It's SO nice to get the family all together to laugh and shout and have a good Christmas all together. Some of my favorite Christmas memories from this year include a beautiful Christmas breakfast spread- fried crub, cinnamon buns, and TWO kinds of monkey breads. Obviously, Noel wanted us all to have a Very Merry and Well Fed Christmas. It was really fun to see Tyler in his PJs playing with his new Christmas toys (including a BALL!), and even though he was still a little sick, he really loved to get packed into a box that Dad converted to a baby sleigh by adding a handle and letting the grown-ups drag him around the house. He would go all peaceful and have a contemplative suck on a sock dinosaur tail, or wave at the passing family members like the best float in his one-man parade. And he has such great parents! They nursed him so gently through the chicken pox, if it weren't for the rash, you'd hardly know he was sick. Just a
This year's Christmas puzzle was a world map, which was fairly easy while we were putting together countries into continents, and then got really slow as we tried to fill in the remainder of the blue oceans. Best of luck with that, family!
The award for the biggest gift this year went to Dad, who got a new air compressor of some character that apparently was way better than the old compressor and made him rub his hands together at the prospect of future projects. The award for most thoughtful gift (or my vote at least), is a tie between Dad's specialty imported Speculoos spread, via our source for all things decadent and Belgian our host sister An- which was a project in the making since October!- and Tyler's gift of artist certified finger-paintings, and portraits of the artist in his labors (ie, naked but for his diaper, head to know in finger paints). That just puts joy in the heart.
We also got the band back together on Christmas eve, to play through our book of carols. Some of us were a little rustier than others, (there aren't enough flats in this key signature for half position!) but that just increased the laughs and made it fun. If we get enough comments, I am sure Noel can release some of the footage of this, or other feats of adorableness. Like a baby in a snowsuit in his very first snow!
And can I just say, that I got in some fantastic Aunt-ing? I thought to steam up some veggies for Tyler to try out finger foods, but this mostly turned into sweet potato and regular potato paste that stuck to the folds of his chubby wrists and all over his high chair. Very little appeared to enter his mouth. I tried to let him drink some water, and while he chewed on my glass, I poured about a cup of water all down his onsie (diapers are absorbent, right?). And I totally indulged him in the joys of shouting happiness at the dinner table (his Nana was mortified, so I know I've done my job well).
Matt and I flew home last night, and Matt somehow managed to get to work this morning. This promises to be a busy week with another chapter to edit, some promises made about algae and some voice recordings to do for an online game via the science center. Matt only works 2 days this week, then we get the Noely family back and then we are off to Concrete for New Year's/Third Christmas.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Home for the Holidays!
In the time interceding my visit to Austin, very little has changed, but I feel like a lot has happened. Still job hunting, still searching for something to do that makes me feel like the days don't slip away into an eternity of unemployment. But it's been great to have friends around. We had a glamorous evening of ballet at the Nutcracker with Italian food with Shaoshu to celebrate "Kirkland Christmas." We got to see of Matt's bestie and his family before they head to more southerly climes for a holiday adventure, which involved us stopping my a taco truck, and everyone being really glad to see us. It's great.
And now we are home. I think I haven't been home in more than 2 years, so it's exciting to see the work that has happened at the house (I grew up here?) and run in to people I know but have seen since forever. The main objectives today are to MAKE LOTS OF FOOD, and then get hungry enough to eat it. In the background, presents are being wrapped, and decorations are being assembled. We are all cheering Noel's efforts to convert the next week of breakfasts to yeast based delights (cinnamon rolls, monkey bread, munlies and who knows what else). I'm waiting my turn for the oven to convert some sugar cookie dough into lemon cookies, possibly thumbprints, maybe some other stuff. And there is the potential for meringues. And who knows what else. Ha, Mom was worried we wouldn't have enough food. Turns out we just won't have enough butter- and that is the mark of a good holiday.
And there is a baby! He warmed up to all the extended family quite quick, especially if Mom or Dad is not far off. We can all take turns plying him with such fancy toys as empty wrapping paper tubes (which are great as drum sticks, wands or megaphones), wooden spoons (which carry the tasty memories of recipes past), and the menagerie of percussion instruments that have always been a staple of the house. Tyler took great joy from the washboard sounds of Mom's wicker chest/coffee table, driving remote controls along the top to bring out the music.
