oh, did I ever call it!!!

 So the other day, I was writing on this blog about our tight flight connection at JFK in NYC.  Remember, Camille be a dear and run ahead and hold that plane door open for me?  Well, I wrote it and it came true.  It was like a mini-nightmare in real life.

We got up at 3:30 am, got the airport, breezed through security with our TSA precheck, which is totally worth getting, and on to our gate.  The line for coffee at Dunkin was prohibitive, so we decided we would drink crappy airplane coffee when we boarded.

Well.  A message from the captain that the aircraft was throwing an error code.  Maintenance reset something, and had to wait ten minutes to start it up and on and on.  They had already boarded those who needed assistance, and then took them back off the plane.  tick tick tick, that 50 minute cushion between our upcoming flight was dwindling.  We had decided to gate check our carryons, so we wouldn't have to lug them through the connection.

We finally took off, had an uneventful flight, during which I talked to a flight attendent about how short our connection time was going to be, she said there were a few others on board with similar tight connections and that she would announce a request that others remained seated so that we could deplane first.  I heard her talk to the couple in front of us, they had at least an hour more time than we did, she assured them they would be fine.

So we landed, scurried to our feet as fast as we could, and the couple in front of us was in the aisle, getting bags from overhead bins...I knew they had plenty of time, so I said, in my most passive agressive voice, Camille, I really hope only people going to Ft. Lauderdale and Phoenix are getting off now, because we have like FIVE minutes to get on our plane...  the lady heard me, and poked her husband, said to him that they should sit down and let us off...I gave her such a happy thank you, so appreciate it, then it trickled down the aisle that we had five minutes to make our flight...most people remained in their seats, and as we inched down toward the door, one lady said, "It's 7:56, good luck!"  Yes, good luck, hope you make it, hurry now!  All the well wishes from kind strangers, as they let us go by.  Our next flight:  doors closed at 8:00.   The problem was, we landed at gate #1.  The flight to Phoenix was at gate 26.  Our tickets said gate 19, which was in the other direction.  The phone app said gate 20.   We decided to go for 26, that was the latest communication from JetBlue.  So, we took off, thankful we hadn't any roller bags to lug.  She went on ahead to make sure it was the right gate.  I swerved in between hapless people taking a selfie in the middle of the aisle, ruder than I would ever imagine being...I hurried as fast as I could go.

Camille made it there, told the gate agent her mom was coming, the agent said oh no, if she isn't here, she isn't boarding...Cam ran back a bit, saw me coming, said MOM HURRY, as if I could HURRY more.  I did, I stepped on it, and zooomed right to the gate...the ticket agent was not amused, she kept her mantra going, this is a courtesy, this is just a courtesy...Cam had already scanned our boarding passes, and bam we were the very last ones on the plane.  My hands may have been shaking a little bit.  My heart may have been pounding quite hard.

It was 8:02 when she scanned us in.

Then, we had a nice relaxing flight, I watched How The Grinch Stole Christmas, during which I nodded off.  It was a five hour flight, not too bad.

We arrived and our luggage didn't.

So we went to Target.  You feel so straggly after traveling.  But we needed something to change into.  I wanted to get into their pool as soon as I got there, they had no big old lady bathing suits, so I found an extra large tennis dress on the clearance rack, and yay, they had half off the clearance price!  I also bought a pair of shorts, and ugly t-shirt, a sweatshirt skirt with Hello Kitty, and a USA t-shirt to sleep in, Cam picked out a few things and a new bikini too.  

We put our traveling clothes into the washing machine, then headed to the pool....ahhh.

Our luggage hasn't arrived yet.  I had to call this morning to confirm I want it delivered here instead of picking it up at the airport an hour away.  Of course the number I was given, no one answered so I left messages on two different options, and on the online portal.  Maybe I'll have another swim in the black tennis dress...which I am super thankful I found!  

Ah well...traveling is not always fun, but the adrenaline rush and supreme relief of actually making our flight were pretty sweet.  The thing is, we could have just gotten onto a later flight, not a huge-0 deal, but who wants to wait around the airport for a few more hours?  

Riley made us a thanksgiving feast last night, homemade cranberry sauce, cornbread stuffing with fresh sage and chorizo sausage in a hot skillet pan, roasted turkey, gravy, homemade mashies...oh dear.  Then a fresh fruit cobbler, with strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, hot out of the oven with vanilla Tillamook ice cream...oh dear!  

So it's nice to be here....glad I don't have to travel again until next week ha...Sorry for the super boring detailed narrative...:). Have a really good day...

fun times with the kids...

