Let's Table It For Now...

Our Andie is hooked on Pinterest. There is truly lots of great stuff on Pinterest but I can't bring myself to get into it. I just have enough that takes my time without adding one more thing to review and add to or delete from. But there are good things to be had on this new digital phenomena.

One thing Andie found and was determined to do was a table for their patio made out of discarded pallets. For months now she has been methodically collecting these pallets from construction sites and others who didn't need them. She finally had enough for her table plus two wall shelf units she wanted to make.

Andie carefully went over all these plans with Claude three Friday's ago when we went to get a Mini-Marx fix. Then two weeks ago when we went to see the Mini's do their Bear Run, Claude took his saw and did some of the initial cutting on the pallets so Andie could begin her part. They determined yesterday, Friday, was a day they both could block out to work together on these projects.

Friday morning Claude and I got up and completed a few chores at home and then hit the road in time to stop at the drive-thru at McDonald's for our breakfast on the go. When we arrived at the Marx home the garage door was open and Andie was staining away. Claude unloaded the car. I was reading a book and headed inside to read and be away from pollen.

Now...something was going to happen this day that is totally out of the ordinary. Usually I am the tasky person (Andie's words) and Claude is looking for any bit of nap time he can find. This Friday we would do a complete role reversal. Claude and Andie would saw, sand and stain the entire day away. I, on the other hand, headed to their sofa in their family room, read a chapter in my book, laid my book and glasses down, pulled my sweat shirt over my feet and curled and up went to sleep. I had such a great rest. For the first time in a very long time I just let go of all the things I needed to do, quit making lists in my head and worrying about arranging priorites and just let myself sleep. It was the best treat I could have given myself in forever.

When I woke up a good time later, I pulled my book out and read until time to go to the bus stop to get my Mini's. This let Andie and Claude continue to work on their project. Those little ones ran off the bus and I got the best hugs. Love those running-jump-in-your-arms hugs. The Mini's and I kept ourselves busy and took occasional trips to the garage to check on the progress of father and daughter.

Here is the finished, well almost finished table. It is really two pallets with posts between to separate and support the two pallets and six casters on the bottom so it can roll around easily. They did scavenge slates from other pallets to fill in between slats so the top had more solid. Andie still needs to put a clear coat on that will protect it from the weather.

The wall shelves are cut and sanded. They need to be stained. Andie very cutely put some things sitting in the garage in them to get a feel for how they will work.

Bailey did enjoy playing in the garage and outside when it wasn't sprinkling.  I have yet to see a kid that, when given a tape measure, couldn't find a lot of uses for it. 

We ended our day with Andie and Michael using their Groupon for a quiet dinner just the two of them. We told Hayden and Bailey their Mom & Dad were on a date and they were going to go on a Pa and Ma date. We ate dinner at the Sonic picnic table. Then we had dessert at Dairy Queen.

After getting the kids home, Claude and I pointed the red Buick toward Sadieville and began the trip home. We did make one stop at the Waddy/Peytona exit for gas at $3.53 a gallon. It is $3.70 a gallon or better everywhere else right now. It was a good day and so much fun to watch Claude and Andie task together.

An Average Week...

I don't post every day. But, for my own memory, this is an average week for me.

Sunday, September 23rd:
Papa's car was in the shop so I picked him up for Church. He was having really bad allergy issues and his back was hurting. He stayed after the Primary Children's program to teach his Primary class, then I took him home. I told him he needed to call his doctor on Monday because I was sure he had more than allergies. I headed home after I dropped Papa off and spent the afternoon and evening working on my next Institute lesson. We were to cover all of Mark (16 chapters) and it was going to take a lot of thought, prayer and listening to the Spirit to be sure I prepared the pieces that we needed for our Institute class.

