And So It Begins

The lighting is not very good but you get the idea for the general layout.   We'll still need that hooded jacket to run from the garage into the house in a downpour, but hey, the cars will stay dry!!  How I rememer our suburban homes where you drove into your garage then walked into the house, all neat and tidy like.   I guess that's why we put in all tile floors!

Operation Completion

We have now been in our house for 8 years, on the island for 10, but BJ has never really felt like the place was done...you notice I said, "BJ".   So yesterday construction began on a garage.  Aren't all you visitors glad we waited until you left??  Along with the garage will finally be steps down to the back door and lighting on the steps outside.  It will be nice not to have to escort our guests to and from their car with a flashlight in the winter time.  It does get reallllly dark up here!  So I guess this whole process will make the house complete...but I did hear some chatter of creating a little lean to for Deere John to keep him cozy during the rainy season.     I'll keep you posted with photos along the way. 

CAADD

On Tuesday mornings I facilitate a mom's Bible study class and we have a video followed by good discussion. Boy, I sure wish I had had some of this good info when I was raising my own family. Anyway, we have about 24 in the group and it's a good mix of all ages, the older helping the younger with what they found did and did not work. In today's study the author referred to something called CAADD or "child activated attention deficit disorder"....you know, we all had it as young mothers...you start to do something, you get distracted, you try to go back to the original task only to get distracted again by a dirty diaper, a knee needing a bandaid and on it goes. We all got a chuckle over this new "medical" problem and some of us older ones also thought we could substitute the C for an H to stand for hubbies. Without a sense of humor, where would any of us be???

If It's Been A Year

I believe that's the marker for purging things from one's closet...so if it's been hanging there for 3 or 4 and I still have not worn it..well, then it's really time to purge. I have spent a couple days cleaning the bedroom closet and tossing out things that haven't been on my body for a loooonnng time. I'm leaner than I was a few years ago and plan to stay that way so things that are in good shape but are just too big overall...those big shoulder pads, outdated tops, pilly sweaters and on and on are now in bags headed to the goodwill or the second hand shop in town. So it feels good to see the shelves a little less congested...makes me feel even lighter!

Date Night

Every time we go to Orcas Center, our performing arts center, we ask ourselves why we don't do it more often. We had a nice dinner out first then to a performance of 3 violinists and a guitarist playing all Celtic music. They were wonderful, amazingly talented, and brought the house down with their foot stompin' music. Even they commented on the quality of our facility for such a small community. It was great to see the place packed out with overflow people sitting behind the performers on the stage. It was good to see we could actually stay awake until 10:30!!

Talent?

OK, so maybe some of you have heard about Jackie Evancho. She is the 10...I repeat 10 year old singing sensation on the show "Americas Got Talent". Now I don't even watch the show but the show's results showed up on my home page and I may tune in for the last episodes to hear this little girl sing. One of the judges, Howie Mandell, asked her if she had swallowed a grown up! Her voice is so far beyond her years plus her poise, well, "talent" doesn't describe it, but prodigy starts to come close. What a joy also to see a 10 year old who looks like a 10 year old. So, treat yourself and Google her to hear some of her performances...pure bliss or "heaven" as one judge stated.

Progress

It seems a small thing but yesterday I actually wrote with my left hand...and more importantly, for me, I have started drawing again. Rather odd that drawing is actually easier than writing but my drawing is more of a two handed effort. My right hand has gotten so much practice lately with fine motor skills that I probably will continue to use it to write as it's faster. I had avoided spending any time at my drawing table for fear I just couldn't do it. I have had to relearn how to handle the pencils and other tools but it's coming along. Such a huge encouragement to me to make another step toward "normal". Oh, the things we take for granted.

Amazon Woman

Well, I could be a spokesperson for Amazon.com! I had been ordering our tea from them for a couple of years but this past week discovered that they also sell Wasa hardtack! This is what BJ and I eat for lunch every day and they sell it 12 packs at a time which comes out $2 cheaper per pack than even off island prices. Then to really top it off, I discovered yesterday that they even sell my Obagi skin care products MUCH cheaper than at the dermatologist's office. By the way, if you are not familiar with Obagi, check it out...wonderful products for the aging face!!...uh, yeah, that would be me.