 

I went to a play museum with some grandkids today...Grant, Tennyson, and Wulf in the back

Mariel with Rhys and Jamie

Wulf:  I'm preparing to be a teenager, making a skateboard.

Cousins, Rhys and Ruth, with their cousin Blythe in the background

Cousins Maeve and Blythe

Tennyson building himself a block kingdom

Jamison, Ruth, Rhys, Grant

Ruth and Rhys

Mariel with Rhys and Jamie...she's been taking care of them, as well as Achilles, for several days as Kathryn and Darius are in Mexico.

Jamie in his clock shirt from Aunt Grace (he is obsessed with clocks!)

Ruth and Rhys kept bringing me food.  This morphed into them being a bit crazy and throwing the food, which we stopped pretty quickly...it was getting time to leave, ha.  

There were nine grandchildren there today, and four adults, Emily (she's taking care of Wulf, Tennyson, and Blythe while Margaret and Adrian are in Florida for a few days), Grace, Mariel, and I.  That's not a bad ration, but the littles have to be watched every second.  And they are all in perpetual motion, in different directions.  It's not tiring yet it's exhausting.  :)

After helping Mariel in the door and staying a while, doing a craft, telling a story, reading a few books, I headed back home.  I have to leave for the airport in a few minutes to pick up Darius, Kathryn, and Camille.  They arrive at six, and Cam and I are leaving for Phoenix tomorrow morning at six.  :)

Ah well.  I do not like driving in the dark, but oh well..

and, she's done!

 

And, here she is!  (Those are new baskets underneath, not sure if I'll keep them there, but they were half off at Aldi today:). I'll take a better picture tomorrow in the daylight, but I do like how it turned out.  It's like a totally different table.  Evelyn didn't realize it was the same one!

This was my inspiration, or my inspo pic, as the kids might say.  The table from Marketplace.  I just loved the creamy color with the golden top.  I ended choosing champagne brass instead of gold, and my top turned out darker.  But, I love it.  

This is just a reminder of what it looked like...

Anyway...pie pictures: 

I do make an ugly pie.  Rustic, though, right?

I had to move my painting project over to make room to roll out the crusts.  I had thought two coats would do, but a third smoothed it all out nicely.  

And, some grandkid pics...

Aunt Evelyn with Tennyson, Rhys, Achilles

Aunt Mariel with Blythe, Maeve with her bottle, Ruth, blurry Rhys, Jamie

I didn't get pictures of Anya and Elise, but they were here playing hide and seek, and coloring, and playing house with all their younger cousins.  It's crazy and loud sometimes, but it's so nice when they come over.  I made 16 burgers, and Evelyn went out in the cold rain to grill them.  Anya helped me make a salad, we made fries in the air fryer, and sliced tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and put out cheese, pickles, ect.  Dessert was the other apple pie, and the other pumpkin pie.  

Now it's quiet again.  Everyone has gone home, Paul is in bed, getting some sleep before going out hunting again tomorrow.  I will go to the pool, then pack my bags, because the next morning, I'm going to Arizona!  Our flight leaves at six am, so we will be at the airport by four thirty...so we'll leave by four...have to get up around 3:30....is it even possible to drink a coffee at that hour?  Oh dear.  The first flight is short, then we have to run our fastest to get on the second flight, at JFK.  (shh, my fastest is more like a limpy waddle...). Camille, be a dear and run ahead and hold those plane doors open for me, k?

No, actually we leave on Wednesday morning.  So I don't have to pack tomorrow, silly me!  I can pack on Tuesday night!  Camille gets back from Mexico on Tuesday night.  I hope she doesn't miss her flight or anything...they did miss one on the way down....not their fault, one of their flights was delayed because of an aircraft issue.

Ah well...I'm sufficiently tired out tonight.  I went to the hardware store this morning, the local Ace.  The screws that came with the drawer handles for the table I just refinished were way too short.  So I brought one in, and asked if they could help me find the same screw in 2 inch length.  I'm just a stoopid woman, kindly help me out here.  Hardware store guys like to mansplain, no problem.  He was actually quite nice.  He found the correct ones, counted out fourteen for me, then I couldn't think of the word for those little round things you put on the end, and when I tried to explain it and he said, Oh, you want washers for these?   I was like yeah, sometimes I forget words.  But I didn't say that.  I tried to pretend I didn't just forget the word for them.  Seriously though, if he hadn't helped me, I'd still be standing there trying to figure it out.  (I got 14 because I plan to re-do my end tables to match...)

