Well, we are out of the house; 30 years, 4 days and a "wake-up"!! My brother-in-law showed up with a 27 ft truck at 7 in the morning on Saturday. Three more guys came to help and they loaded up the truck 2 times and took the contents to storage. My girlfriend came over and we loaded our "next 3 weeks" clothes and toiletries into her car and my van and she took off.
I had to wait for the realtor to come by for the keys, so since I had a little pot of inside house paint handy, I checked all the corners for scrapes and touched them up. He didn't come when he said he would so I sat on the front steps and waited for him. He was very surprised when he got there to see that we were all done!
We did the whole thing - from first box in the truck to tossing the paint pot in the trash - in 3.5 hours!! My husband said it took a "shoe-horn" to get everything in those storage units - but they did it!! After everyone was done and took off, we went inside to say a last good-by to the house and not only thank God for it, but ask Him to bless the new family who would be moving in shortly.
We prayed for the right house all those years ago and God, from His abundance, supplied it. We dedicated it to Him then and confirmed that commitment many times over the years. We raised our children there and opened it to friends and family countless times. It was a friendly house that could take all the noise, confusion and fun we could come up with. We had bible studies, birthday parties, big gatherings and small, and wonderful holiday BBQs! We played games, worked puzzles and welcomed everyone. And when we said good by we thanked God for the memories and committed to Him that the next home He supplies us with will be His too! We both had a good cry, and typing this now, brings the tears close again! Not in sadness really - we feel good about going - but it is the "end of an era", and that certainly promotes nostalga!!
We'll move it all into the apartment in about 3 weeks, then see what God has in store for us there!! In the meantime, we are staying with good friends who offered to share their home with us - so being "homeless" is not a painful experience at all!! HA!!
Monday, April 24, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
Memories
Today is my last day in the house I have lived in for 30 years and 4 days and Morning Glory's postings about her childhood got me remembering some things I hadn't thought about in a long time! I'll probably think of a hundred more after this is finished!! But here are some from the last 30 years and some from before that too!
Skating around Balboa Island with my brother when we went to visit Grammie and Grandpop. Always a special treat - their house was the one my dad grew up in and was the 6th house built on the island. Of course when we were there the island was already built up and was a "beach destination"! Sometimes during the summer we would stay in the tiny apartment over the garage for a week. We were a block from the beach and we could walk into "town" for a frozen banana.
Listening to Grandpop as he would tell us stories. He was the kind of story-teller you could listen to for hours! And he was careful not to let the truth interfere with a good tale!! He had been a camerman for an old movie studio - Vidagraph, I think in Hollywood - and then moved to Balboa Island, bought a tug boat and owned Smith Boat Works where the fun-zone is now on Balboa Pennsula. He rode the ferry home to the island every night. In later years he worked as a marine biologist for Cal-Tech. Facinating man - I still miss him and he's been gone 41 years!
Riding my horse "Chief" in the hills behind my house for hours at a time. Now those hills are completely blanketed with high-end houses.
Getting thrown by Chief when a rabbit spooked him. I was riding bareback and slid right off into a cactus bush and had a large pad stick impale the top of my leg. Chief came right back and was quite contrite. We were close to our property - so I sent him home (and he actually went!!) and since it was a Saturday and my dad was working in the yard he saw Chief come back without me. He hopped on Chief's back and that wonderful horse brought him right to me! That was the only time Chief let my dad ride him without trying to brush him off under a tree! My mom worked a long time getting all the cactus spines out of my leg!!
Learning to shoot a pistol on our property - I used that knowledge to shoot a rattlesnake with my dad's pistol once when mom and I were home and he and my brother were gone.
Going deep sea fishing with my grandad 3 times and getting so seasick I thought I was dying all 3 times! We tried all the remedies and nothing worked. As long as we were moving I was fine, but when we stopped to fish - I caught some big fish every time, then succumed to the movement of the boat!! Grandad was a writer for American Fisherman and Field and Stream and did a series of articles on "Taking His Granddaughter Fishing"!!
Riding down our hill on a "Flexible Flyer" (anyone remember those?) and skidding off when it turned and I didn't!
Riding down another hill on the go-cart my brother and I built, before the steering blocks were in and dragging my elbow down the pavement when it turned and I didn't!! Ouch!! (These were learning experiences - although that go-cart was a lot of fun once the steering blocks were added!!)