Oh, and he LOVES Grandpa's mustache. He seems deeply tempted to try and taste it off of Dad's face. His Nana gave him his first ever haircut, so he is looking quite well put together. Nana also found him a new type of solid food, called Mum-mums, which are like quick melting zwiebacks. With his serious Winston face, he latches on to the big cracker with both hands and then "crunch-crunch-crunch" with those two little teeth. And speaking of baby advances, he is also very happy to climb the stairs to the apartment. I think we've got a climber in the making.
Merry Christmas to those of you not lucky enough to be here at the house with us. Maybe next year we'll amass all the readership in Austin TX for a Christmas Blowout Redeaux.
And now we are home. I think I haven't been home in more than 2 years, so it's exciting to see the work that has happened at the house (I grew up here?) and run in to people I know but have seen since forever. The main objectives today are to MAKE LOTS OF FOOD, and then get hungry enough to eat it. In the background, presents are being wrapped, and decorations are being assembled. We are all cheering Noel's efforts to convert the next week of breakfasts to yeast based delights (cinnamon rolls, monkey bread, munlies and who knows what else). I'm waiting my turn for the oven to convert some sugar cookie dough into lemon cookies, possibly thumbprints, maybe some other stuff. And there is the potential for meringues. And who knows what else. Ha, Mom was worried we wouldn't have enough food. Turns out we just won't have enough butter- and that is the mark of a good holiday.
And there is a baby! He warmed up to all the extended family quite quick, especially if Mom or Dad is not far off. We can all take turns plying him with such fancy toys as empty wrapping paper tubes (which are great as drum sticks, wands or megaphones), wooden spoons (which carry the tasty memories of recipes past), and the menagerie of percussion instruments that have always been a staple of the house. Tyler took great joy from the washboard sounds of Mom's wicker chest/coffee table, driving remote controls along the top to bring out the music.
Oh, and he LOVES Grandpa's mustache. He seems deeply tempted to try and taste it off of Dad's face. His Nana gave him his first ever haircut, so he is looking quite well put together. Nana also found him a new type of solid food, called Mum-mums, which are like quick melting zwiebacks. With his serious Winston face, he latches on to the big cracker with both hands and then "crunch-crunch-crunch" with those two little teeth. And speaking of baby advances, he is also very happy to climb the stairs to the apartment. I think we've got a climber in the making.
Merry Christmas to those of you not lucky enough to be here at the house with us. Maybe next year we'll amass all the readership in Austin TX for a Christmas Blowout Redeaux.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
What it is Like to Have a Real Baby
Oh, man. Last night was rough. Sandlin will remember the night when we were playing Dominion with some friends and Tyler hit a rough patch. We spent an hour trying to get him to calm down, and eventually he went back to sleep, but the whole time he was yelling like his arms were broken, heartbreaking.
Last night it was like that for the entire night. I really wish I knew what was wrong with him. We put him down and he slept for maybe a half an hour before waking up screaming. We could calm him down by holding him, but he was still kinda fussy. And whenever we put him down, he'd start shrieking again. And not in a 'I want my mom to come hold me', way. In a 'I hurt' way, which is horrible to hear. Eventually Jess and I got him go go back to sleep, after some Baby Tylenol and a lot of carrying (I did get him to sleep on my shoulder, just not laying down) we got him to go to sleep in his crib. That lasted for maybe an hour before he woke up crying again, and the pattern repeated all night. Jess insisted on taking care of him, saying she wouldn't be able to sleep if he was crying anyway, and eventually she took him downstairs and just slept with him on her chest on the couch. I think sleeping upright helps. I took over in the morning and Jess took a nap.
