Things I did not do today

1. Make oat cakes because I held the Baby for 4 hours which was probably more important
2. Visit Laura's sewing room because she was too busy too.
3. Go for a walk because Jocelyn and Bhreagh and I made three parts of a gingerbread village
4. Probably another thing or two as well, ...

On the other hand I got the Christmas bags filled and tied up which was a huge task that could be done only when the girls weren't around. My suitcase is only half full as I am packing for home. Practically no shopping done, but go back and read above. It will at least be easy to manage.

You are reading this on Tuesday morning, more than likely, or else you are up obscenely late. I will be in the air as you read. My flight is at 7.20am to Newark. 2 hours in that airport and into hfx around 4 or so. As I said, I am ready to be home and this branch of the family is ready to reclaim the house. I am so happy that I was here and I will miss them all.

I will try to get an entry done in Newark, assuming there's free WiFi. Happy landings on a chocolate bar!

Busy Mom

Time to go home

Last diet coke, last tea bag...Time to go home. Time to bake oat cakes and have another knitting lesson with Jocelyn. Pretty well done, just the details.,...more later.

Sunday night

We went for a walk this afternoon on the trail behind the house. What a great walk, slow and fast as five of us made our way along. Corned beef for supper which turned out great and various desserts due to the baking that's been done oner the past few days.

I brought my wedding dress with me in case Laura wanted it for some use with these Littles so this afternoon I washed it and dried it in the drier. Turned out great!! It has an overskirt that falls into a train that has a lot of available fabric in case she wants to incorporate it into something. I am pretty well finished with it as I can't get it zippered up any more. Can't believe I was really that small.

We had a great evening sitting with the girlies and laughing about this and that. A thing or two to do tomorrow. Hope the snow didn't inconvenience any of you. More tomorrow if you decide time come back then. Good night moon .

Sunday 2pm

This morning we did a foray to Walmart where I picked up knitting needles and some yarn to teach Jocelyn to knit. She follows instructions really well and is doing fine for a little girl who is 7. Is that too early JoLynn? She is enjoying the process and I hope with another session this afternoon and then another tomorrow night she will have the concept. I hope she does well enough that she can enlist someone to help her if she runs into a problem or she could lose interest in the whole thing after I leave. I'm not sure if Laura knits or not.

Chris is cooking corned beef for supper.

I have some sorting to do here in my room but it may have to wait till no one is around to peek. Jocelyn is very curious about the bags and things here in my room.

I think I will go out for a walk on the trail behind the house. There is a lot of activity here right now and it could be a good time. Back later.

Chris and Bhreagh

Saturday night

I am still on Atlantic Time...did I already mention that? Two weeks and I am still waking obscenely early and worn out at 8pm. And then there was last night when I barely slept at all. Three nights ago I woke for the bathroom run, checked my watch and when it read 10.34 I assumed it was wrong so checked my phone to see it was in fact 10.35 by then. LOL. Usually I am going to bed at that time.

So today we saw one of the family pictures from yesterday. Fantastic! Absolutely fabulous. We saw one of the baby and it too,was sweet, even though rather Anne Geddes. Is it Anne?? Can't say for sure but you know the one I mean.

I was at Kohl's today but didn't do well. Disappointing. Visited one quilt shop but not that great a result either. I knew this was not a shopping experience so I am not too let down. I got a,few things for Laura.

The Littles are sweet. I could just eat that Baby Finley. It's so wonderful to be here. I want to come back for a month. Two weeks was great but Laura could use help on a regular basis. She bounced back after this birth but I know she is tired. Keelin is the most work as an 18 month baby she can't be talked into or out of anything and she mainly wants her mother. The older girls can be flexible with the right incentives! Lol. They are adorable.

Three more sleeps. I don't know how I am getting to the airport on Tuesday morning. My departure is at 7.20 am so that means I should be there by 5.45am or thereabouts...Actually it's not an international flight but just to Newark so I may not need to be there so early. At any rate the cab will be uber expensive.

Hope all is well,where you are. Thanks for stopping by, rather a slow news day. I am ready to come home. I have one tea bag left, my travel sized toothpaste is practically empty and my travel hair spray is done. Definitely time to come home. Good night for now.

Friday after Thanksgiving

Black Friday I guess. The appt for family pics was for eleven so you probably remember what it's like to get kiddies dressed to go somewhere special and then add an infant and a toddler. And a man in a kilt and a Grandmother. After all that was said and done, you barely had time to get yourself ready. Made it on time. For some reason the photog wanted to take the pictures outside. Great looking brick wall but it was 8C and these Littles were not exactly dressed for it. They did pretty well I must say, Then they grabbed the infant and proceeded to Anne Geddes the life out of her. I think they wanted to practice their skills on infant settings and weren't that interested in the family. My opinion only. That pretty well took the guts out of the day and we are really keen to see some sneak peek photos asap. Chris looked great in his kilt. I may take it home to the kilt maker for a couple of alterations. He had it made when he graduated and like all of us, in 17 years he has added some girth. I made a temporary alteration but it should be done right. I am not making any progress in the battle with my cold. So far it's winning. I have things to do. The Christmas bags have to be embellished for this year and I gave gifts to wrap. That will have to be a Monday thing. I would love to do a bit more shopping for the girls. Monday will have to be a long day. So closes another day of my holiday. We ate leftovers today and probably tomorrow. I must get the bread machine on first thing in the morning. Hope your day was as full as mine. Sadly I am beginning to get a bit weary. The pace is more than I am used to. Take care everyone.