Building our own house when I was in the 5th and 6th grade. My dad was a contractor and we built it on weekends with the help of one of his guys - Francisco Cortez. He taught us how to say, "Please, one cup of coffee with sugar" in spanish!! He came every Saturday for over a year and would not let Daddy pay him. I framed and drywalled my own bedroom in that house!!
Building tree houses in the avacado grove that surrounded the house we built. It was surrounded by windbreaks consisting of double rows of ecalyptus trees. The spacing was just right for building. My friend Kathy and I would build the treehouse then use them as a place to hide from younger siblings and read our books.
Building a pool in the backyard of our current house when my sons were 12 & 10 - they thought they had died and gone to heaven! They swam year-round for several years, till their brains finally understood mom tell them that swimming in 50-degree water was just nuts!
Memorial Day, Labor Day and 4th of July picnics in our back yard around that pool for the last 19 years. Sometimes we would have as many as 60 folks show up with their steaks and something to share! It's been a lot smaller group the last few years since the boys have grown up and their friends don't show up like they used to. We will miss those times! We won't have a pool when we get to our retirement home - but we may have the BBQs!!
Well! That was a lot - once I got started I could go on and on!! But enough for this time! - besides lunch is now over and my desk is filled with work that must be done! Morning Glory is right - blogging is fun!!
Skating around Balboa Island with my brother when we went to visit Grammie and Grandpop. Always a special treat - their house was the one my dad grew up in and was the 6th house built on the island. Of course when we were there the island was already built up and was a "beach destination"! Sometimes during the summer we would stay in the tiny apartment over the garage for a week. We were a block from the beach and we could walk into "town" for a frozen banana.
Listening to Grandpop as he would tell us stories. He was the kind of story-teller you could listen to for hours! And he was careful not to let the truth interfere with a good tale!! He had been a camerman for an old movie studio - Vidagraph, I think in Hollywood - and then moved to Balboa Island, bought a tug boat and owned Smith Boat Works where the fun-zone is now on Balboa Pennsula. He rode the ferry home to the island every night. In later years he worked as a marine biologist for Cal-Tech. Facinating man - I still miss him and he's been gone 41 years!
Riding my horse "Chief" in the hills behind my house for hours at a time. Now those hills are completely blanketed with high-end houses.
Getting thrown by Chief when a rabbit spooked him. I was riding bareback and slid right off into a cactus bush and had a large pad stick impale the top of my leg. Chief came right back and was quite contrite. We were close to our property - so I sent him home (and he actually went!!) and since it was a Saturday and my dad was working in the yard he saw Chief come back without me. He hopped on Chief's back and that wonderful horse brought him right to me! That was the only time Chief let my dad ride him without trying to brush him off under a tree! My mom worked a long time getting all the cactus spines out of my leg!!
Learning to shoot a pistol on our property - I used that knowledge to shoot a rattlesnake with my dad's pistol once when mom and I were home and he and my brother were gone.
Going deep sea fishing with my grandad 3 times and getting so seasick I thought I was dying all 3 times! We tried all the remedies and nothing worked. As long as we were moving I was fine, but when we stopped to fish - I caught some big fish every time, then succumed to the movement of the boat!! Grandad was a writer for American Fisherman and Field and Stream and did a series of articles on "Taking His Granddaughter Fishing"!!
Riding down our hill on a "Flexible Flyer" (anyone remember those?) and skidding off when it turned and I didn't!
Riding down another hill on the go-cart my brother and I built, before the steering blocks were in and dragging my elbow down the pavement when it turned and I didn't!! Ouch!! (These were learning experiences - although that go-cart was a lot of fun once the steering blocks were added!!)
Building our own house when I was in the 5th and 6th grade. My dad was a contractor and we built it on weekends with the help of one of his guys - Francisco Cortez. He taught us how to say, "Please, one cup of coffee with sugar" in spanish!! He came every Saturday for over a year and would not let Daddy pay him. I framed and drywalled my own bedroom in that house!!
Building tree houses in the avacado grove that surrounded the house we built. It was surrounded by windbreaks consisting of double rows of ecalyptus trees. The spacing was just right for building. My friend Kathy and I would build the treehouse then use them as a place to hide from younger siblings and read our books.
