Continuing the Visit

I don't know if it is me or I've been here too long, but the temperature in this house if getting to feel okay. Jon and Ruth started remolding their home in July and tore up their floors to put in radiant heating. They also took out their one and only heater in the house to do this. Jon has not had time to complete the radiant heating and now they are using portable heaters. Of course this is expensive and yesterday Ruth was on the computer looking at her PGE bill and discovered how expensive. She went around turning off the portables. I'm sitting here typing this with a nice robe on, warm laptop on my lap, socks on my feet and slippers, hot tea by my side and freezing hands. When I arrived here they had placed a heater in my room in which I sleep. When Hal came down I didn't need the extra heating, so I took the heater out and really haven't need the heater again. I am using an air bed with a feather bed on top to keep the air under me from coming up and freezing my backside. I also am using my winter quilt I made using denim and flannel, another quilt I brought from home, a quilt Ruth gave me and a throw from Ruth's, that's 4 quilts! I am so warm and snugly I have a hard time getting up out of bed.
I am enjoying myself here. I am looking forward though to get home and get warm. I will miss the Ruth and her little family. Jenna is getting so big. She is definitely growing into a teenager. She and Jon are bumping heads yet she loves him. I can tell by the way she response to him. She wants to care for the baby, yet takes care to fellow Jon's directions on how to handle her. This is just one example. She is also making her own grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. Wow, I am so impressed! Don't grow up so fast Jenna.

Short Visit

It was to be a 2 day visit and return home until the baby came. That was Nov 15th. Today is Dec 11 and I still am here. No the baby did not come early, but when the time to leave approached, I just couldn't. I called Harold, asked him to drive down and bring me somethings to wear. He stayed for a whole week and we were included Thanksgiving at Jon's sister. Still no baby. I went with Ruth for 2 visits to her doctors and each time she assured Ruth it would be "soon". That "soon" word became a four letter word.
Ruth was due Thanksgiving Day, she delivered Dec 3, 2011. This was her first child at 31 years old. At 32 years of age, I had Ruth and 2 before her. I guess that was why I stayed. I was worried about her. I didn't need to worry. She went into labor about 5:30 AM and delivered her by 1:23PM. Brooke Zada Buel, a beautiful daughter as born. She is now one week old and I plan on leaving next Saturday. I told her that I'd give her e weeks after the baby came. I will leave on the 14th day. No, I am not looking forward to not seeing Brooke daily, but I don't see my other grandchildren daily. I am looking forward to my own bed and comforts of home.

NO WAY

I just looked at my blog and realized it has been 11 months since my last post. I don't know if anyone even reads this, but it is fun to add to the blog occasionally just for my history. Not much has happened this year. Well, I guess I should start with why I even looked at my blog page. My son Brian just sold me a notepad. It is an HP. I'm excited, don't know about Hal. Anyway, I needed a gmail address and so I tried to remember my address. I didn't think pickin2gogranny was a good email address, so I changed it to something more normal. Well, I will continue this later.
Sunday, Oct. 23
Spent the day resting from yesterday. It started Friday with Brian's sons. We had a sleepover then off to a soccer game. Home after lunch and a new toy (the notepad) and then Eric called to see if his children could come visit. Of course they could come for a while. Jace is the newest grandson. He was born in Aug of 2010. He just started walking. He has had some serious moments, but not from walking. He was born with jaundice and this caused trouble with us and his mom and dad. They felt we abandon them in their time of need. May be we did, but I just couldn't stand for the way they wanted us to care for the girls. We are the parents, not the children, This stand we took changed how I react to Joanna and Eric. The other serious moment came when a dresser fell on his head. He was about 5 months at this time. Joanna called me to come meet her at the hospital. Thank God there was no major damage. I think it was more of a scare for Joanna then anything. Apparently, Jazz opened a drawer causing the dresser to fall, Jace was between the drawer and piece of furniture. Oh, I didn't mention that this was at 1AM in the morning. Well, Jace walks and talks now. He even runs around chasing and teasing his sisters. Julia started school this Sept., so the kids now go to bed earlier. Jazlyn is finally talking and smiling and I can see her advancing.

Pre-Trip

Soon my husband and I will be leaving on a cruise he chose for us in April. He searched this cruise out over many months on the computer. It started last year when a friend mentioned that they wanted to go to the Panama Channel Cruise. While a cruise was in the air, Panama was not my first choice. The friends are dear friends. The very first cruise we took was with friends to Alaska. It was my coincidences that we found each other wanting to take a cruise to Alaska and we both had wanted to take a ferry and export on our own. It turned out the cruise was cheaper and talk with Betty, she said she was going to call a get tickets. It was a good time. They went up by train and we drove up. We met on the boat and took a couple of adventures together. We ate together and watched the shows together. After the cruise we sat off by ourselves in the car and they returned home via the train.
This cruise/vacation is not at all like that one. We actually plan to fly together to Florida, 6 of us. Yes, another couple, my friends, Lynn and Jim's, friends, Al and Susie. We will stay at the same hotel, rent a car for Friday and then set sail together on Saturday. On the course of the trip, we will be together many times, including sight seeing tours. I am anxious about the closeness of the group. Will we get along? Will we wear on each other? Will I miss not sharing quiet moments with Hal and discovering new things together? I suppose when one ventures out they take with them a certain sense of doom, but there is the excitement of conquering those fears and making new conquests. I am looking forward to what lies ahead. Hope when I return, I will be able to share all the great new wonderful experiences my friends and I shared along with a few tender moments with Hal.

