overnight. It was not one of our more successful visits. Isaac was congested and coughing, which meant he didn't get much sleep - so neither did I. And poor Travis started throwing up Sunday morning, probably from all the excitement of spending time with his favorite PopPop.
 
I didn't get any pix of Travis plus Breanne and company missed our planned Mother's Day brunch. Ah well, hopefully they will feel better next time and I'll get lots more photos.

Weaving Trifecta

Leia saw Leanne weaving today 

 

and decided she wanted to give it a try.

 

Of course, I said "no".

 

Riiiiiight.

 

I'd purchased another Ashford SampleIt loom after we got home from visiting Addy, just in case Leia was interested.

 

Leia picked her yarns, designed a warping plan (it involved multiplication; she was very excited to use her math skills) and we got most of the warping done before bedtime.

 

 

I plan to finish tying on in the morning and have it ready for her to start wefting when she gets out of school.

 

Crossing my fingers she likes it …