Then I went to Aldi, got two baskets I didn't know I needed, and a new holiday welcome mat, for $6.99.  I bought a big fluffy white couch pillow, which I need like a hole in the head, but it's so wintery and cozy!  I also got butter and cream and raspberries, and some salad stuff for dinner.  I was headed home when I saw that Ben was coming over too, and realized I should have more for sides than just salad, so I stopped in to Walmart for a short visit.  Canned whipped cream for those pies, tomatoes, onions, and frozen fries.  Quick quick quick....then home, ahh home.  

Anyway, have a good night....good night!

just a teeny little catch up post....

 There are pictures but I don't feel like posting them, as I don't have much time.  I have to make some whipped cream.  I had hoped to take a run to the store today and get some squirt-y whipped cream, but there was no time.  

This fine morning, I decided to put a third coat of paint on the coffee table.  No one home, nice and quiet, just me, no music on, no t.v., just quiet.  Then a drive four miles down the road to the apple lady, where I got some Cortlands, and some Empires (to eat!), and an acorn squash, to make it an even ten dollars.  

Home...I rolled out the pumpkin pie crusts, mixed up the pie filling, got those in the oven, then started peeling apples.  Shh, this is what I did:  I set up in my comfy chair.  Yes, I did.  I put a pan on my lap and peeled into it, then every time I got five apples done, I'd slice them into the big apple bowl.  I rolled out the doughs for those, made the flour/sugar/spice mixture, mixed them all up, filled the pie pans...and decided they weren't high enough, so I peeled a few more.  They are really ugly pies, and I mean it.  There may have been a stupid catastrophe when I was making the pie dough...I "whirred" it for too long, and the butter dissolved completely, the dough was like modeling clay...but the second batch was fine, so I mixed them together, made the discs, and put them in the refrigerator.  Butter is like a dollar a stick, did not want to throw it away, ha.

Well, I went to roll them out and it was NOT easy.  I had to patch things together.  

But, now they are done, and they smell heavenly, and don't look too bad.  The pumpkin look nice.  

And, it's time to get up from my comfy chair, again, and make the whipped cream...the heavy cream is in the freezer, the stainless steel bowl is in the refrigerator, with the beaters.  

I'm going to a Friendsgiving, leaving in half an hour...it has been a wonderful day...vacuumed, did laundry, dishes, sat in my chair, had no one to talk to except for myself, and it's been so relaxing....but now I need to get my rear in gear and get out of here, does anyone still say that?  Did anyone EVER say that?  just me?  Have a good day!

projects beget more projects...

...I'm in project mode again.  You know how it is, you look around and think, "I could paint that...!", then you do, and realize that now you need to paint something else...(my end tables are looking too white and crisp, they need this paint too!  And, new hardware, since I bought the ten pack, I can redo them without it costing anything, as there is plenty in this can!)

This is the paint color I got for the bottom of the table, it's called Biscuit.  It's creamy, but not too yellow-y.

Next to a white paper towel...

The first coat on the coffee table (I love how the top turned out, that beautiful wood was hidden beneath all that varnish!)

This is what the whole thing looked like, but glossier, as this was after a light sanding.  

Okay, I went to the Sherwin-Williams store, after looking at their website.  The nice Purdy paintbrushes were 50% off, or so I thought.  There were no signs, so I asked, and was told, That's only for contractors.  I was embarrassed, three workers there, just me in the store, and it flustered me.  It was small print, and I missed it.  Harrumph.  (I did check the website, and it WAS small print, I had no idea they had sales that didn't include regular people like me).  The paint was going on sale for 25% off the next day, but I didn't want to wait, plus I had a $10 off of fifty coupon.  

Anyway, when I asked about the paintbrushes and mentioned I needed a short handled one, the saleslady, who could be one of my daughters, pretty and blonde, asked if it was for trim, and I said yes.  Not sure why I said yes, but I guess I was thinking of the spindle-y things on the ends of the table.  

Fast forward to me getting out to the car and looking in wonderment at my receipt because the paint rang up waaaay more than the online price...turns out it was urethane trim paint!  I wanted just paint paint!   Since I wanted a trim brush, she assumed I wanted trim paint.  Then I googled the heck out of it, and dang it, it's really good paint, and excellent for things like coffee tables.  So I kept it.  With the six dollar paint brush I bought, the 10% off for signing up for emails or whatever, and the ten dollar coupon, it was $44.  Now, I didn't buy anything else to finish the coffee table, except for the new pulls, which were $15 for ten of them on Amazon, so still a very reasonable makeover.

