Naomi's Turn

It will soon be Naomi's birthday and her turn for an overnight stay with Grammy and Poppop.  We decided to have her over 2 weeks early because of our work on the kitchen.  With it being torn apart, it would be difficult to do some of the things the kids like to do while they're here.  And I am planning to leave for my trip to Seattle on her birthday.

So I left work early on Monday to go get her and bring her back.  I am amazed at how much Naomi can talk.  Everything she says is interesting and I thoroughly enjoy our conversations.  She and I talked non-stop on the trip in the car, a whole hour and a half.  At one point, she stopped and told me that she was going to be quiet because Grace told her not to talk so much, that Grammy likes quiet!  I assured her that I have quiet all the time and I like her to talk to me.  So she did the rest of our time together.

She had requested chicken noodle soup for her special dinner and was a big help in getting it ready.
 
 Dawn and Tommy stopped by right at dinner time with Kira, so they visited with us and Naomi and Kira played.


 

When they left, we watched a movie (Disney's Robin Hood) and had a bowl of ice cream.  Naomi and I slept in the upstairs attic room but not before reading some Uncle Remus stories.

Tuesday morning, we made blueberry pancakes for breakfast, then Andy took Naomi to the church.  Dawn and Kira met them there and they played in the gym for an hour or so.

Dawn and Kira came back to the house with them and we watched a Veggie Tale video and the girls had a little more play time together.  Naomi and Kira really play well together.  It's heart warming to observe their interaction.  Notice their interaction as they watch tv (ha, ha!).
 

No visit to Grammy's is complete unless I can get my hands on the girl's hair.
 

After lunch, Andy and I took Naomi to the Camden Aquarium for the afternoon.  What a fun outing together.  I hadn't been to the Aquarium in many years and really enjoyed it.  We were able to observe and even touch the sting rays in a big tank.
 

The variety of fish is truly amazing. 

 

There were sharks of every size and lots of them.  The Camden Aquarium has a Shark Tunnel where you actually can walk through and have sharks swimming all around you, including over you.  It was a weird feeling.

There even were hippos.  They seem like such slow, lumbering creatures, but did you know they can actually run up to 18 miles an hour?

 

As we were leaving the Aquarium, Naomi posed on a surfboard.  I know the picture is blurred, but that is because she is moving so fast on the waves!

 
  All too soon, it was time to leave and we had to return her to her family.  We had dinner with them and visited for a while before heading back to our own home.

We had a good time and made some fun memories.   

KRP

The Kitchen Renovation Project is about to begin.  Andy has made his time line and in a few more days we'll be in the middle of it.

Tuesday, May 22:  tear off base board and backsplash.  Remove trim around kitchen windows, spackle where needed.

Thursday, May 24:  remove all the contents from all the cabinets - to the dining room.

Friday, May 25:  Hire Andrew to help remove cabinets and take to Mark who will be spray painting them.  Remove all appliances.

Saturday, May 26:  Hire Christian and Andrew to remove tile floor and plywood decking.

Sunday, May 27:  rest and eat meals out.

Monday, May 28 (Memorial Day):  electrical rough in for (1)  single duplex receptacle, (2) removal of 2 overhead lights above main counter, (3) thermostat wiring for heating mat, (4) hardwire under the cabinet for halogen lighting...insulate water lines, insulate floor, install floor decking & wall patching.

Tuesday, May 29 - Friday, June 1:  floor tile work

Friday, June 1:  Andy - wall patching

Saturday, June 2:  reinstall cabinetry, install countertops and hook up sink.

Monday, June 4:  finish wiring

Tuesday, June 5:  move stove, refrigerator and dishwasher back in place

So according to this plan, I'll only be inconvenienced and without a kitchen for a little over a week.  But years ago, I heard it's a non-spoken given that whenever you do a construction project you should count on 2 things:  It will cost more than you planned and take longer than you thought.

I also have been trying lately to enjoy the moment and not be preoccupied with the future.  In order to get to the finished beautiful product, there's got to be some growing pains. No pain, no gain!

How like our spiritual life.  Growth and maturity can be painful, but there are so many benefits along the way.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  (Hebrews 12:11)

Yesterday was a quiet day before all the work begins.  We were delighted to be able to have Kira over for a couple of hours while Dawn went to a bridal shower.  There is a lot for her to do here:  jumping on the trampoline next door, swinging on our swings, coloring, reading.  She does not know the meaning of the word "bored," but keeps busy the whole time and is very sad when it is time to leave.  She's a jewel.

Andy's BIrthday & Mother's Day

Andy's birthday this year was the day before Mother's Day.  It was a Saturday and we did our usual Saturday things.  He went for a bike ride first thing in the morning with 3 other friends.  I think they rode about 35 miles.  The rest of the day he spent in working around the house.  He did a project for his mom and dad and then in the afternoon, he scrubbed the deck.  It was pretty dirty and moldy from the winter, but it looks great now.

I spent the day doing laundry, then preparing for Sunday.  We had planned for Christy and her family to come down for morning church, then stay the afternoon.  Dawn was involved in the production of our church's children's musical being performed this weekend.  After the last performance, she and Tommy and Kira would also come to our house for the day.

