Guess who?

We had another round of company this weekend.

  Although I'm beginning to think that Naphtali, Aidan and Proton should no longer qualify as company.

Truly, they are wanted and welcome any time.

Here's Proton playing with a craft project I tried out the other night: 

an ice votive.

It worked and I can't wait to make more. 

Shhh - Christmas plans.

Here's a picture of coordinated effort - Jordison style.

I pulled up the old floor and did some patching.  Naphtali a talented and hard-working woman did the painting.  

Tim helped with the painting and laid the new floor.

It looks great. I love the floor.

The paint changes color with the day's light shifting from green to gray and back again.

Would you be surprised to learn that there are several other projects in progress?

You'll have to check back to see what's happening.

Inquiring minds want to know

Naphtali asks if there are bows all over my house - now that I have learned to make them

The answer to that can be summed up in one word - no.  

But it is time to get busy on certain projects around the house.  This week - no bows -  I did make an afghan.  

 It's hard to think I've been living here less than 2 months.  And with the push to get Kennybrook up and running, a family wedding, several rounds of company, and an extra dog for a couple weeks, 

we've put off getting a start on any big projects.

That time has ended.

So here is a glimpse of how the house does look:

We are in the middle of a remodel.  New floor and paint for this room.  Plus a closet has been removed.  I had things torn apart - though not quite this torn apart -on Friday when my SIL called and asked if we would host a sibling get-together on Saturday - if she could get the others to sign on.  

Bien sur, I replied.  Well, I probably said "sure" or something like that, but for a post "bien sur" always sounds so much better. 

Sign on they did, so about noon on Saturday everything went back to its place.

No point in rearranging until I knew for sure they were coming, n'est-ce pas?

Tim cooked.  They arrived.  And we had a great time.

Sunday meant everything was moved again.  And somewhere in all this Naphtali called to say that she and Aidan might be down this weekend.  Might be.  

As of yesterday afternoon - will be.  

And we'll have a great time.

We - Tim - built our first fire Sunday night.

Product Placement

I love this cereal.

Last Hurrah

While walking Charlie the other day I noticed some lovely roses at the home of one of our neighbors, which prompted a discourse along these lines - you'll need to add the appropriate inflections to capture the full measure of wonder my thoughts produced -

Charlie!  I have a rose bush, too! We'll have to look when we get home - or something like that.

Guess what?

Three buds.  In various stages of open.  

They are now sitting on the counter and as this one has opened it has scented the air with the classic rose aroma.  The color, too, is classic: deep, velvety red.

In so many of the new hybrids scent has been sacrificed for hardiness, size or whatever.  

Standing here enjoying the full experience of form, color and aroma, I wonder why they ever 

tampered with the complete expression of grace and beauty that can be a rose.

As these will be the last of the season all I can do is plan, now, to take good care of this overlooked treasure.

True Story

I have a sad, but true story to pass along today.  

Actually, more like several vignettes.  I went to a wedding over the weekend
- without my camera.  I know, but it gets worse. 

So you'll find no pictures, here, of the happy couple.  Or Leslie looking wonderful in her dress.  

No record of the table settings or bouquets. 

 Family.  

Incomparable weather. 

 Nothing. 

 I thought of throwing in a picture of my shoes - which are both adorable and comfortable - but I wasn't in the mood for a sop.

Anyway.  The saga continues.  

Not only did I leave home without my camera for this stellar event
 - I left my spanx on the dresser.  I know.  

I had clothes for the dinner Friday night.  For hanging around Saturday morning. 

 Several Weather related  options for the wedding on Saturday afternoon,
 changes if we went out later,
something to drive home Sunday morning - 

but my spanx got left behind.  I know. 

 Of course I didn't discover this until I was out of the shower on Saturday, starting to get dressed. 

 I emptied my suitcase.
I put everything back and emptied it again,
lifting each item and shaking it to dislodge what was not there.  

How could this happen?!?  Aaargh!!

It is both unfortunate and 

I know everlastingly to my advantage 

that Naphtali suspected Aidan was developing strep throat.  