Monday, September 24th:
This day I set aside to be sure all the house cleaning was done in preparation for the baby shower to be held in our home the next evening. Claude helped by running the vacuum. I cleaned three bathrooms (I did the 4th one the week previous), did my laundry and ironing, dusted, cleaned the kitchen, and straightened out my sewing room. In the evening I hit the books again to study for Institute. During the day I called Papa to see how he was doing and if he called the doctor yet. He said he wanted to wait one more day. He sounded much worse. He did get his car back and was happy about that.

Tuesday, September 25th:
Baby shower day - I baked two cakes and iced them (see previous post), put the baby blanket to be tied on the dining room table and pinned it where it needed to be tied, set up the counter for the buffet and the breakfast room table for the punch table, and did the finishing touches like wrapping my gifts. I also made a visiting teaching visit during the morning. Then I hit the books for my Institute lesson until time for the baby shower. In the evening we had the shower after which I called Junie who had called during the shower. Then I crashed for the hour left in my day.

Wednesday, September 26th:
Papa tried to get a doctors appointment but they were extremely overbooked. They did make him an appointment for Thursday at 3:30pm. He sounded much worse so I was very happy he finally got an appointment. I spent the morning calling all the Countryside Homemakers to remind them of our meeting, what food was being served so they could pick their side dish or dessert and what to bring to work on a craft. The rest of the morning I spent working on my Institute lesson. In the afternoon, Claude had a meeting in Georgetown so we shared a trip in to town. We stopped first at Papa's apartment and got a DVD to play at the nursing home. Claude dropped me and the DVD off at the nursing home while he went to his meeting. I got two more squares completed on my next baby blanket I'm crocheting, finished reading a book and read through some more of my September Ensign. Claude picked me up and we headed to Fazoli's for dinner before heading home. I would spend the evening starting to bind the baby blanket and a bit more studying. I also worked on getting my agenda ready for our next Countryside Homemaker's meeting.

Thursday, September 27th:
Called Papa to remind him to not take his Warfarin in preparation for his colonoscopy scheduled for this coming Tuesday. He sounded awful. I arranged with him to come and take him to the doctor in the afternoon. The morning was spent finishing up the Institute lesson. I picked up Papa in the afternoon and, after collecting his mail that I take care of, I took him to his bank, then to see Dr. Weckman. The diagnosis was bronchitis in the bottom of each lung. Dr. Weckman said if he had waited one more day it would have been a very bad case of pneumonia. Medications were prescribed and Papa and I headed to the pharmacy to pick them up. I got Papa home and was sure he understood he needed to take one capsule then and another before bed, then 3 a day until they are all gone. He was worn out and ready to stretch out in his sofa chair. I headed to Lexington. I got me some dinner at Arby's, then drove to the Church parking lot to read and let my cell phone charge until time to go in and set up for my Institute class. I taught Institute and headed home for the evening. Claude was happy to get left over cake when I got home.

Friday, September 28th:
Claude and Andie set this day aside to work on a Pinterest project Andie wanted to get done. I'll post that next so I won't dwell on it here. We were on the road in the morning after a pit stop at McDonald's for a drive-thru breakfast. The day would be spent at Casa Marx. We would return late in the evening.

Saturday, September 29th (today):
This was the week I signed Claude and me up to take our turn at cleaning the Church. We met Mickie Zuccato at 8am and were finished by 10am. We stopped by Papa's to give him some more Church News to read and be sure he was okay. I came away with his bills and other mail for me to take care of. That will be this evening's project. We stopped at City Hall and retrieved the new sound system. Detta came over after we got home with the rest of the pieces and to give Claude his training in using it. Claude and I would both stop and take a little nap. Claude took the sound system into Georgetown and helped them set it up for the grand opening tomorrow afternoon of a new display. I finished binding the quilt, took my pictures off my camera from Friday, started eMailing them to Andie and getting my Blog done. This evening I'll work on Papa's paperwork, order a book to read from our library, prepare the stenciling class I have to teach in November to the Countryside Homemakers so I have a sample to show at our meeting next week and then I just might crash for the evening.

Not everything is listed here but enough to let me know I can fill a day pretty well with good things.