I did the second coat this evening...phew, what a day!  Pool, then headed to Kathryn's house to bring the kids to the library with Mariel, then here for lunch with them, read stories and played with them, drove back home with them and helped Mar in the door with them, then drove back here.  It was five o'clock.  I put a rack of ribs in the instant pot, poured in a dab of liquid smoke, some lime juice, a few spoonfuls of brown sugar, salt and pepper.  25 minutes later, after the steam escaped slowly, I put them on foil in a 425 oven, with Memphis bbq, some hot honey, lots of pepper, and some brown sugar.   mmmm.

Once I got them in the instant pot, I made six pie crusts for tomorrow...a friendsgiving with some old friends, I'm making two apple and two pumpkin (the apple take two crusts).  

Then, I gave the table a second coat of paint.  I love how nicely the paint goes on...brush marks disappear after a bit, like magic.  

It's been a quiet night, Paul went to bed early because he hunted all day and is going out in the morning.  Jonathan left for the weekend, Delaware, with some friends.  Camille is in Mexico, and here I am, with the dogs and cats ha.  

I'm pondering redoing the end tables, and perhaps...just perhaps: the kitchen cabinets.  I like the warmer tone of this paint color, our kitchen cabinets are done in alabaster.  I don't think I would need to even prime them, since they're white, and this is urethane trim paint.  I would scuff them up a little, maybe a thin coat of primer...but oh, it's a huge project.  When I did them white, I had so many helpers here!  

Ah well...Suri is snoring, and I'm tired, I think I'll head to bed.  I need to get up and drive down the road in the morning to buy the apples for the pies...then get busy and make them.  Hmm, I need some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, too....anyway, have a good night.  :)

 

woo-hoo!

 This blog won't be political, but I will say that I was quite happy watching all those states turn red, it wasn't even close.  I was really hoping it wouldn't be a close race, no matter who won, if that makes sense.  But I am glad Mr. T is back.  (The worst thing was the way this present administration pulled out of Afghanistan, the soldiers who died, the equipment left behind, not to mention the millions Biden let get in the hands of Iran...).  But, let's not get political.  Because, like I always say, it takes all sorts of people to make the world go around, quote stolen from Ma aka Caroline Ingalls, in Laura Ingalls Wilder's books.  

I don't like to be called names, and I won't call anyone else names.  But, I also refuse to be ashamed of my choices.  

In other news, this fine morning I went to the pool, then Camille and I drove to pick some things up I had ordered from a bargain store.  One thing, a Christmas gift for one of the grandkids, was only half of what was described and pictures, so I was refunded and didn't take it.  Another thing I am bringing back, it was advertised as a 3'by4' rug, and it's a little doormat!  The other things though, a footstool and a wood framed mirror, are keepers.  

After that, Sonja came over, and we went to Target.  I had something to return, then just walked around and looked at things...bought some beautiful mugs for 70% off, and a Christmas throw, to save for a few weeks until we decorate for Christmas, of course.

Then to Aldi, Sonja needed groceries.  I just got a few things in there, namely another Christmas throw...it is so lovely, and only $9.99.  I do not feel like taking pictures and posting them, it's been a busy day, and I'm sitting here with my feet up on my new stool, all fancy-like, instead of my usual footrest:  a blue Little Tikes chair.  Or a yellow one.

I gave my coffee table a sanding and a second coat of oil based polyurethane last evening after activity club, then this fine morning before the pool, another light sanding and a third and final coat.  Again, don't feel like taking pictures right now, but it looks so nice.  Sonja and Camille put it up on the kitchen table for me, as the bottom part is ready for primer.  I am thinking of a creamy white for the bottom, and I already ordered brass drawer pulls from Amazon...enough for my little end tables too, which I'll repaint the same color, one of these days.  (They are a stark white now, Alabaster I think, same as the kitchen cabinets, which are feeling too white for me, but so much work to repaint those!)

The house is untidy, two vacuum cleaners out here in the living room, as I was sanding in here...the sander is really nice with a dust bag, but lots still gets around.  I decided to start the project while it's still nice enough to have the windows open, because the varnish for the top is strong.

Camille is leaving tomorrow for Mexico, Kathryn and Darius are going too, and Mariel is watching their children.  I will be helping her as much as I can, so I'll be busy.  It's a good kind of busy though.  We're thinking to bring them to the library on Friday.  

Ah well, you all have a really good day, and if your candidate didn't win, it's okay.  God is still at the helm. 

almost before, and almost after, and she came back!!!

 First the "she came back" part...Miss Old Kitty went missing, I didn't see here at ALL yesterday.  I drove up and down the road, called her from the deck, opened the door several times all day expecting to see her, checked every room in the house...this is a house cat, she goes outside for little tiny amounts of time and prances back in the door...if she sees one drop of rain falling, she'll turn back around and change her mind.  She is a princess of a kitty, an arm-of-your-chair purrer.  So when she disappeared yesterday, I was imagining the worse.