While my private drama was developing they Tim, Naphtali and Aidan were out in search of a drop-in clinic, 

which they found, and

  which confirmed Naphtali's excellent motherly intuition and 

got the lad started on an antibiotic. 

 In the mean time, Naphtali called me asking if I had heard from Leslie concerning the pew bows - 

bear with me that will be in the next paragraph - and 

I spilled my tale of woe.  "Well, I could pick you up a pair."  They were at Target. 

 Just that easily: another crisis averted.

So, back to the pew bows. 

 Over the years I have been acknowledged as competent, even skilled, I know at a variety of crafts. 

 But one crafting basic has consistently eluded me
 - making bows.  I know.  

So imagine my dismay, on Friday night, when a somewhat harried mother-of-the-groom 

asked if Naphtali and I would be willing to make 60 pew bows. 

I looked her in the eye and said the only thing I could:
"Of course.  No problem.  Glad to help."  I know.
Trusting all the while that my multi-talented daughter 

would be able to pick up the slack created by my two left thumbs. 

We got started Saturday morning at what I considered a leisurely hour and pace for 60 bows when Naphtali confessed 

that bows had never been her strong suit.  I Know! 

 But that revelation was counter balanced by the news that we only had to make 16 bows.  

With all the background noise I had misheard Leslie.  She needed 16 - not 60 - bows!
The bows were finished and made it to the church in time.
It was a lovely ceremony on a perfect, classic fall, October afternoon.
Aidan received the appropriate medical attention.
I was sufficiently cocooned in the new spanx.

You've been very patient  and I hope somewhat amused with this epic tale and here's the payoff:

I learned a new skill:  Bows are no longer my bete noir.
I know!  

Today I made this bow.

Who knows what I may make tomorrow!  
I Know!

You can thank me later

I have no trouble whatsoever taking credit for this lovely weather.
 Had I not changed to flannel sheets, the cold, damp, gloomy weather would have continued
and I would have shivered my nights away.

 But, well, you know what happened.
You can thank me later.

Follow-up

Aaah!  Met my expectations! 

 (check yesterday's post if this makes no sense to you)

Changing seasons

Talk to anyone and they will name a favorite fall ritual - tailgating at the game, visiting the local orchard, baking with seasonal produce, a walk through the woods, raking leaves; 

the possibilities are as varied as the changing leaves.

At our house the changing seasons means one thing: 




changing sheets 

google images

and involves what I have come to call musical blankets. 

You add a lighter blanket.
You exchange that for a heavier blanket.
 You put the flannel sheets on, which may require that you switch back to the lighter blanket.
 Eventually it will mean the flannel sheets and the heavier blanket.

We enjoyed having company this weekend and when I cleaned up I put the flannels on that bed in preparation for Naphtali and Aidan's visit at the end of this week.


Today I took advantage of Younker's Goodwill sale to buy a new set of flannel sheets for our bed. 
 They've been washed  
and are ready to go on our bed tomorrow.
  Monday is always my clean sheet day .  


Which means I can't wait to go to bed tomorrow night!

Ta Da!

Found it!

Mmmm - buttery soft leather.  

Roomy but not bulky.

No obtrusive logos or trademarks.
Mmmm.

As touching our children

Google images

Does anything elicit a stronger response than an incident in the lives of our children?

All those firsts - whether it was teeth, hair, school, sweetheart, car, job - they all take center stage 

for their one special moment.  And we rejoice for our child.

Then comes that time when age becomes inconsequential - we're all adults, right?

Wrong!  Oh, so, ever so, wrong!

They are our children and what touches them touches us.  

Of course, we love the happy times - weddings, babies, promotions -  you fill in the blank.  And we look at our children and hope that the happy times are all they will ever encounter.

  But there will be separations, disappointments, heartaches, illness, and worse.  It would, in fact, be easier to deal with those incidents if they were our own. 

 Anything, rather than watch as our children shoulder the pain.

  We can weep and rail. We can be strong and sensible.
 We can help put together a Plan B, but we can't make it go away. 

 We can't put things back they way they used to be, they way they were supposed to be.  And that,

 I think, will always be a parent's private hell.