From past experience, I knew it would be better if I could prepare the food the day before the event, so I could concentrate on enjoying the people, instead of being frazzled about getting all the food ready.  So I made a carrot cake (for the birthday boy!), broccoli salad and Greek pasta salad and rolls.  I also marinaded chicken.  So when we got home from church, all we had to do was put the chicken on the grill, then carry all the other food to the table.

Dawn was really tired from the weekend.  Her children's musical was performed 3 times:  6:00 pm on Saturday evening, then 9:00 am & 11:00 am on Sunday morning.  The kids were terrific and did a great job in both acting and singing.  The story was about Zacchaeus and Bartimaeus meeting Jesus and was clever and humorous at points.

We was a fun day and we enjoyed the afternoon together.  We were sorry Amy couldn't be with us, though, and missed her cheerfulness and fun ways.  Here is the afternoon in pictures:

I was busy at work this week.  There's a golf tournament scheduled for May 22 that I'm administering.  And this Sunday Dawn's children's musical is being performed.  So there was an all church mailing to go out on Monday, then details to check for the bulletin and program.  And I decided to order the carnations for Mother's Day from an online website this year.  I was promised that they would arrive by Thursday.  They did arrive Thursday afternoon, all 800 of them.  When they arrived, I had to clip all the ends of the stems (of all 800!) and put them in water.  Hopefully, they'll open up and look perfect for Sunday.  Don't they look great!

Tuesday was a nice break from working at church.  I babysat Kira all morning.  She is such an interesting, fun child.  She made the agenda and I just did whatever she told me.  She wanted her cd put on, then when the music was playing, told me to dance.  I'm glad no one else was in the house because I am not a good dancer.  Thankfully, she is too little to care.  We blew bubbles outside for a while.  Then I took her bike outside and she had fun riding in the driveway and the deck.  It was a beautiful spring day. 

 

We also sat in the car for a while.  She looked at her books until she discovered my phone.  Then it was press buttons and look at pictures.  I really think she is better at taking pictures than I am.  She knows how to click, click, click. Here she is making a funny face.
 

In the afternoon, my interior designer friend came over and we put up some pictures on the wall above the tv.  I am very excited about having these pictures on display.  They are of places we've been and are associated with happy memories.  What pleasure it will be to sit on the couch and look at all those beautiful mountains, meadows, canyons, lakes, fjords, God's glorious creation.  The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

 
 Oh the places we've been:  Norway, Rocky Mountain National Park, Big Sur, Bryce Canyon, Moosehead Lake, Canyonlands National Park...



 Happy Mother's Day to all my dear mommy daughters and friends!  It's a wonderful blessing and privilege to be a mom to 3 daughters and 9 grandchildren (so far!!!).

Last Sunday Christy and Christian and all the kids came down for a visit.  It was somewhat unexpected except that Christy called the day before to ask if they could come down.  We were delighted, of course, to have them.  The purpose of the visit was for Andy and me to test the kids on what they had learned in their schooling this year.  They were supposed to be tested by someone other than their parents and we were happy to hear what they had learned.  We were impressed!  They and their mother had been very diligent and worked hard this year.

They arrived after church quite hungry because traffic had been bad which increased their travel time getting here.  We had omelets and waffles, our usual Sunday after-church meal.  It was a nice day and the younger ones were able to play outside while Grace and Aiden were being tested. Aiden and Naomi also love playing with the toys I keep in the toy chest.

I managed to get a picture of each of the kids except Claire.  When I had the camera in hand, she was eating, so she got missed this time.

Andy left on Friday for the men's retreat.  Since he was going to be gone, I planned a trip up to see my Mother on Saturday.  On the way up, Amy called and said I should stop in to see them on my way home because they'd be home all day.  We did a little mulching and weeding in Mother's gardens, then went to Red Robin for lunch.  That was happy for me because I didn't know there were any Red Robin restaurants around.  We had enjoyed that restaurant when we lived out west years ago.  And they were as good as I remembered.  The only complaint I would make was that the music was too loud, making it hard to have a meaningful conversation.

After lunch we paid a visit to Lowe's and bought some more mulch.  I didn't have time to do any more, but Amy had said she would be happy to help her Grandma so I left some work for her to do!  I did a little trimming of the bush by the front door.  

Then I tried taking a picture with my new phone.  I have a lot to learn on that.  Fortunately, I know a lot of techie people who are happy to give me pointers.

On my way home, I did stop at Amy's since I didn't know when I would see them again.  However, they were out.  Yes, the whole family was gone.  I hadn't given her a definite answer that I would be stopping by, so I can't blame them for not being there.  I did get to see her gardens and enjoy their beauty.

Andy left the men's retreat early because he had several commitments today.  So he got home soon after I did last night.

After church today, I spent the afternoon preparing for our evening with the older singles from church.  We're having a baked potato bar.  I baked 16 potatoes.  Others are bringing toppings:  several kinds of cheese, crumbled bacon, guacamole, sour cream, butter, salsa, etc.  I'm also making chili which Andy and I like to put on the potatoes, and I made blueberry muffins and cinnamon chip muffins.  Someone is also bringing a salad.  Ummm, ymmm!

Twelve people had dinner with us tonight.  It was a wonderful time of food, fun and fellowship.