Tyler was a little better this morning, but still not quite his usual, ebullient self. We passed ideas back and forth: constipation, ear infection, the gout, but we weren't sure, and after a night like last night, we decided it would be a really good idea to get him checked out. We found a doctor's office, got an appointment, and had him checked out. Turns out it's a Yes on the ear infection, though only in one ear. I'm going to go out and get the antibiotics pretty soon. Though with one other wrinkle. We saw a notice on Friday at the day care that one of the babies came down with Chicken Pox. Considering how infectious it is, there's every likelihood that Tyler may have picked that up as well. He didn't have a fever last night, but he did have one at the doctor's office. It'll be a bummer if he has it: they actually have a vaccine now, but you can't get it until you're 1 year old. But nothing scary or bad, just a fever and a complainy baby for a few days. We'll get some oatmeal bath for him.
One week! I think I've managed to get all my Christmas stuff in order, though doing it all remotely has clearly led to some beans getting spilled. I do try my best, though. With any luck Tyler's ears will have cleared up by the time we need to mix him up with altitude.
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Tyler is helping me blog.
Also, Sandlin visiting was fantastic, Algae seems really interesting, and she totally forgot her algae sample in my fridge. I'll try to bring it up to Alaska so she can forget it there, too. Lots of eating of food and lots of Baby squishing. Tyler had to get used to the loud laughter of so many Preecs Children and friends in a room together, but he had to get used to the same sound when he was born and Daddy started laughing.
-N
Last night it was like that for the entire night. I really wish I knew what was wrong with him. We put him down and he slept for maybe a half an hour before waking up screaming. We could calm him down by holding him, but he was still kinda fussy. And whenever we put him down, he'd start shrieking again. And not in a 'I want my mom to come hold me', way. In a 'I hurt' way, which is horrible to hear. Eventually Jess and I got him go go back to sleep, after some Baby Tylenol and a lot of carrying (I did get him to sleep on my shoulder, just not laying down) we got him to go to sleep in his crib. That lasted for maybe an hour before he woke up crying again, and the pattern repeated all night. Jess insisted on taking care of him, saying she wouldn't be able to sleep if he was crying anyway, and eventually she took him downstairs and just slept with him on her chest on the couch. I think sleeping upright helps. I took over in the morning and Jess took a nap.
Tyler was a little better this morning, but still not quite his usual, ebullient self. We passed ideas back and forth: constipation, ear infection, the gout, but we weren't sure, and after a night like last night, we decided it would be a really good idea to get him checked out. We found a doctor's office, got an appointment, and had him checked out. Turns out it's a Yes on the ear infection, though only in one ear. I'm going to go out and get the antibiotics pretty soon. Though with one other wrinkle. We saw a notice on Friday at the day care that one of the babies came down with Chicken Pox. Considering how infectious it is, there's every likelihood that Tyler may have picked that up as well. He didn't have a fever last night, but he did have one at the doctor's office. It'll be a bummer if he has it: they actually have a vaccine now, but you can't get it until you're 1 year old. But nothing scary or bad, just a fever and a complainy baby for a few days. We'll get some oatmeal bath for him.
One week! I think I've managed to get all my Christmas stuff in order, though doing it all remotely has clearly led to some beans getting spilled. I do try my best, though. With any luck Tyler's ears will have cleared up by the time we need to mix him up with altitude.
` 1xZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZze `1z1 yf6ykkkkguguvttttttttttttttttttttttttuuuvgut
Tyler is helping me blog.
Also, Sandlin visiting was fantastic, Algae seems really interesting, and she totally forgot her algae sample in my fridge. I'll try to bring it up to Alaska so she can forget it there, too. Lots of eating of food and lots of Baby squishing. Tyler had to get used to the loud laughter of so many Preecs Children and friends in a room together, but he had to get used to the same sound when he was born and Daddy started laughing.
-N
Monday, December 12, 2011
Amazing things Tyler can do
I was here just a couple months ago. At that time, Tyler was itching to start crawling, and just starting out on some solid foods. Since then, he has learned SO much! In no particular order...
-He can crawl, and does crawl all over the house.
-He can cruise- that is, pull him self up and shuffle around things (like walking, but without being able to balance)
-He can feed himself "puffs"- super soft near cheerios, with his very cautious two finger pincher motion. Until his hands get drooly enough and then they stick to his wrists and he can just lick them off, no dexterity required.
-He can feed himself bits of banana, although when he does, it makes him cringe in horror at all the flavor.