Building a pool in the backyard of our current house when my sons were 12 & 10 - they thought they had died and gone to heaven! They swam year-round for several years, till their brains finally understood mom tell them that swimming in 50-degree water was just nuts!
Memorial Day, Labor Day and 4th of July picnics in our back yard around that pool for the last 19 years. Sometimes we would have as many as 60 folks show up with their steaks and something to share! It's been a lot smaller group the last few years since the boys have grown up and their friends don't show up like they used to. We will miss those times! We won't have a pool when we get to our retirement home - but we may have the BBQs!!
Well! That was a lot - once I got started I could go on and on!! But enough for this time! - besides lunch is now over and my desk is filled with work that must be done! Morning Glory is right - blogging is fun!!
Monday, April 17, 2006
One Hundred Boxes
Yup - that is what is sitting in the pile in the empty space between the dining area and the living area - where the 2 gold wing back chairs used to sit. I say "used to", because a week ago a gal here at work bought them from me! As the moving day looms closer that pile gets larger! The last time I moved was 30 years ago today!! So - you're saying - 100 boxes - that's not bad for a 30-year accumulation!! I will have to confess that that pile does not include the 180 boxes that are already in storage for the long term. I know, I know - that is waaay too much stuff!! I'll probably have a wonderful garage sale in my new town in about 3 years!!
On Saturday morning some friends (my pastor and his wife) came to load up a U-Haul truck with the stuff we donated/sold to them for their daughter. She is graduating from seminary in May and will be taking a job as a youth pastor about an hour away. The church is giving her the old parsonage to live in. It is adjacent to the church property, and has 5 bedrooms!! As a student, all she has is her bed, a broken-down couch and a garage sale dinette table!! So she now will have a lot more stuff to make her new place feel like home. It it neat that she will be able to use it, and great that her dad hauled it off!!
Anyway, back to the boxes - I sort of hit a wall last night. We had been in San Diego to spend Easter with our son, his wife and her family and our most adorable 1-yr old granddaughter all day. (W0nderful!!) After the 2-hour drive home, I decided to work on packing more boxes. I wrapped up the last of the dishes and pots and pans, then went to look at the rest of the house. You know that stuff that won't fit in a regular box and you want it but can't figure out how to pack it? Usually it is the stuff that you throw in the back of the van and drive it all over to the new house, and carry it in yourself! Well - we are going to be "homeless" for about 3 weeks until our apartment is ready for us to move in, so everything is going in a storage unit - so I can't just load it in the van!! I just stood there and looked at it. I was just at a loss - I just couldn't face the stuff in that room! I made a couple stabs at it - at least I put a box together - but that is as far as I got!! I just went in and crawled into bed and watched a show on HGTV where someone else was moving!!
I will attack it with renewed vigor tomorrow night (I have a ceramic's class tonight - I'll write about that some other time!). My goal is to have the stack of boxes complete and our "next-3-weeks" clothes all packed and ready to go as of this Thursday. We'll see - I will still have Friday night as a fall-back if it isn't accomplished on my schedule! It will be interesting to see if I have designated too much stuff as "apartment necessities". We already have the other storage almost totally full of stuff we won't see til we retire and move!! This is the next step of a grand adventure - but I AM SO TIRED OF PACKING!!! Oops, sorry - didn't mean to yell!! But I will be so glad when this week is over!!
On Saturday morning some friends (my pastor and his wife) came to load up a U-Haul truck with the stuff we donated/sold to them for their daughter. She is graduating from seminary in May and will be taking a job as a youth pastor about an hour away. The church is giving her the old parsonage to live in. It is adjacent to the church property, and has 5 bedrooms!! As a student, all she has is her bed, a broken-down couch and a garage sale dinette table!! So she now will have a lot more stuff to make her new place feel like home. It it neat that she will be able to use it, and great that her dad hauled it off!!
Anyway, back to the boxes - I sort of hit a wall last night. We had been in San Diego to spend Easter with our son, his wife and her family and our most adorable 1-yr old granddaughter all day. (W0nderful!!) After the 2-hour drive home, I decided to work on packing more boxes. I wrapped up the last of the dishes and pots and pans, then went to look at the rest of the house. You know that stuff that won't fit in a regular box and you want it but can't figure out how to pack it? Usually it is the stuff that you throw in the back of the van and drive it all over to the new house, and carry it in yourself! Well - we are going to be "homeless" for about 3 weeks until our apartment is ready for us to move in, so everything is going in a storage unit - so I can't just load it in the van!! I just stood there and looked at it. I was just at a loss - I just couldn't face the stuff in that room! I made a couple stabs at it - at least I put a box together - but that is as far as I got!! I just went in and crawled into bed and watched a show on HGTV where someone else was moving!!
