Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, July 30, 2012
Outside my window...  laundry drying on the line (hallelujah), totally clear sky when I woke up and stripped all the beds to wash the sheets, and now clouds?  Actually, I think it's all going to burn off :D
I am hearing...  the washer, my tapping fingers, and Sara Groves' When the Saints.
I am thinking...  my cousin just gave the boys an X-box they no longer use, and how am I going to regulate how much time the boys get with their new obsession???
I am praying...  my mom is in surgery this morning, getting a knee replacement - praying all goes well and the reward is great.
I am thankful...  for my home and my healthy family :D
I am wearing...  blue hawaiian-print shorts and a blue tank top... and a light long-sleeve top until the clouds burn off!
I am going...  nowhere, today!  Yay!  Staying home!  Okay, I may pop in on my mom this evening, if she feels like visitors, but that's good :D
I am looking forward to...  more routine in our lives again.
In the kitchen...  probably BBQ tonight, so I'll get some chicken marinating soon.
Around the house...  Lord have mercy, you should see the dust bunnies elephants we just swept out of the boys' room.  I've been working on "projects" I can't reveal right now - trying to get ahead on gifts for fall birthdays and Christmas, while I have the time.
The Mother Load...  prioritizing the things I do need to stay on top of in spite of it being a loosey-goosey-summer schedule, I'm planning to make myself a new tote bag.  Made a proto-type from a pattern I found online but I want to make it bigger.  Math, math, math!
Noticing that...  Tate's voice is so much deeper.  And I think with the implant he can hear his own voice better (or differently) so he talks more quietly and I have trouble hearing him.  How weird is that?
Something I want to remember for later...  just how much Gunnar loves his little niece :D
A favorite quote for today... 

And when the saints go marching in,

I want to be one of them.

One of my favorite things...  how about three of them?

A few plans for the rest of the week...  sewing, cleaning, weeding, feeding, washing, tidying... the usual.
A peek into my world...

I don't think you're grasping the concept of the chair.

IMHO

Wrangling Gerbils

If it's Wednesday, it's Aural Habilitation at WWU.  Tate is spectacular.  In fact, he's already exceeded the exercises they have in their therapy book, so they've been printing sentences and paragraphs from the New York Times and CNN's websites.  That's definitely more challenging for him, but not overwhelming.

The interesting thing, though, is that some of the sentences are so long that it's hard to tease out if he didn't catch a word or if he just forgot it by the time the sentence ended.  I mean, I'm not sure I could repeat sentences like this verbatim!

In the wake of the decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, it's hard to remember a time when there was such a fixation on a single justice's single vote.

or

After withdrawing all visible security forces, even traffic police, for a day, Syrian Army troops brought in on trucks or buses suddenly deployed around the 13th-century citadel.

or

Ringed by the Blue Ridge Mountains and for generations a successful rail hub, Roanoke now has a median income of about $35,000 and is trying to reinvent itself for a different economy: a medical school opened in 2010, and a bike shop is planning to move into the massive old transportation museum.

But he tries hard.  And often he gets the gist of it, even if he misses/forgets some of the words.  And he can laugh at himself, which is a blessing beyond belief.

After listening to one long sentence, he started to say it back, then asked for a repeat, saying something to the effect,

That's a lot of words and I don't remember the ones from back at the beginning.  It's like trying to control a bunch of gerbils.  When I grab this bunch, that bunch starts to skitter away.

Yes, Tate, that's what it's like.  Well said.

Out of the Blue

Gunnar:

Mom, if Dracula can't see himself in the mirror,

how does he keep his hair so neatly combed?

Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, July 23, 2012.
Outside my window...  the rain has finally let up, but it is cloudy and COLD!  55F!  Is this really summer?  Actually, I don't mind too much.  Heat bothers me more than cold, but for the boys' sake I'm hoping for some sunshine!
I am hearing...  the washer finishing a cycle.  Too wet to hang clothes on the line today :o(  I hear the wind in the trees outside my window, and water dripping onto the driveway.
I am pondering...  summer break is the perfect time to do some projects - I just need a plan.  Or at least a list of all the birthdays yet to come this year and then Christmas...
I am praying...  my mom is having knee replacement surgery next week, a friend's family will be caring for their (great)-grandma in their home, a friend is going through radiation (and soon chemo), and another friend just discovered cancer...
I am thankful...  Tate is doing SO very well with the adjustment to the implant.  He's started using Clearvoice and seems to be really liking it.  He noticed a difference right away in the car coming home and also commented that he was able to hear through the headphones (flying with CAP on Saturday) better than before.  Hallelujah!  Also, Kerry is still busy-busy-busy with work - such a pleasant change!
I am wearing...  gray jeans, blue socks and slippers, and a long-sleeve red shirt - it's cold today!
I am creating...  I want to be creating gifts in advance, hence the need for a plan.
I am going...  to stay home today.
I am hoping...  to be fabulously productive ;D
In the kitchen...  Wyatt's teeth seem to be feeling better (did I mention he got braces last week?  must get a pic...) so we're eating more normally again.  I was trying to serve very soft foods for the first couple days.  Maybe baked potatoes tonight - sounds good to me.
Around the house...  Wyatt's b'day gifts, though he's put most away as some are too big to leave out for long - like the long paddle he wanted, or the camo tarp.
The Mother Load...  I've long been avoiding a pile of paperwork/stuff in my office and really, really, should do something with it all.  More laundry is waiting, but Kerry is showering and I'd probably better not throw a load it right now...  though it's tempting ;D  And a bit of picking up after yesterday's party.
Noticing that...  I need to cut back some bamboo before it takes over a whole flower-bed I like.  Actually there is much yard-work to do, but it's too wet today.  Bleh.
Something I want to remember for later...  Gunnar is such a motor-mouth!  It can drive me batty.  And the reason I want to remember it, is because I hope that later it will have changed, and we'll be saying, remember when...
A favorite quote for today... 