-He can tell his parents he wants MORE
-He is just starting to dance a little- you know, that heart melting baby bopping thing they do? He is starting to sway and bop to the music.
-He is starting to get more expressive with his verbalization. I am pretty sure there were some disapproving raspberries yesterday.
-He can crawl, and does crawl all over the house.
-He can cruise- that is, pull him self up and shuffle around things (like walking, but without being able to balance)
-He can feed himself "puffs"- super soft near cheerios, with his very cautious two finger pincher motion. Until his hands get drooly enough and then they stick to his wrists and he can just lick them off, no dexterity required.
-He can feed himself bits of banana, although when he does, it makes him cringe in horror at all the flavor.
-He can tell his parents he wants MORE
-He is just starting to dance a little- you know, that heart melting baby bopping thing they do? He is starting to sway and bop to the music.
-He is starting to get more expressive with his verbalization. I am pretty sure there were some disapproving raspberries yesterday.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
These are a few of my favorite things
I got to spend the last couple days in Austin Texas indulging in some of my favorite things- squishy baby cheeks, dorky science, great friends, fun with the family and so much yummy food I'm not eating again until Christmas. I came down for an algae workshop and met a friend from Pittsburgh who got me interested in algae for biodiesel in the first place. It was at the University of Texas, so we BOTH got to stay with my favorite Texans, Noel, Jessie and uh... oh yeah, my nephew THE BEST BABY IN THE WORLD. How fun!
The workshop was fantastic! We learned SO much, and I've got some big ambitions for when I get back. I also got to meet some great people, and hope to be able to keep those contacts. And frankly I've been fighting the urge all day to stop playing with Tyler to check my email, make some calls to some people, look up some things online... my excitement over this workshop will still be available after Tuesday- Tyler's lovely little cheeks will be thousands of miles away by then. Prioritize. My former coworker/classmate Karen is one of my favorite people to indulge in this type of dorkitude with, she is even more excited and motivated and forward thinking about turning a PhD in yeast into a career in green energy, so it's really great to have someone I trust and enjoy so much to take a class with, to share these contacts with and continue to rehash our experience with. And I got a dose of Pittsburgh news, which made me feel like I'm not so far away yet.
And I did get to see lots of Tyler. I was a little sad that he didn't recognize me when I first arrived (I was here just a couple months ago), but he warmed up to both me and Karen within a couple days. The real test will be to see if he likes me again at Christmas. Oo, AND Karen and I got to Babysit for Tyler while his parents went out just to have fun. They enjoyed the company holiday party, and we invited some other former Pittsburghers over to catch up and watch the baby monitor (the baby was 100% asleep on my watch). It was great all around.
Once the workshop was over, we were free to play. We managed to eat almost all the food in Austin: BBQ, Tex-Mex, more BBQ, truck food, giant donuts, Giant onion rings, most of Whole Foods... like I said, I may never be hungry again. In between eating, we did a little shopping in South Congress, and took a nice walk in the Zilker Botanical Gardens. This helped us work up an appetite for even more eating- including Noel's rendition of Mom's beautiful stuffed pumpkin, and Noel's famous Egg Nog French Toast. Yes. Noel loves me very much. He even braided my hair every day. I'm not sure what I did to endear him to me so much, but if he keeps treating me so nice, I'll probably come back next weekend.
The workshop was fantastic! We learned SO much, and I've got some big ambitions for when I get back. I also got to meet some great people, and hope to be able to keep those contacts. And frankly I've been fighting the urge all day to stop playing with Tyler to check my email, make some calls to some people, look up some things online... my excitement over this workshop will still be available after Tuesday- Tyler's lovely little cheeks will be thousands of miles away by then. Prioritize. My former coworker/classmate Karen is one of my favorite people to indulge in this type of dorkitude with, she is even more excited and motivated and forward thinking about turning a PhD in yeast into a career in green energy, so it's really great to have someone I trust and enjoy so much to take a class with, to share these contacts with and continue to rehash our experience with. And I got a dose of Pittsburgh news, which made me feel like I'm not so far away yet.