I will attack it with renewed vigor tomorrow night (I have a ceramic's class tonight - I'll write about that some other time!). My goal is to have the stack of boxes complete and our "next-3-weeks" clothes all packed and ready to go as of this Thursday. We'll see - I will still have Friday night as a fall-back if it isn't accomplished on my schedule! It will be interesting to see if I have designated too much stuff as "apartment necessities". We already have the other storage almost totally full of stuff we won't see til we retire and move!! This is the next step of a grand adventure - but I AM SO TIRED OF PACKING!!! Oops, sorry - didn't mean to yell!! But I will be so glad when this week is over!!
Friday, April 07, 2006
Incredible Shrinking Woman
I'm losing weight - Wahoo! I started a few months ago when it was either buy size 14 pants with stretch or get serious about what I keep saying I'm doing!! I was also partially motivated by "C" who had gastric bypass surgery and was shrinking before our very eyes! There was always some (perverted, I think!) comfort in knowing I was "thinner" than several of my friends and although size 14 at 5'4" is a long way from thin, I could convince myself that I wasn't that bad, because they were heaver! Don't get me wrong - I really was, and still am, so happy for "C", that she had the surgery and is doing so well, but watching her eat her mini meals and drop sizes almost weekly started to mess with my comfort zone! Someone told her they "hated" her for losing weight so easily! That was just sick! Gastric bypass, although extremely effective for a lot of folks, is really drastic! And she had carried that extra 150 lbs around for a lot of years!! I'm really proud of her - not jealous!! Anyway - It got me motivated!
A friend spent the night with us and said she was on Medifast and it was really working for her. I checked it out on line the next day, and it sounded like it would certainly fit my life-style. The plan consists of 5 packets a day; shakes, bars, chili, soup, oatmeal, or hot drinks, and 1 "lean and green" meal a day. I'm basically lazy when it comes to breakfast and packing something for lunch at work, so this sounded perfect! I ordered it and got started. Well, I lost 25 pounds really quickly!! I like the plan, it's easy and tasty. This last 10 has been a lot slower, but I do admit to cheating a bit - particularly on weekends! I do intend to stay with it for a while - losing some has motivated me to lose more!
I signed up with a trainer at my gym for another 6-month stint - I feel such accomplishment when I can do all the reps he gives me and live through it!! HA!! His assignment is to work me hard enough to see a difference - he is definitely giving it his best shot!!
Buying a size 10 was great fun, and a size 8 was even better! As an added plus, my blood pressure is perfect, my cholestrol has dropped under 180, and my energy level has increased a bunch!! - and 0h yeah - I just bought a size 6!
A friend spent the night with us and said she was on Medifast and it was really working for her. I checked it out on line the next day, and it sounded like it would certainly fit my life-style. The plan consists of 5 packets a day; shakes, bars, chili, soup, oatmeal, or hot drinks, and 1 "lean and green" meal a day. I'm basically lazy when it comes to breakfast and packing something for lunch at work, so this sounded perfect! I ordered it and got started. Well, I lost 25 pounds really quickly!! I like the plan, it's easy and tasty. This last 10 has been a lot slower, but I do admit to cheating a bit - particularly on weekends! I do intend to stay with it for a while - losing some has motivated me to lose more!
I signed up with a trainer at my gym for another 6-month stint - I feel such accomplishment when I can do all the reps he gives me and live through it!! HA!! His assignment is to work me hard enough to see a difference - he is definitely giving it his best shot!!
Buying a size 10 was great fun, and a size 8 was even better! As an added plus, my blood pressure is perfect, my cholestrol has dropped under 180, and my energy level has increased a bunch!! - and 0h yeah - I just bought a size 6!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
House for Sale
We have sold our house - We listed it on Saturday at a price higher than any in our neighborhood had listed for, thinking it would give us negotiation space. We had an offer the next Saturday morning - before the open house - full price, the only contingency being a 40-day escrow!! I am astounded!! Not that the house isn't worth it on today's market - it's 4 bedroom, 2000 sq feet - on a nice cul-de-sac with a pool - but this house has increased - are you ready for this(?) -1566% since we bought it 30 years ago!!!