Now for the chuckle...Wednesday night before going to be I plugged my cell phone into the charger. When I took it off the charger Thursday, the battery indicator showed it only had about a quarter of a charge to it. I was thinking maybe my battery was getting old and needed to be replaced. That is why I spent some time in the Church parking lot Thursday evening charging my cell phone while I read. Thursday night before bed I went to plug my cell phone into the charger for the night. It didn't seem like that little lightning bolt was showing to indicate the battery was charging. Now I was wondering if my problem was not an old battery but a bad charger. I put on my glasses to be sure I was not seeing the lightning bolt. Nope, it wasn't there. Then I noticed my problem. Can you guess what it was? Yep, the charger was not plugged into the outlet. It really can't do it's job unless there is some current coming into it. Silly Moi!!

Now let's fill another week...

Preparing For A Pink Bundle...

Last night Jennie Jenkins and I hosted a baby shower for Daniele Rocabado. I am Daniele's visiting teacher and Jennie is her visiting teaching companion. This will be Daniele's 3rd child. She is expecting a little girl whom she intends naming Maya. All her baby things are in Boliva so the shower was important for her preparing to deliver Maya in a few weeks.

I made two cakes for refreshments. They are topped with baby booties. These are very easy to make. Just use 3 marshmallows. Stack two on top of each other and insert a toothpick through them to keep them together. Then set a third marshmallow in front of the bottom marshmallow and insert a toothpick through them to keep them in place. That gives you the shape of the bootie. Place it on your cake and ice with the little star tip. You can use the line tip to make the bows and write. I decided this time to make bows out of ribbons and use that instead of icing. I think I like the real ribbon bows bette

Our guests were encouraged to bring a little treat that is easy that they like to fix for their kids to add to refreshments. I made cheese cubes with a pretzel stick stuck in them. Jennie provided my favorite punch, you know, the one that had pineapple and stuff frozen in a ring and you pour ginger ale over it and it turns to this luscious slush mix. I also put out M&M's and mixed nuts.

Jennie and I determined we wouldn't play any games. These were all ladies from church and some are fairly new in our ward (congregation). We felt we should just spend some time visiting and getting to know each other better. Instead of a game, I purchased fabric to make a baby quilt and had it all ready and laying on the dining room table. It was a nice place and activity for the ladies to gather and tie and talk. I should have turned the corner so you can see the fabric on the other side. The side showing is pink gingham which makes knowing where to place ties easier. The flip side is striped with little deep pink rose buds. Beverly Wheeler and I were saying how much we love that rosebud side. It reminds us of ticking which is a fabric that pillows and mattresses and things like that were made out of years ago. Brings back good memories.

I was amused how everyone congregated in the kitchen instead of the comfy chairs in the living room. Isn't that how it always is? Some of life's best moments are in the kitchen of a home.

After we visited and had refreshments and finished tying the baby quilt, I invited everyone into the living room to watch Daniele open their gifts to baby Maya.

It was a lovely evening. Enjoyed having the ladies in our home. Claude took snacks and projects and had an evening in the basement. I took him cake and punch also.

 

Now I must bind that baby quilt so it can be given to Daniele. I'm off like a herd of turtle!!

These Shoes Are Made For Running...

Today was the Buckner Elementary School Bear Fun Run. This is the annual fund raiser for the PTA at Buckner Elementary. And, this year, since Bailey is in Kindergarten, we got to see Hayden and Bailey run. The above picture is Bailey's red shoes just made for running.

Our schedule for the day was to wake at 7am, hit the road to LaGrange by 8am with a quick drive-thru at McDonald's for breakfast on the way, and arrival at Buckner Elementary before 10am. Hayden would run at 10:05. We would have lunch with Bailey at 11:10 and lunch with Hayden at 11:22. Then we would head to Subway for our lunch. And finish with Bailey's run at 1:15.

What is a Bear Fun Run?

The school mascot is a bear. Hence the title.