And I did get to see lots of Tyler. I was a little sad that he didn't recognize me when I first arrived (I was here just a couple months ago), but he warmed up to both me and Karen within a couple days. The real test will be to see if he likes me again at Christmas. Oo, AND Karen and I got to Babysit for Tyler while his parents went out just to have fun. They enjoyed the company holiday party, and we invited some other former Pittsburghers over to catch up and watch the baby monitor (the baby was 100% asleep on my watch). It was great all around.
Once the workshop was over, we were free to play. We managed to eat almost all the food in Austin: BBQ, Tex-Mex, more BBQ, truck food, giant donuts, Giant onion rings, most of Whole Foods... like I said, I may never be hungry again. In between eating, we did a little shopping in South Congress, and took a nice walk in the Zilker Botanical Gardens. This helped us work up an appetite for even more eating- including Noel's rendition of Mom's beautiful stuffed pumpkin, and Noel's famous Egg Nog French Toast. Yes. Noel loves me very much. He even braided my hair every day. I'm not sure what I did to endear him to me so much, but if he keeps treating me so nice, I'll probably come back next weekend.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Our first guests!
I had Nana AND Mom come and visit the new house in Kirkland. Let me interrupt with a quick PSA: any and all of you are welcome to come and visit for as long as you like. We are slowly improving the accommodations here, but I estimate we can easily sleep 5 spare adults, and quickly make room for more at our friends homes, so come visit.
But the family was here! It was great! We were mostly looking at various retirement communities for Nana to consider. We went to FIVE. If you are unfamiliar with this process, this is a HUGE number. Nana was a trooper, critical enough to insist on getting ALL the information she wanted, open minded enough to give everyone a fair shake. We'll see how the final results of this shake out- there are certainly more communities in this area that we didn't see, but I would go so far as to say we did see some places that Nana would be really happy at. (and at least one we all ruled out on actually visiting) That's a big relief to me, really. I mean, I don't want Nana living in a crappy home where no one cares about her and there is nothing fun to do. I like the idea of her moving over here 1) so she'll be close to me (selfish? yes) and 2) so she can spend more time focusing on what she wants to do with her time these days, which is less cooking and house cleaning, and more volunteering, reading, studying, praying and spending time with me. Or at least, that's what I believe she is looking forward to. Clearly, this is only worth it if she feels comfortable at a place, and while I am optimistic that even some of the places can provide that, this is a big decision for Nana to make and would certainly merit some cogitation and sharing of ideas with family members. So everyone call Nana and tell her you love her.
Between the constant going to homes, we also made time to go to the Christian Science Church in Bothell where everyone was SO nice to Nana, and I would feel really happy if she wanted to be friends with those people who were very supportive, and helpful and just so darn nice. We also grabbed a couple of nice dinners out, but mostly we spent about 2.5 hours with every location, working on a very in depth spread sheet and generally acting like sponges. It's exhausting stuff. With luck, though, this means there will be more visits to our house from Nana, and possible other people, which we are really happy about.
But the family was here! It was great! We were mostly looking at various retirement communities for Nana to consider. We went to FIVE. If you are unfamiliar with this process, this is a HUGE number. Nana was a trooper, critical enough to insist on getting ALL the information she wanted, open minded enough to give everyone a fair shake. We'll see how the final results of this shake out- there are certainly more communities in this area that we didn't see, but I would go so far as to say we did see some places that Nana would be really happy at. (and at least one we all ruled out on actually visiting) That's a big relief to me, really. I mean, I don't want Nana living in a crappy home where no one cares about her and there is nothing fun to do. I like the idea of her moving over here 1) so she'll be close to me (selfish? yes) and 2) so she can spend more time focusing on what she wants to do with her time these days, which is less cooking and house cleaning, and more volunteering, reading, studying, praying and spending time with me. Or at least, that's what I believe she is looking forward to. Clearly, this is only worth it if she feels comfortable at a place, and while I am optimistic that even some of the places can provide that, this is a big decision for Nana to make and would certainly merit some cogitation and sharing of ideas with family members. So everyone call Nana and tell her you love her.