We moved in on April 17th, 1976 - Easter weekend - and we are moving out April 22, 2006 - 30 years and 1 week later. I have been packing boxes for about 10 months - just a few every week or two, but really hit it hard after the holidays. I am embarassed to say I have over 175 boxes in storage! These boxes contain all kinds of valuable stuff that I have decided I can live without for another 2.5 years!! That is the magic time til my husband hits 62 and will retire. At that point we will pack our bags and head to a very pretty northern state, near some very dear friends, where we will enjoy the next chapter!! All that is left in my house right now is the stuff I have determined to be vital in those 2.5 years!! I may be having a really grand garage sale in 2.6 years!! HA!!
The plan in motion is to sell now while the Southern California property market is still hot, and buy in that very pretty northern state before their housing market gets any hotter!! We will then try to rent it out or visit it quarterly or something like that til we actually move in.
We found out yesterday that we got a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment in the complex we wanted to be in. It looks really nice, is gated, not very many kids, and we have a pretty good size unit at a good price with a private garage!! I wrote the check last night - and sitting in the manager's office it struck me that we are really doing this!! We have about 3 weeks or so till we move out, and we will probably have to put all of the apartment stuff into storage for 2 - 3 weeks while we either motel it or farm ourselves out to the friends who have willingly offered to put us in their guest rooms for the "homeless" nights. This will be a little tricky - but we will live through it!!
We said from the beginning that if this move was in God's plan for us, that He would bring it all together. My husband was blown away when the house sold so quickly - he was prepared for a long wait to see if we really were working within God's plan! Between the sale of the house and the apartment opening within 3 weeks of finding where we wanted to be - we are real sure that for now we are right where He wants us!! What lies ahead will be exciting to find out!!
We moved in on April 17th, 1976 - Easter weekend - and we are moving out April 22, 2006 - 30 years and 1 week later. I have been packing boxes for about 10 months - just a few every week or two, but really hit it hard after the holidays. I am embarassed to say I have over 175 boxes in storage! These boxes contain all kinds of valuable stuff that I have decided I can live without for another 2.5 years!! That is the magic time til my husband hits 62 and will retire. At that point we will pack our bags and head to a very pretty northern state, near some very dear friends, where we will enjoy the next chapter!! All that is left in my house right now is the stuff I have determined to be vital in those 2.5 years!! I may be having a really grand garage sale in 2.6 years!! HA!!
The plan in motion is to sell now while the Southern California property market is still hot, and buy in that very pretty northern state before their housing market gets any hotter!! We will then try to rent it out or visit it quarterly or something like that til we actually move in.
We found out yesterday that we got a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment in the complex we wanted to be in. It looks really nice, is gated, not very many kids, and we have a pretty good size unit at a good price with a private garage!! I wrote the check last night - and sitting in the manager's office it struck me that we are really doing this!! We have about 3 weeks or so till we move out, and we will probably have to put all of the apartment stuff into storage for 2 - 3 weeks while we either motel it or farm ourselves out to the friends who have willingly offered to put us in their guest rooms for the "homeless" nights. This will be a little tricky - but we will live through it!!
We said from the beginning that if this move was in God's plan for us, that He would bring it all together. My husband was blown away when the house sold so quickly - he was prepared for a long wait to see if we really were working within God's plan! Between the sale of the house and the apartment opening within 3 weeks of finding where we wanted to be - we are real sure that for now we are right where He wants us!! What lies ahead will be exciting to find out!!
Friday, March 31, 2006
Perfume Woes
Perfume - the word sounds smooth and sexy. Why is the reality sometimes so opposite?!! There is a lady who works in my building who must bathe in the stuff! She is easy to track - it's like she has mud on her gold slides - you always know where she has been! I have always steered clear of close contact with her, because I seem to be allergic to her brand.
A while back someone came into my office to complain (I'm HR - I handle everything!) - this person had come into their "cube" to talk about a project and the "complaintant" got an instant migrane, that sent her home and it didn't let up til late the next day!!
I sent an email to everyone in the building (about 100 folks), using a little humor, but at the same time getting my point across, that although most perfume/after shave is lovely, there are some folks who just can't handle it, so please don't wear it to work. I immediately received no less than 15 emails saying, "Thank you!!!" -( I should mention here that more than half of those responses were from folks who work on her floor!!)