Change of pace

On a beautiful morning, like today, or a mellow afternoon, you might find me out here complete with dogs, laptop, textbook and mechanical pencil.  

I love this time of year.

Marking Time

I am waiting for a repairman.  Scheduled between 11 and 1:00.

This will allow me to do laundry, school work, make a shopping list...

Sunday was a great day.  Other than walking the dogs I didn't leave the house.  

Tim had been given a lovely basket of home-grown tomatoes so we made BLTs.  I had mine with chipotle ranch dressing which complements the bacon so well.

Oh! So tasty.

I finished and submitted my school work.

Tim and I emptied a few boxes.

Leslie stopped in with her dress for the wedding.  It is the perfect hostess dress - just what an afternoon wedding calls for.  She looked vibrant in it and it looked great on her.  

Tim grilled chicken and we talked.

The day was a perfect blend of productivity and relaxation. The weather was nearly perfect, and just right for sitting outside in the shade for some conversation.

Can you believe my repairman just arrived!?

As Promised

Charlie and Proton at play,

                                                                             

and at rest.

Have you seen the cute commercials or movie snippets in which the adorable puppy runs down the

 hallway trailing toilet paper?

Not so cute in real life.
By the way, Proton has really grown while he's been here.  A conservative guess is 3 - 4 inches in both length and height!
He's listening to commands and taking cues from Charlie.  He's learned to catch a treat in mid-air.
He abounds with the relentless optimism that only happy puppies can display.


This is my gym.

   Back...

and front views.

As promised.

Hot on the trail

courtesy google images

I'm looking for a new purse and I have my heart set on mustard.  I'll let you know what I find...

No pictures with this one...

...but I will post pictures.  Soon.  Soonish.  I will.

Just to get caught up - because so much has been happening!  Naphtali, Aidan and Proton came last Friday night.  Naphtali left Sunday.  Aidan left Wednesday.  Proton will be here another week, yet!  He and Charlie are getting along famously.  The three of us have settled into a reasonable daytime routine.  It is nap time for the boys and I would normally be doing homework but the day is lovely, I'm easily distracted, this had to be done...

My mother drove down for lunch on Sunday.  Tim took us on a tour of Kennybrook.  I'm glad I waited to see it now rather than during construction.  And I'm glad I got to see it before people actually moved in because good manners would have prevented all the gawking and gushing it elicited, had it been someone's home, rather than an empty building.  It is beautiful - calling to mind the country inn featured in White Christmas.

Most of the boxes are empty.  I have those last few left.  The ones that have consolidated the leftovers from other boxes.  The ones that require thinking and sorting.  Somethings were obviously meant for this place or that task and so were easy to assign a spot in the house.  Other things are not so obvious or necessary and so I need to think about them, make an active decision about their fate.  But it's looking like home.  Feeling like home.  Menards is thinking of giving us our own parking spot.  I will post a picture.  Soon.  Soonish. I will.

My class this semester is cataloging.  Very detail oriented.  Definitions.  Acronyms.  Dates.  Reading, reading, reading.  It keeps me busy.

This rarely happens but I believed the hype and bought a box of Fiber One cereal.  It's awful.  I have a batch soaking to bake apple muffins.  Love these cool mornings.

I've signed on at a gym.  I am there every day.  They have an array of  cardio and strengthening machines which I use on alternating days.  Cardio every day.  And the pool generally every day, also.  It feels sooo good after a workout - there is a water aerobics class 2x weekly and I've enjoyed that as well. Of course, this means that I am also changing clothes (extra laundry!) and showering a lot.  And as I am already challenged by summer grooming, of course, I find myself shaving my legs a lot!  Walk Charlie in the morning.  Shower and change for the gym.  Workout, change for the pool.  Shower and dress to come home.  It's 15 minutes away, very reasonably priced.  Lovely facility (which is why I have to be clean-smelling when I arrive) inhabited by people 55 and older.  They do make the occasional exception for slightly younger folk to join the health club.  Lucky me. During the initial interview/orientation they ask general questions about your level of health and activity, and replacements:  hip, knees, shoulders...
I will post a picture.  Soon. Soonish.  I will.

It's Official

I've moved. 