Between the constant going to homes, we also made time to go to the Christian Science Church in Bothell where everyone was SO nice to Nana, and I would feel really happy if she wanted to be friends with those people who were very supportive, and helpful and just so darn nice. We also grabbed a couple of nice dinners out, but mostly we spent about 2.5 hours with every location, working on a very in depth spread sheet and generally acting like sponges. It's exhausting stuff. With luck, though, this means there will be more visits to our house from Nana, and possible other people, which we are really happy about.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Tyler's First Blog Post
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Sunday, December 4, 2011
Finally, Rain
None of this '30 minutes of heavy downpour and then nothing' kind of rain. Real rain. It's been precipitating on and off for the past three days. That'll fill up some reservoirs, I'll bet. I worry a little much about water reserves here in Austin. We are a leetle bit close to a dessert, and changing weather patterns could hit us pretty hard. Though clearly before we hit the 'people start dying of thirst' stage I'll probaby hit the 'my lawn is getting pretty dry' stage, so I think I'll have some warning. Regardless, for now, we've got moisture. My roof has been well-tested, my grass is greening up, and the few of my#1 potted plants that don't have holes in the bottom are looking like serious mosquito hazards. I should probably go fix that, but the last time I tried to drill a hole in the bottom of some of those masonry pots I shredded a drill tip pretty well.
Tyler went to a birthday party this weekend. Not his own, clearly. But one of his classmates from school was turning one and we found an invitation in his cubby. As it turns out, they live about 10 minutes of walking away from our house. Which would normally mean we would walk, but instead we drove. I don't know if you heard, but *rain*. Anyway, there was a lot of activity, strange faces and sounds, and occasionally Tyler lost track of a mommy or a daddy and got a little fussy, but on the whole he was a very good guest. The birthday baby was sort of nonplussed by most of the presents, except for the *ball* he got. #1 excitement was definitely reserved for the cake, though. He plowed through that thing. I think the mess is most of the fun. His family had a one-eyed, very fat, incredibly friendly cat, so they seem like nice people, but I didn't see any video game consoles, so I don't really know...
Tyler is a fiend for puffs. He's definitely figured out how chewing works, and he's gotten good enough at it that we no longer have to ration him to one puff at a time for fear of him choking himself with his zeal. We've been trying to teach him some baby sign language for 'more' but at the moment he's eschewing the traditional sign for simply 'slapping the table'. Whatever works, I suppose.
Christmastime is almost upon us, and I've been shopping. Thank heaven for the internet, I don't know how I'd do this mobile Christmas thing without it. Jess is already getting excited about the prospect of staying home next Christmas, though. I'm worried a bit about Tyler on the plane, but I think we're set up to do it just about as well as we can. We'll get him some new toys to keep his attention and keep him dosed up with puffs. If he wants to eat those things for the entire flight and maintain a happy attitude, then he has my blessing.
Sensei mentioned at Judo that he might give me a black belt before Christmas. OH MAN!
-N
Tyler went to a birthday party this weekend. Not his own, clearly. But one of his classmates from school was turning one and we found an invitation in his cubby. As it turns out, they live about 10 minutes of walking away from our house. Which would normally mean we would walk, but instead we drove. I don't know if you heard, but *rain*. Anyway, there was a lot of activity, strange faces and sounds, and occasionally Tyler lost track of a mommy or a daddy and got a little fussy, but on the whole he was a very good guest. The birthday baby was sort of nonplussed by most of the presents, except for the *ball* he got. #1 excitement was definitely reserved for the cake, though. He plowed through that thing. I think the mess is most of the fun. His family had a one-eyed, very fat, incredibly friendly cat, so they seem like nice people, but I didn't see any video game consoles, so I don't really know...
Tyler is a fiend for puffs. He's definitely figured out how chewing works, and he's gotten good enough at it that we no longer have to ration him to one puff at a time for fear of him choking himself with his zeal. We've been trying to teach him some baby sign language for 'more' but at the moment he's eschewing the traditional sign for simply 'slapping the table'. Whatever works, I suppose.
Christmastime is almost upon us, and I've been shopping. Thank heaven for the internet, I don't know how I'd do this mobile Christmas thing without it. Jess is already getting excited about the prospect of staying home next Christmas, though. I'm worried a bit about Tyler on the plane, but I think we're set up to do it just about as well as we can. We'll get him some new toys to keep his attention and keep him dosed up with puffs. If he wants to eat those things for the entire flight and maintain a happy attitude, then he has my blessing.