I was pleased that almost everyone complied! - But you know where this is going!! She was on my floor a couple of weeks later and as usual was surrounded by her "fog of fragrance". I stopped and asked her, with a smile, if she had gotten the email request about not wearing perfume at work. I made the mistake of breathing in at that point and immediately started coughing! She followed me into my office, and I had to ask her to step back into the hallway so I could get my breath! She very indignantly told me that it was very expensive and no one should have a problem with it! I assured her that it was not the cost - but there was something in it that was very irritating to some folks. I was as nice as I could be.
Well, she is still wearing it, and you still are assulted by the smell if she is in the vicinity!! AAAuuuggghhh!! I wonder if I can/should write her up as creating a nusance? hmmmmm. . . .
A while back someone came into my office to complain (I'm HR - I handle everything!) - this person had come into their "cube" to talk about a project and the "complaintant" got an instant migrane, that sent her home and it didn't let up til late the next day!!
I sent an email to everyone in the building (about 100 folks), using a little humor, but at the same time getting my point across, that although most perfume/after shave is lovely, there are some folks who just can't handle it, so please don't wear it to work. I immediately received no less than 15 emails saying, "Thank you!!!" -( I should mention here that more than half of those responses were from folks who work on her floor!!)
I was pleased that almost everyone complied! - But you know where this is going!! She was on my floor a couple of weeks later and as usual was surrounded by her "fog of fragrance". I stopped and asked her, with a smile, if she had gotten the email request about not wearing perfume at work. I made the mistake of breathing in at that point and immediately started coughing! She followed me into my office, and I had to ask her to step back into the hallway so I could get my breath! She very indignantly told me that it was very expensive and no one should have a problem with it! I assured her that it was not the cost - but there was something in it that was very irritating to some folks. I was as nice as I could be.
Well, she is still wearing it, and you still are assulted by the smell if she is in the vicinity!! AAAuuuggghhh!! I wonder if I can/should write her up as creating a nusance? hmmmmm. . . .
Thursday, March 30, 2006
"Bring Your Rotary Cutter"
That's what Judy told me when she invited me to her house last Saturday! I met Judy and another friend, Sue a few years ago, when they both attended my church for a while and I discovered quickly that they were both avid (and talented) quilters! To say that Judy has quite a stash of fabric is an understatement of vast proportions! Her husband built a "fabric wall" along the whole side of the 3rd bay of their garage when they retired a couple of years ago so she could get her fabric organized. Well - there are 7 shelves, floor to rafters, stretching front to back, and each shelf has 10 - 11 good sized see-through bins that are totally filled with fabric!! That adds up to more than 70 bins - each one nicely labled with what's inside!
Well, she "needed" to make room for new fabric - so she invited Sue, me and another friend, Chris, out to her home for the day. We spent some quality time "worshipping" at the "fabric wall altar" - then got to work! The 4 of us cut pieces of fabric into 5" squares or 2 1/2" strips and divided it up into 4 piles. We stopped for lunch, but we put a good 6 hours into the project. (We hardly made a dent in the "altar"!!) We got through about 1 1/2 bins, and each came home with a wonderful assortment of squares and strips - and Judy now has room for a few new purchases!! (We are going to a big 3-day quilt show in Paducah, Kentucky in April - sort of a "fabric orgy"!)
What a wonder fabric is! Our piles contained flowers, stripes, plain, dots - the variety was endless!! As I sorted through the stacks I found so many I just loved - some I didn't love as much, but in a scrap quilt they will all work together!! I can hardly wait to start working on it! This one will be special since 4 friends worked together to make it happen!
I love making quilts and as I put the pieces together the patterns emerge in lights and darks, brights and softs, to form something new and useful and inviting! Sort of the way God takes the scraps of my life and puts them all together to do something totally unexpected and useful in His plan!! Even when I think I know how a quilt will look and what its use will be, there is always anticipation when I see the newly finished quilt - there is always an "ahhh!". I hope God reacts like that to the way I use what He has pieced me together with!