Thanksgiving

How crow we made it through the day and I was just the assistant. Chris must be exhausted. He was up at six and worked on the meal literally all day till the company left at six thirty tonight. I laughed when everyone was gone, the last person standing was Keelin. We are all in bed or at least upstairs and it's 8pm. They are having family photos dine tomorrow at 11am so it will be a busy morning. Keelin usually has her nap at 11.30 so who knows how this will go. She may be enthralled with the whole process and we can only hope so. I am not sure if I am going or not. To be determined. Still hoping to do some shopping soon. Not much else. Lots of food left over. I froze half of a cake. One dessert is better in the next day, so if we don't eat it, we will have to bring it to the neighbours. We watched the macys thanksgiving day parade. Perhaps you did too. And tried to maintain order!! Have a good evening and a fun Friday. Back soon.

Idle thoughts

Nothing profound...Just idle thoughts. I know I have a tendency to over think everything. ..I guess you all know that too. I am here a week already and this next week will fly by. Thanksgiving is Thursday and that is a big deal,here in America. There will be quite a houseful here for dinner and I only hope it's a nice day so that we can all spill outside. Just by the way, the people across the street have their Christmas lights up and ON! And they aren't the only ones. There is a business here that's called Two Elves And A Ladder and it will come and decorate your house and after the holidays come and take down all the lights AND STORE EVERYTHING till next year. They put a little sign in your lawn as advertising. A few signs are evident here in the neighbourhood. So there! ! All for $500. I don't think my blog recognizes skipped lines between paragraphs. I am inserting them but they don't appear. Chris has pneumonia. I think I indicated that everyone here was sick and I guess he is the sickest. He's on a puffer and a steroid and an antibiotic and had a special,treatment at the doc office this morning. Today I went to the girl's school for a little play in Jocelyn s class and then had lunch with Bhreagh. You have no idea how Catholic this Catholic school is. Really. I was astounded. Laura laughed and told me that Finley will go there for free because after you pay for three, the rest are free. Their friend Ellen has five there and one more at home ready to go in a year. So as I stared to say, one more week and in that time, the girls will be in school only one day. They are off now till Monday. I have yet to get to a fabric store or to Kohl's. It's pretty impossible to shop with two children and it's hard to leave Chris at home with three. Just a difficult dynamic. Tomorrow the girls are going with a family friend for awhile so we could get out maybe. I am not keen on driving here but I knew from the start that this was not a shopping trip. Still, I would like to get to a store or two. Today I made biscuits and Funeral Squares. I have made oat cakes three times. I am making a dessert for Thursday as well. Mostly I hold the baby and do laundry. I bathe her whenever I can and clean up the kitchen. It's great to be able to do this. Doesn't seem like much but I know it's a help. I just wish everyone was feeling better. Jocelyn and Bhreagh were out to gymnastics this evening. Laura is pretty tired at the end of the day but she is a rock star. When we went out to Von Maur, someone looked at the baby (she was wearing her in one of those sling things) and asked how old she was, ... when Laura said 5 days, the clerk said 5 DAYS!?!? Laura said She's my 4th...you don't have time to sit around, you just have to get up and move! A rock star, but she is tired in the evening. Poor girl. Keelin is Just A Baby at 18 months and you can't let her out of your sight around Finley. She pokes at her and grabs her arm and scares the daylights out of the infant. Two Babies. So it's quarter past nine, I will be awake by three thirty or four. Listen to Information Morning very quietly till everyone is up. I am missing the pool in the mornings but I don't miss achy joints, particularly achy hands. It's so much dryer here. (Baby is fussy tonight. She slept for long naps today but I can hear her fussing now) All for me tonight. Be back when I can, thanks for taking time to catch up. Pardon any typos. Doing my best!!