The Fun Run has every student asking family and friends to pledge so much money for each lap they do. Then each class runs on one of several fields around the school during their Related Arts class time. Each course is a square or rectangle with an orange cone at each corner. The kids come out to the field their class is to run on with a paper with their name on it pinned to their back. They have warm-up exercises before the run. Then the classes are divided into four groups. Each group positions themselves with a parent volunteer at one of the four corners. That parent volunteer will place a hash mark quickly on the paper on the child's back each time they finish a lap by returning to their cone. Then the kid just runs another lap. Hayden and Bailey's class each ran for 15 minutes. Michael was the parent volunteer to lead the kids in warm-up exercises and keep them running around their track. Andie is an officer in the PTA and was helping with the oversight for the event. After the run the kids put their hands on their heads and walk around to cool down. Then they are shepherded to one of two locations outside the school where they are given popsicles to re-hydrate. This year the theme was the Olympics and they played a game based on things having to do with the Olympics.

When we arrived Andie pointed us to where the field was that Hayden and Bailey would run and where Michael would be the parent volunteer throughout the day for the classes that used that field. We found Michael giving high 5's to all the kids that just finished their run.

He gave Claude a HUGE Buckner Bear Gold Medal for a try-out.

Hayden's class soon showed up and Michael led them in their warm-up exercises. You can find Hayden in the yellow shirt and green short. Claude is in the back in a brown shirt and Andie is on the far right in a red shirt with a water bottle.

Soon Hayden's class was off and running. Here are pictures of Hayden right after giving High 5's to Andie and Michael.

And Hayden pausing and making a fun face while getting his hash mark for his lap. We were very proud of Hayden. He ran every lap and only stopped for the hash mark. He never walked a single lap.

And a few pictures of Hayden after a very successful run.

Claude purchased a wonderful lunch for the Mini's and we met them in the cafeteria at their respective lunch times, which happen to overlap, and sat with them as they ate and chattered.

Okay, I have to put this picture in this Blog entry, just because it shows who has whom wrapped around her little finger.

While Bailey has been to both of Hayden's previous Buckner Bear Runs, this was her very first one as a student at Buckner Elementary. She was flying high today and looking forward to her run. We, on the other hand, were about to take bets on whether she would run along with the other kids or set her own course. She does have a flair for doing things as she feels they should be done. I learned as we waited for her to arrive that she has a different dynamic greeting for each of the teachers and some of the parents. As she came to the field with Andie in tow she displayed one of those greetings to one of the teachers.

She was happy to see her Daddy and tell everyone he was her Daddy and do warm-ups with him. Bailey is wearing a pink shirt, turquoise skort and her classic red velvet sneakers.

I was amused as Michael geared himself down to deal with kindergarteners. He came to the kids in Bailey's group by their cone and asked, "Which way are we running?" They all had obviously been paying attention to his instructions and they all pointed the right way. We were happy Bailey also pointed the right way. There was hope for her having a successful run.

Soon Michael blew the whistle and the kindergarteners were off on their 1st Bear Run. They had a surprise in store. The Buckner Bear showed up to run with them.

Bailey became a big fan of the High 5. I took a video of her High 5'n everyone one as she ran the entire lap. Sometimes she had to go off course a bit or wait till they put their hand out but she managed to High 5 every person watching as they made that lap. Claude even made sure he was in line for his High 5. He is in the brown shirt.

 

Here are a few pictures of Bailey finishing her run and enjoying her popsicle.

It was a successful day. We ended it with dinner at Wendy's before Michael and Hayden headed out to sell popcorn for the Cub Scouts in front of Kroger. I got a new picture of Hayden in his Cub Scout uniform. I particularly love that smile he has developed so he is always smiling in the pictures. So cute.

We parted ways until the next time, which shouldn't be too far away as Andie has Claude involved in helping her create a Pinterest craft for which she needs his saw and paint skills.