We are in the process of moving to an "interim apartment" - and I have packed and stored most of my craft things in boxes that won't be unpacked for a couple of years. But then I will be retired and in my new big craft room in my new house and will finally have the time to see if I really want to do all the things that looked like fun when I didn't have time for them! I did not pack my quilting stuff for storage though! That goes with me and will be accessible!! We move in about a month - as soon as I get the apartment livable I can start sewing! I can hardly wait - the scrap quilt will be first!!
Well, she "needed" to make room for new fabric - so she invited Sue, me and another friend, Chris, out to her home for the day. We spent some quality time "worshipping" at the "fabric wall altar" - then got to work! The 4 of us cut pieces of fabric into 5" squares or 2 1/2" strips and divided it up into 4 piles. We stopped for lunch, but we put a good 6 hours into the project. (We hardly made a dent in the "altar"!!) We got through about 1 1/2 bins, and each came home with a wonderful assortment of squares and strips - and Judy now has room for a few new purchases!! (We are going to a big 3-day quilt show in Paducah, Kentucky in April - sort of a "fabric orgy"!)
What a wonder fabric is! Our piles contained flowers, stripes, plain, dots - the variety was endless!! As I sorted through the stacks I found so many I just loved - some I didn't love as much, but in a scrap quilt they will all work together!! I can hardly wait to start working on it! This one will be special since 4 friends worked together to make it happen!
I love making quilts and as I put the pieces together the patterns emerge in lights and darks, brights and softs, to form something new and useful and inviting! Sort of the way God takes the scraps of my life and puts them all together to do something totally unexpected and useful in His plan!! Even when I think I know how a quilt will look and what its use will be, there is always anticipation when I see the newly finished quilt - there is always an "ahhh!". I hope God reacts like that to the way I use what He has pieced me together with!
We are in the process of moving to an "interim apartment" - and I have packed and stored most of my craft things in boxes that won't be unpacked for a couple of years. But then I will be retired and in my new big craft room in my new house and will finally have the time to see if I really want to do all the things that looked like fun when I didn't have time for them! I did not pack my quilting stuff for storage though! That goes with me and will be accessible!! We move in about a month - as soon as I get the apartment livable I can start sewing! I can hardly wait - the scrap quilt will be first!!
Friday, March 24, 2006
The Ski Trip
I'm almost 58 - good grief!! Did I ever think I would be that old? I don't think so!! I still find myself mildly surprised when I see the signs of aging beginning to appear! I'm really only about 30 on the inside!! Maybe that's why I love to ski! Huh?? - what does that have to do with aging? Probably nothing to most folks, but I have decided that I will ski til they won't let me on the lift any more! I am not an athlete - I do like golf, but that's about it. Maybe they are connected in some way - very individual! Our gang has been skiing together for about 30 years. First just 3 couples, then the kids got old enough and we brought them - now they are bringing their kids! We go the last of February every year and alternate between June Mt. near Mammoth in California and Brian Head in Utah. Both places are a little out of the way and not at all crowded. This is important for me - I hate standing in lines - I just want to ski!! Over the last few years the other 2 original gals have quit skiing, one after Cancer and a broken leg (skiing!) and the other because of her weight. (She announced she may try it again next year - she had gastric bypass and is down to a size 10!!) Anyway, I usually ski sort of by myself, or sometimes with one of the younger moms.
Well, this year I was the only female type that skied every day. The young moms spent time with the babies. I don't have my own skis any more because they are too expensive to maintain for 1 ski trip a year. The rental guy put me on 150cm parabolic skis this time - shorter than last year's 160s and really shorter than my old 172s!! Well!!! - I don't think I have skied as well as I did this year in a long time! I'm not very tall - only 5'4" - and I've recently lost a few sizes, so the shorter skis were the ticket this time! I did a few runs on my own to get my legs going - then I went up to where the "big boys" ski! I found our guys and spent the next 3 days skiing with them! I had no problem keeping up with them on the intermediate or advanced runs they were doing. I HAD A BLAST!!
They go into the lodge for lunch and spend an hour or so eating and relaxing. I discovered I love skiing through lunch - I have the hill to myself - it's wonderful! I usually stop at a little midpoint place and have a drink of water and a protein bar then take off again. In the 3 days I got in about 115 runs - 15 more than the guys!! I was so proud! I think the time spent at the gym is really paying off for this old gal!!
I'm looking forward to moving to Idaho - that's in the works. There is a nice ski area near where we will be living - I plan to get a season pass and ski as often as they will let me on the hill!