Then this fine morning, Jon was up getting ready for work, and she came in when he was leaving!  I don't know where she was, but she's extra purry today.  And I am extra happy, I cannot tell you how desolate I felt about it.  

A day late and a dollar short, because I never remember to take the "before" picture.  We have a coffee table that I bought on marketplace for a hundred bucks during covid.  I was fully planning to have a project, but when I got in here to the living room, one of two things happened:

I kind of liked it the way it was.

I didn't actually feel like doing a project.

The really nice sander I got for my birthday was just screaming to be used, and yesterday it was used.  I think I was inspired by this photo, and want to try to do the coffee table to look like this:

This is not my table, it is for sale on marketplace, but I love the look, the golden fresh wood on top, and the gold pulls, the color paint on the bottom is coconut cream.  It's a huge-0 table, but it's attractive.

This is the only actual "before" pic I could come across, when Achilles was having his birthday candy cake, ha.  See, a nice enough table.  But since then, it did get splashed with nail polish remover :(

So, yesterday morning, I started sanding.

I sanded some more...

It needs a bit more, just to get the last bits of varnish off...then some higher grit sandpaper to get it really smooth.  The bottom will just be lightly sanded and primed, then painted.  I have some Sherwin Williams paint from Camille's vanity makeover, called marshmallow, I love the name, but it's too white...I want a little creaminess.  I'm thinking to just put wood paste wax on the top, instead of polyurethane, but I have to do some more research.  I might put the whole thing up on the kitchen table so I can work on it without leaning over so much, and just finish up the top last. Hmmm, but then again, if I do the top first, it will dry and set, while safely up on the table, hmm.  (shh, I scroll through videos, watch snippets, read hints and helps, then do what I want, ha.)

Ah well.  We had a little birthday celebration for Miss Camille Anaya on Sunday, and here's a funny story.  If any of you have been reading this blog for a while, you will know that Cam is our 17th child (we have 16 kids, and Baby Robert was stillborn after Sonja and before Jonathan).  We also had some miscarriages, so when I was expecting Camille and having all the signs of miscarrying, I assumed that is what happened.  Cramping, bleeding, the whole awful nine yards.  Then a check up like six weeks later, just to see how I was healing up, and the pregnancy test was still positive.  The dr. said that sometimes happens, and sent me to get some bloodwork.  I did, then went home, and the next morning got a call from the midwife.  She said my numbers were extremely high, and that I should come in right away.  Well, I had been feeling awful.  I didn't bounce back from that miscarriage, I was tired and nauseaus, and blah.  So I immediately knew I had cancer.

As soon as I walked into the office, the midwife and the dr ushered me right into the sono room, and there on the ultrasound screen was a 15-16 week baby, all happy and waving at us.  The thought perhaps I lost a twin.  I was in shock.  All those weeks of mourning a pregnancy while having pregnancy symptoms still ha, and there was a baby in there.  So this isn't the funny story, btw.  I went off on a tiny tangent.  

We named her Camille Anaya, Anaya means God Answers.  I thought that was very apt.  The funny story:  we always said "An-ay-uh".  Then I was in the dr. office a few weeks ago, and the nurse called for an Anya...a young girl with her mom.  Her mom said, No, it's Anaya, pronounced An-eye-uh.    We've been pronouncing Cam's middle name the wrong way all along, oops.  

 Sonja bringing her the cake...the candles were ridiculous, you had to do math to figure them out...(she's turning 17). 

Darius, Rhys, Cam, Ophelia, Evelyn, Lydia, Achilles, Kathryn

cousins:  Achilles and Denzel

Rhys having a little rest with her dolls.

Lydia was being an old lady, in this dress I had in the closet.  

I'm ready to do some more sanding...once I start a project, it's all I want to do...:).  Have a really good day, and I hope the election is fair and that Trump wins.  :). I still love you if you don't agree with me, unlike the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul...she said something along the lines, "If you vote for any of these Republicans, you are anti-women, anti-abortion, and anti-American."  Okay, how nice of her.  Shh, I AM anti-abortion, but then when you've had a baby "born" at 12 weeks, right into your hands, and see how perfect and absolutely awesome it's little self is, you just cannot imagine in your wildest dreams how it could be okay to dismember such a tiny infant, it's no clump of cells.  But anyway.  One thing I love about life is how God made us all so very different.  We are called to be one, in the bible, and I think that oneness comes in spite of our differences, it's a oneness in spirit, where we love and respect each other.  

Anyway, have a really nice day!