 

I'll close with a comment Claude made as we left Subway after lunch today. "Grandparenting duty is the best kind of duty there is!!" Amen!!

Ma & Pa In LaGrange...

What a lovely weekend we've had so far.

We left Friday and had lunch at Mill Stone Market in Georgetown. This little establishment bakes their own bread. Has a delicious deli where you can have sandwiches and soup to eat. And, they can boast a great market with lots of neat stuff like flours of all types, canning things, local honey, interesting candies, cake decorating items, cheese curds and pork rinds. We enjoyed a great meal, shopped a little for things to take to LaGrange and then hustled off as quickly as we could to LaGrange so we could get there before the school bus.

We made it just in time to meet Andie at Casa Marx, unload the car and walk to the bus stop. Here are the little dears bounding off the bus to see Pa and Ma. Yes, Hayden is in his pajamas because his class had a pajama party today.

We strolled back to Casa Marx to fill a couple of hours before dinner. Hayden earned a bunch of Cub Scout loops for his belt and we discussed those and looked at his Scout book. He also wrote a note to use in his school journal so we read that. I made crayon aprons to sell at Sadieville in September in the Countryside Homemaker booth. I had a couple left over so Hayden and Bailey became the proud owners of crayon aprons.

This will be the first year in these kids lives that I have not made at least one of their Halloween costumes. Andie found some great deals that just fit the kids and were what they wanted to be in pre-made costumes. Much less expensive that even purchasing the fabric would have been. Hayden put his on and shared that joy which will be Hayden the Spiderman this Halloween.

Bailey entertained us with her quickly improving reading skills. She can read the Dick and Jane books that I purchased for the kids. These are what I learned to read in many, many, many years ago. I know they are out of date but they are still fun when you are just learning to read.

When the Mini's got hungry, Claude and I took them to Dairy Queen for dinner. We are such awesome grandparents that we enjoyed make music with our straws as we began our dinner. Bailey was the first to figure out that, if you pulled the straw up and down while it was inserted in the lid, it made a fun sound. Hayden tried his and the pitch was a bit different. Pretty soon Claude and I joined in. It was greatly amusing the little old lady in the back of the dining area.

 

After dinner we watched a movie about Snow White that had Julia Roberts in it. Then it was off to bed for those Mini's.

Uncle Jake had a great trip to NASA and sent a gift for the grandparents toy closet. It is Space Bingo. I took that to the Marx home and this morning Bailey and I enjoyed a round while Hayden played some Wii. We started out playing by the rules but, with a five year old, those get adapted pretty quickly. Thanks Jake, The Girl and I had fun!!

Hayden had the first of a series of swimming lessons this morning. Andie and Bailey stayed home while Claude and I took Master Hayden to his swimming lesson. He is the only boy in his class. Everyone of these kids was super enthusiastic to be in swim class. I think this series of lessons will be great for Hayden. It was sure fun to watch this kid go at swimming with all his heart. This clip is of Hayden treading water. I put this one on the Blog because it amazed me how long he kept going. I was never good at that this and was really impressed with his will to keep going as long as his teacher said he was supposed to tread that water.

When we got home we found Princess Leiain the house. Bailey was wearing her Princess Leia pajama top and her hair had been put up in buns. She just looked at us and said, almost roboticly, "Luke, I'm you sister. Pa, use the force." Then we got the big grin. I have a clip of that but it is on my cell phone and I can't get it to translate to the computer.

Hayden and Bailey each got hair cuts today. We cut Bailey's first. Then she proceeded to comb Andie's hair. 

Bailey realized that Andie had a pocket in the front of her T-shirt today and determined that was the perfect place to store her comb, brush and detangler. Soon Andie was called 'The Shelf' and asked to stand certain places so Bailey's hair styling items were easily accessible while she combed my hair. Then Bailey combed Hayden's hair before I gave him his haircut.

We had a nice lunch and visited a bit more before heading back to Sadieville. Such a nice beginning to our weekend. Thanks Marx family!!