After an absence of 30+ years, I reside in Iowa.

Classes started Monday - well, my class. I have just one class this semester - cataloging - and we're taking an easy start this week.  Our first paper is due next week.  I'm looking forward to this class because it will seem like Dorothy's peek behind the curtain.  Several of our classes - leadership and management for instance - could be applied to any career path, but cataloging belongs to the librarian.

 Charlie had an appointment at PetSmart yesterday for a haircut and shampoo.  I dropped him off and went to the gym which deserves a post of its own and picked him up three hours later.  He looks quite distinguished.  

Worth every penny and only 15 minutes away!!

Aidan, his mother and their new puppy, Proton, will be here Friday night.  Naphtali leaves Sunday.  Aidan leaves Tuesday.  Proton gets another week or so.  

What we ate

Friday night found Tim and I at Waterfront Seafood Market, which, according to their website has been voted the "metro's best seafood 20 years running."  I'm not sure how that vote is tallied but judging from the average age of the crowd that night, they seem to have a very loyal, longstanding clientele.  We will not be counted among them.  The food was fine - but I want exceptional and this simply wasn't.  The wait reasonable - 20 minutes when we signed in.  As we were seated I overheard the hostess telling a new diner that the wait was 30 minutes.

Sunday afternoon we were running errands - Home Depot etc - when we stopped for a 

quick lunch at Jason's deli.  I had this: 

Spinach Veggie Wrap

Organic wheat wrap with mushrooms,

organic spinach, asiago, sprouts,

guacamole, pico de gallo.

Blue corn chips and salsa as my side. 

 It was tasty and filling.  The crowd was mixed and seemed very happy.
They offer free ice cream but we passed.  This time....

Conundrum

Yes, we are here, under one roof, at one address.  And, as you might guess, there is plenty of work yet to be done....

So here it is:   In the process of downsizing, which I'm delighted to do, we are faced with the fact that this house is smaller than the one we left behind in Nebraska.  Which is not a problem in general terms.  However, the specifics of making furniture fit, repurposing it, and just getting things put away will keep me occupied for some time to come.  Right now I'm frustrated by the fact that my cupboard shelves will not hold tall bottles and few of them are adjustable.   No, those are not my cupboards this image is courtesy of google.  As a consumer I prefer to buy certain things in the larger size to save a few pennies here and there.  Shampoo, EVOO, whatever.  That size won't fit.  There's no point in buying the larger size and transferring to a container that does fit because then I'd also, still need space to store the original or 2 of something else if I split the bottle which eliminates the gain I would otherwise enjoy from the aforementioned downsizing.   And the spiral continues:  if I relent, start buying smaller bottles of this, that, or the other thing, won't I run out more frequently, which means shopping more often, which, again, undermines our efforts to be responsible with our resources?

In Transit

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy;

 for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves;
 Anatole France

I am in such a ranting mood - but restraint wins the day and I will simply report that we will be in Nebraska over the weekend, sign papers finalizing the sale of our home and return to Iowa with the last of our earthly goods on Monday.  We will be under one roof.  

Check back in a couple days.

My sister is squeezing in an impromptu visit this afternoon.

I have an interesting appointment on Wednesday.

And an anniversary tomorrow.

Mmmmm

Our eating habits have changed - lighter fare holds more appeal these days.

Fish has always been a favorite and I loved it grilled, so Saturday night we ate at Bonefish Grill.

We started with the house salad, an easy blend of romaine and mesclun, with olives and heart of palm topped with a honey balsamic vinaigrette.   The hot, crusty bread was served with a plate of oil and pesto.  We both chose steamed asparagus.  Tim selected Chilean sea bass and I had the orange roughy.

Both were hot, tender and flaky - simply delicious.  

The portions were just right.  The smoky accents truly complimented the flavor of the fish, which was attractively plated and served. 

A sparkling white mango sangria went down easy.

It did seem a bit pricey, but I will gladly allow Tim to pay the difference for a delicious and suitable meal.  As with many restaurants it was the price of the drinks, not necessarily the entrees, that moved it into a pricier range.  Reservations, please.  There were no empty tables while we were there.