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.

- James Barrie

One of my favorite things...  a quiet house.
A few plans for the rest of the week...  thankfully, this week is not so crazy as last week.  All the boys have dentist appointments tomorrow morning, Tate has therapy on Wednesday morning, the boys are invited to a movie night on Friday, then Saturday brings the annual CAP summer BBQ.
A peek into my world...

...While the Sun Shines

Friends called last week, with hay in the field and a storm on the way.

The boys are up for an adventure, especially if food is involved.

Time to load up...

Little hands work too...

... somehow Hans looks doubtful.

If they can't lift the bale, they can roll it to the truck...

... while bigger hands load the wagon.

And some watch the show.

Do you think they can?

First load, almost ready...

... room for a few more bales.

And a quick nature break.

Time to head for the barn.

A sharp eye on a blind hill.

Reason to hurry...

.... to get it in the barn.

Bales in one door, kids in another...

... and slowly, the barn fills.

Back for more...

and getting some serious attention. ;D

One more ride to the barn... 

...one more sharp eye, watching out for us...

,,, one more ride back to the farm...

... and one more beautiful sunset, before the storm.

Batik Quilt - Done!

I had this great plan that I would sew like a maniac and finish a whole quilt while the boys were at my sister's.  Yah.  But it didn't quite work that way, what with all the time I spent watching TV and eating bon-bons.  (Just kidding!)

The very morning the boys left, I lost a contact down the drain.  Yah, sure, I took the drain apart, and found it... in pieces.  And had to break out my back-up glasses.  And helloooo?  The 80's called, and they'd like those frames back.  That was the era of big hair, big shoulders, and big glasses.  Lovely.  I dug deeper and found one, lone, ancient contact lens.  Not sure if it was even the right lens (my eyes are different) I popped it in and headed for the eye doc, feeling like Mr. Magoo.  Long story short, I just picked up my new contacts AND new glasses.  (Thanks, honey, it's been a spendy week :D)

Meanwhile, during the interim I really wasn't seeing quite clearly, and just sitting and sewing for hours on end made my head spin.  (Well, that might happen regardless... right?)  But I finally finished, and...

Wa-wah!

This is just the top, before I quilted it.  I spared no expense on my display apparatus ;D

And, here it is, quilted and bound.

I backed it with... (*gasp*)... a turquoise sheet.  (Purists, don't judge.)

I love the big yellow stars :D

I didn't really have a clear vision for how I wanted to quilt it, *ahem*, so we'll call the quilting "organic" and "modern", rather than crooked, okay?

And there are all kinds of little oopsies, like this thread loop.  Maybe a couple more runs through the wash will wiggle that around.  Or maybe not.

And just for fun... a view from the back before I quilted it.  Love the stained glass effect.

Some people are really brilliant at coming up with clever names for the quilts they make, but I'm at a loss, here.  Seasonal Affective Disorder Antidote doesn't really have the snappy wit I'm looking for, y'know?  I'm just glad it's finished!

Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, July 16, 2012


Outside my window...  the forecast was for sun, but I see some low clouds.  Maybe they'll burn off later?


I am hearing...  Tate probably appreciating the cooler morning as he's mowing the neighbor's yard, Wyatt ironing his uniform (and about to join Tate), and Gunnar downstairs watching a movie because he's not feeling well :o(


I am thinking...  at least Gunnar wasn't sick while he was on the big outing with Aunt Tami.  It's never fun to be sick, but it's worse when you're away from home.


I am praying...  for Gunnar obviously, Tate continuing to adapt to the CI, a friend's husband seeking a job, another friend's husband with heart issues, and our good use of time over summer break :D

I am thankful...  Kerry is busy, busy, busy with work at the moment.  Wyatt is about to start on much-needed and long-awaited braces.  And my boys are all home again :D

I am creating...  a color-saturated batik quilt.  Nearly finished.  Pics soon.

I am going...  hmm, some things will depend on Gunnar, but it looks to be a busy week - Kerry and I have an appointment tomorrow and the boys have CAP, Wednesday is Tate's therapy, Thursday I take Tate to Seattle for another mapping and Kerry takes Wyatt to have his braces put on, the boys have a youthgroup function on Friday, CAP volunteers at the Heritage Flight Museum on Saturday, and we're celebrating Wyatt's birthday on Sunday.  Whew!

I am hoping...  Gunnar improves and I remember everything and everywhere I'm supposed to be!

In the kitchen...  probably some chicken soup, to soothe an upset tummy.

Around the house...  yes, well, the boys have returned with an amazing upswing in clutter.  *sigh*

The Mother Load...  time to move furniture and vacuum under/around/behind everything, my plants need attention, and while I haven't yet finished the quilt I'm working on, my head is spinning with other project possibilities...  it's time to think about fall birthday and Christmas gifts, now, while I have the time.

Noticing that...  messes accumulate so much faster than the time required to deal with them.  Why???

Something I want to remember for later...  how excited the boys (still) are to tell me about all the fun they've had.

A favorite quote for today...  The longer you stay in your comfort zone, the smaller it gets.

One of my favorite things...  finishing things!


A peek into my day/world...  love this pic of my brother and his little lady :D