Sensei mentioned at Judo that he might give me a black belt before Christmas. OH MAN!
-N
Friday, December 2, 2011
I am visiting Nana=Awesome
Boohoo, woe is me. I don't have a job so the only thing I have to fill my time with is visiting my family and fantastic adventures. Pity me.
This week, the pity party is in Spokane, where Nana and I are gearing up for the Christmas season, for her visit to Seattle and her pending move out of the house. She is in really good spirits about a move (although having a Christmas tree up has that affect on most of us). We've been talking about it a lot, what the possibilities are, what she hopes for, how it all might work. It's actually kind of exciting, although there is a lot of legwork remaining to be done. But I keep trying to tell Nana I want her to move across the mountains for selfish reasons: because I want to hang out with her more. I might escalate this argument to saying aggregation the family will have a more magnetic draw on great-grandbabies from TX, if you catch my drift.
And Nana has been working very consistently on paring down the house. I am taking a suitcase full of stuff back to my house this weekend. I mention this because I know my siblings/cousins feel a little squeamish about vulturing over Nana's stuff. But people, this is Nana- she is utterly unattached to her "mortal possessions." This means, Noel, that if she happens to mention a book, or a table cloth, or a set of candlesticks that you might like, that is basically it's last stop before goodwill. There isn't a phone tree in action over these things, and most of the the things that she thinks of as "her things" (ie: not from her Mom, or sister or grandmother), she is very happy to part with. You can all expect, after the holidays, a box with your Christmas ornaments, and possibly childhood portraits which she is ready to part with. But otherwise, if you wanted to help her get stuff out of her house, I think she would be grateful. She is getting rid of it in one way or another. My luggage from this trip has some gardening books, a wooly blanket from Wales, and the "kid's toys" that Nana has had on hand for when kids come to her house (you may remember some of these children. I was once one of them).
Nana and I went to see a fantastic performance of a Christmas Carol last night at the Civic Theatre, which prompted us to think about the season tickets we would buy together for a West side theatre. And we made oodles of Candy, some of which will go with us to the Raku firing later today, which is a potluck event at this studio. We are also going in for pedicures a little later, and Saturday we are headed to My House in Kirkland for continued adventuring.
This week, the pity party is in Spokane, where Nana and I are gearing up for the Christmas season, for her visit to Seattle and her pending move out of the house. She is in really good spirits about a move (although having a Christmas tree up has that affect on most of us). We've been talking about it a lot, what the possibilities are, what she hopes for, how it all might work. It's actually kind of exciting, although there is a lot of legwork remaining to be done. But I keep trying to tell Nana I want her to move across the mountains for selfish reasons: because I want to hang out with her more. I might escalate this argument to saying aggregation the family will have a more magnetic draw on great-grandbabies from TX, if you catch my drift.
And Nana has been working very consistently on paring down the house. I am taking a suitcase full of stuff back to my house this weekend. I mention this because I know my siblings/cousins feel a little squeamish about vulturing over Nana's stuff. But people, this is Nana- she is utterly unattached to her "mortal possessions." This means, Noel, that if she happens to mention a book, or a table cloth, or a set of candlesticks that you might like, that is basically it's last stop before goodwill. There isn't a phone tree in action over these things, and most of the the things that she thinks of as "her things" (ie: not from her Mom, or sister or grandmother), she is very happy to part with. You can all expect, after the holidays, a box with your Christmas ornaments, and possibly childhood portraits which she is ready to part with. But otherwise, if you wanted to help her get stuff out of her house, I think she would be grateful. She is getting rid of it in one way or another. My luggage from this trip has some gardening books, a wooly blanket from Wales, and the "kid's toys" that Nana has had on hand for when kids come to her house (you may remember some of these children. I was once one of them).
Nana and I went to see a fantastic performance of a Christmas Carol last night at the Civic Theatre, which prompted us to think about the season tickets we would buy together for a West side theatre. And we made oodles of Candy, some of which will go with us to the Raku firing later today, which is a potluck event at this studio. We are also going in for pedicures a little later, and Saturday we are headed to My House in Kirkland for continued adventuring.
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