Monday Memories - Odds and Ends

the mess continues . . . 

On Friday Ande, Grace, Cali, and I took a road trip to Monroe, Washington.  Our friend Donna had planned a scrapbooking day and invited us to come.  We had a grand time.  I discovered die cuts.  Oh, I’ve known about them for a long time but didn’t think they fit me.  I was so wrong.  They’re fast, easy, clear cut.  I whizzed through a project thanks to die-cuts.  It was fun to spend time with the girls and friends.  Really fun.  We came home to Cali's house and set everything back up, so the mess continues . . . 

Charlotte and Jay

Saturday night Calvin, Ray, Cali, Grace, Ande, and I drove down to the other corner of the state to attend a wedding open house for Calvin’s niece.  Charlotte and Jay, Calvin’s sister and her husband, live in Ohio so we seldom see them.  It was great spending a few hours with them.  They’re funny, happy, and animated.  Jay started telling old memories to the kids – like the time we put him on one of the horses and he lost his stirrups and the reins.  The more his legs flapped, the faster the horse ran.  The horse finally dumped Jay and we spent a long time looking for his dropped wallet.  It held all their trip cash.  They needed that wallet.  Every family needs a Jay. 

Charlotte and Calvin

Calvin and Charlotte enjoyed catching up. We enjoyed watching them catch up.

Ande and Grace

Ande loves to poke Clara so that she will kick and play with her.  The other day Cali asked Grace if Clara sleeps at night.  Grace said, “Sometimes she plays a lot, but sometimes she just plays quietly with her hands or her ear and lets me sleep.  She likes to fiddle with her ear.”  Grace says it in the funniest tone while she twiddles her fingers and imitates the baby.  Once when Calvin was reciting a Gunsmoke jingle about Matt Dillon and Miss Kitty, Grace put her hands over her stomach and said, “I’m covering Clara’s ears so she can’t hear you.”  Clara shouldn't hear such things says Grace.

three hours and a dollar's worth of gumballs – the cheapest shopping trip ever

Cali, Grace, and I are spending the week together at Cali’s house in Seattle.  Everyone else has a job that needs them.  Sometimes it’s nice not to be needed.  Today we went shopping.  We went into this little odds and ends store where Cali showed me some tiny little glass animals – hedgehogs, dogs, mice, donkeys, alligators.  We were pointing out each new discovery when I said, “This reminds me of shopping for little mouse figurines with Grandma Julia.  She would take us out to dinner at the hotel they owned and then let us pick out a little mouse from the display case after dinner.” 

Cali squealed and said, “Really?!”

I said, “Yup.”

She said, “Oh good!  I have checked all over trying to find mouse figurines so I could recreate that memory for you.  I couldn’t find any, but I did find these little glass things so I brought you here.  But, I started feeling really stupid when we came in the store because these aren’t like those at all.  I’m SO glad this reminded you of your grandma.  That’s what I was hoping for.” 

I gave her a big kiss on the cheek and then picked out the teensy, tiny fly.  Cali wondered where I would put it.  That’s a mind bender for it needs to be a place safe from Calvin.  He does not like flies.  I don’t like them either, but I don’t conduct a safari hunt when one buzzes by.    

We have a running game of dominoes going - once again, the loser must buy milkshakes at the end of the week.  Cali was skunking us all bad.  She started to do her Indian war whoop.  The very next game she tallied 334 points, she only got to lay two dominoes the whole round.  So much for whooping.  Ray and I are no longer in serious danger of coughing up milkshake money.