Well, this year I was the only female type that skied every day. The young moms spent time with the babies. I don't have my own skis any more because they are too expensive to maintain for 1 ski trip a year. The rental guy put me on 150cm parabolic skis this time - shorter than last year's 160s and really shorter than my old 172s!! Well!!! - I don't think I have skied as well as I did this year in a long time! I'm not very tall - only 5'4" - and I've recently lost a few sizes, so the shorter skis were the ticket this time! I did a few runs on my own to get my legs going - then I went up to where the "big boys" ski! I found our guys and spent the next 3 days skiing with them! I had no problem keeping up with them on the intermediate or advanced runs they were doing. I HAD A BLAST!!
They go into the lodge for lunch and spend an hour or so eating and relaxing. I discovered I love skiing through lunch - I have the hill to myself - it's wonderful! I usually stop at a little midpoint place and have a drink of water and a protein bar then take off again. In the 3 days I got in about 115 runs - 15 more than the guys!! I was so proud! I think the time spent at the gym is really paying off for this old gal!!
I'm looking forward to moving to Idaho - that's in the works. There is a nice ski area near where we will be living - I plan to get a season pass and ski as often as they will let me on the hill!
Friday, March 10, 2006
Musings on a Grandaughter
I just spent a long weekend in the mountains skiing with friends and family. Our son, his wife and 10-month old daughter shared our cabin, and together with the others in adjoining cabins made a group of 14. (More on the ski trip at a different time!)
As a new mom a lot of years ago I was amazed at the depth of love I could feel for my new baby - - well, then along comes his daughter!! A grandchild is a wonderous gift! I wasn't rabid for my kids to present us with grandchildren - just because I figured that if I was it would make us harder to be around. I certainly didn't want that - so I made sure that my husband and I always projected the opinion that their timing for children was just that - theirs to decide! Well - thankfully it didn't take them too long!! HA!! She was born on their 3rd anniversary! We were blessed to be able to be at the hospital and held her shortly after she was born. What a joy!!
Well, back to now - Spending a few days with her (and her parents!) was so much fun! I would get up early in the morning to turn up the heat and start the coffee and pretty soon I could hear her little voice in her parent's bedroom. They would get her up and bring her out to me in the living room - all smiles and cuddles! Is there anything better? She would cuddle for a little while and then wanted down to play with her toys and walk around and around the coffee table - then back for another cuddle! She is delighted with finding someone's unguarded water bottle, and the world is her chew-toy! She says "da-da", I think I hear "ma-ma", and we are fairly certain we can hear, "Grandi and Poppy" in her verbal stream!!
What fun it is going to be watching her grow up and become an independent person. I can already see the makings of a gregarious sunny personality. She is delighted by everything around her and wrinkles up her nose and grins in the most engaging way when she turns around and catches your eye!! Ahh - I knew grandchildren would be fun - - but until I actually became a grandma I didn't realize how much!
As a new mom a lot of years ago I was amazed at the depth of love I could feel for my new baby - - well, then along comes his daughter!! A grandchild is a wonderous gift! I wasn't rabid for my kids to present us with grandchildren - just because I figured that if I was it would make us harder to be around. I certainly didn't want that - so I made sure that my husband and I always projected the opinion that their timing for children was just that - theirs to decide! Well - thankfully it didn't take them too long!! HA!! She was born on their 3rd anniversary! We were blessed to be able to be at the hospital and held her shortly after she was born. What a joy!!
Well, back to now - Spending a few days with her (and her parents!) was so much fun! I would get up early in the morning to turn up the heat and start the coffee and pretty soon I could hear her little voice in her parent's bedroom. They would get her up and bring her out to me in the living room - all smiles and cuddles! Is there anything better? She would cuddle for a little while and then wanted down to play with her toys and walk around and around the coffee table - then back for another cuddle! She is delighted with finding someone's unguarded water bottle, and the world is her chew-toy! She says "da-da", I think I hear "ma-ma", and we are fairly certain we can hear, "Grandi and Poppy" in her verbal stream!!
What fun it is going to be watching her grow up and become an independent person. I can already see the makings of a gregarious sunny personality. She is delighted by everything around her and wrinkles up her nose and grins in the most engaging way when she turns around and catches your eye!! Ahh - I knew grandchildren would be fun - - but until I actually became a grandma I didn't realize how much!
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