Time Spent

Look, it's September and I must of been busy this August or I would have posted. I have. I've knitted 2 shawllets which I haven't taken time to block. The first one was completed in July and the next, in August. I also made a little blanket for my new grandson, Jace while awaiting his birth. It didn't take too long. I did not batt the blanket. Pat Pleis gave me some stencils to draw stars on the blanket for quilting. It made it look precious. The name of the blanket was a Star Is Born. I started a sweater for Brian using his yarn he brought back from New Zealand in the late 1980's. He was on his mission trip with YWAM. I am currently making Christmas gifts. Again, I must give credit to Pat Pleis. She gave me some fabric and now I'm able to make those for little or not cost. Thanks Pat. I've made a shrug to wear on my cruise. Oh yes, Hal and I are going on a cruise this year. We plan on going through the Panama Canal. We will be gone for 18 days! We are so looking forward to this. Of course I want to work to get some spending money for this trip, now I need the district to cooperate with me. I've worked a day and a half, looking forward to more days.
Then there was the birth of my third grandson, Jace. What a delight! He is so small. I was holding him yesterday and watching his sister, Jaz. She is only 2 yrs. old and looks so big compared to this little one, yet she is still a baby too.
Hal and I sat for Eric and Joanna while they were in the hospital. It was a stressful time for the girls as well as us. Jace had to return to the hospital before the week was out because of jaundice. They both went to the hospital to care for him, and left the girls with us. More stress. Talking about it on a public sight would not be a good idea for anyone. Let's just say, we all learned stress is something we all don't take well.
On Friday night I went shopping with Joanna at Nordstrom. We stopped at the shoe sale racks and of course we didn't resist. Joanna tried on the cutest tennis shoes. They were pink with sparkles (like Dorothy's shoes in the Wizard of Oz only pink). Then she found a pair that were trimmed in pink and had spots on them like cow spots. I liked them so much I tried on a pair. I asked her if she would mind if I purchased a pair and she said, "No, it meant that she had good taste." I tell this story because when I use to go shopping with my mom, we would always end up buying the same clothes. I never took it so well.
Saturday I spent the day with Hal shopping. I meant SPENT. He went to Men's Warehouse and purchase a sports coat and pants for our trip. Let's just say he works hard for his money and doesn't ever buy himself nice clothes. These items made him feel like we are going on this trip.
Andrew started school 2 weeks ago. He was absent the second day because he got food poisoning. Go figure. His dad, Brian thinks it was the cookies, because both he and Andrew ate them and got sick, Brian more than Andrew. The boys spent a night here. It was so nice. They actually spent the whole night in bed. Before they went to bed I bribed them with an ice cream the next day. Well, as soon as William got out of bed, he asked about that ice cream. Finally at 11:30 we took them to B&R for a cone. They ate lunch too, but later. Mom and Dad went to the city to see a play and spend a little quiet time together.

Busy Bee

July 22, 2010 The quilts pictured here are evidence that I have been a busy bee. After July 4 and the granddaughter's visit, I completed the several baby gifts I wanted to give to a friend of mind's new granddaughter and my new grandson. Both have not been born yet, but will be born soon. I posted the pictures on Facebook.com and my knitting project on Ravelry.com. I also made another quilt. The second quilt pictured was made for my grandson.

The first one on the left was made for my friend's granddaughter. I made a tackle quilt using several different fabrics and Minkie on the back. It was my first success with Minkie. I based sprayed the backing to the batting and the batting to the back of the top. Then I penned it out and quilted from one corner to the next. After that I stitched in the ditch.
My sister Dorothy and her husband John came for a visit. They are here to visit their California children and grandchildren They live in Georgia. They were able to stay a whole day, so I suggested that we go to the winiers here in ElDorado County. We ended up off HWY 49 near Plymouth. The wines were delicious as was the company. It's nice to have family nearby that one can see their roots.

Yesterday, began my first experience in choosing speakers for my quilt guild. I signed someone. I must call and tell her that unless she can get someone to help pay the cost of travel. She will be coming from San Diego. I do hope we can get her to come.

Soap Box

This is a picture of my step-granddaughter, Jenna. She was able to stay with us for three days this week. She is nine years old. She is now to live with her father, my son-in-law because of several reasons, but the main one is that her mother moved out of-state and left her daughter here. She was hoping that the judge would give her the legal guardianship, but it didn't happen. Today I was informed a nephew of mine also was given guardianship of his daughter because the daughter's mother was moving out-of-state. I know in both cases there are other circumstances involved, but I say hurray for the child. There must be stability in these young peoples lives and if it has to be the father rather than the mother so-be-it.
Jenna used my rotary cutter and sewing machine to make this pillow. It was her choice. I was so happy she wanted to sew. I think she may sew again. She may make my daughter bring out the machine I gave her.
Have a Happy 4Th of July.