Sleepy time

A few pics

Sunday night

It's a busy environment here on Preston Woods. This morning I took Jocelyn to Mass because everyone here is sick but the infant Finley. Jocelyn was receiving a pin with all of her fellow second graders who are preparing for Reconciliation so it was quite important that she attend and she and I were the least sick. It was very special and I am so happy that I was here to be with her. She was tickled pink, or as happy as a seven year old gets about an event at the church...which I must say was packed with families. As many men in the church as women and oodles of children. Quite something. Very mid west. So this afternoon we all went to a restaurant for supper and I am sure some people were terrified to see parents, an obvious visiting grandmother and four children including two babies, coming in to eat. Mid way through the event a gentleman who was leaving stopped by to comment on the excellent behavior of The Littles. A compliment indeed. The radio station of choice in the car is playing all Christmas music. Yesterday Laura and I went to a most fantastic store called Von Maur. OMG OMG. I really cannot begin to describe this place. Probably the nicest store I have been in. High end of the middle range. Not Sacs but high of the middle. Gorgeous and of course all decked out for Christmas. I can't wait to go back and look in the ladies wear. We were lookin ma inky in the children's dept. Housewares was lovely too. Still,have to get to the quilt store.,I may do some driving tomorrow. Thanksgiving is Thursday so the girls are only in school Monday and Tuesday. That is going to make for a busy week for the adults. I am baking tomorrow. There will be 7 adults and assorted children here for dinner on Thursday. Incidentally when I said that Jocelyn and I were the least sick I didn't mention that my cold seems to be headed to laryngitis. Sweet. Really sweet. So,that's about it for this evening. Hope all is well in your nests, take care and come back. I will try to get a post done every couple of days. I'll be back.

Jocelyn

The View from here

Neighbourhood in the mid west

Friday in the rain

The rain just started a while ago but it may continue for a day or so. I havent been out yet. Maybe this weekend, but I didn't come to be out.,as I figured, there is plenty to do. Today I did oat cakes and laundry. The older girls are going out for a sleep over tonight. Maybe we adults and two babies could go out to dinner. Perhaps not. Chris was off on Tuesday and Wednesday and with Thanksgiving coming up next week, he will be home for a couple of days. He and Laura don't shop during the Black Friday sales. I would like to get to the local quilt store and maybe Kohl's and or Chicò's. We had a Skype visit with Aaron and Rika and Alice Anne last night. Bhreagh was so excited to see Alice. Really there is nothing new in the neighbourhood.It's the mid west, friendly people, children going to the same school,,tons of homework. Really. Jocelyn has been working every night I am here on homework for an hour. She's in second grade. I don't remember being involved with making a puppet of my favorite Saint. I can do that now. Missing my mornings at the pool. All for now. Thanks for the mail, ladies. Back soon.

LAKE St Louis

It's so good to be here. I had forgotten just how busy it is to be in a home with young children. Really. There day starts in the dark. Just FYI, I M 2 hours behind you but I have pretty well settled in to the time change except that I am pretty tired by 7.30.

My flights were teriffic and on time which was quite important for me. I was fearful that there would be cancellations or delays but such was not the case. On the flight to Philadelphia,  there was no one in the seat beside me. only about 50 on the plane. I had a great lunch in the airport and about a 2hr wait. No need to rush, just a good layover. another small plane to STL and here I am.

It's warm today, almost 80 but will be quite cold for the rest of the week. I haven't been out, quite happy to be helping out where I can. I did laundry yesterday. This afternoon I may make oat cakes.

The baby is NEW. Really only 4 days today. You all know what a new baby is like. Totally helpless, a magical gift. I love being able to love her.

All,is well. The main talk is Thanksgiving and it will be lovely  to be here for it. I believe there are 4 adults and 2 young children invited to be here with all of us. Chris loves to cook.

All for now. Stay in touch, I will try too.

One more sleep

One more sleep and I am off and there will be four little faces there, new baby Finley Isla arrived on Nov 14th 2016 and I can't wait to meet her. She and Mommy are still in hospital today and I don't know when they are coming home but I am arriving in STL tomorrow at one in the afternoon and it could be that she is home at that time. So far today I managed to get boarding passes printed off but I have little confidence in American Airlines and have all fingers crossed that departures and arrivals are in line. Going through Philly is a bit of a headache but this was the combination that got me there earliest and with the least hassel on paper. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

Mindless entries here, just making sure that I can get in and out and that anyone who cares to read the ramblings of a solo traveller can get into the site successfully.

I will be missing Guild next week and the all important first exchange of the Round Robin as well as the sign up for my workshop in January. Imagine...January!!

All for now. Daisy's pizza box has been removed from my sewing table and the hair she deposited in it has been removed. I made a little bed in that same place for her and she is there at this moment, having her morning nap. The one thing I instructed Mike on was care and maintenance of the cats, which includes little boxes. If they tell me they were out overnight in my absence, I w ill be upset. Very. Very.

Come again, I hope to be faithful to reporting during the next couple of weeks.

Daisy

Helping again.

Daisy Duke

Always checking out my latest projects.

I may have to get Daisy her own pizza box! 

Starting up

Be patient with me,  friends and children and family. I really don't like blogging but a blog works as a means to stay in touch with several people over a short period of time .  I am off to America for two weeks and this might work as a source of info if you care to check in and it may be that I will find some time to keep it up as a quilting file of a sort after I get back home. who knows!?

Right now I am making a list and checking it twice to arrive in STL with the things I need so that I don't need to run out to the pharmacy or the fabric store.  I have a box of tea and my sewing kit ready to go and several new books on my Tab. Some Christmas gifts too. I should bring Steinhart Mpale Vodka for Chris. And me.

More tomorrow. Plans to make tonight!