Thursday, September 17, 2020

Really Random Thursday, 9/17/20

I haven't felt much like blogging lately. Our state is burning up, as is much of the West Coast. The Creek fire, which is quite close to us, has consumed over 246,000 acres, and nearly two weeks after it started, is only considered 18 percent contained. Many places near and dear to our hearts are gone. The town of Big Creek, which we drive through to get to Huntington Lake, sustained heavy damage. Lakeview Cottages, rental cabins we used to partly own, to our knowledge have survived. But  many people have been displaced and lost their homes. Many hikers were caught unawares and it was tricky getting them evacuated to safety. Military helicopters made many trips to get them all to a safe place.

Online school continues at our house two days a week. Mark had an old stop sign and safety vest, and decided it would be fun to pretend he was a school bus driver when we picked the kids up one morning. We were amused. I'm not sure they thought it was a funny as we did. Ella looks decidedly unimpressed.


Today, we tried something different for lunch. Mark has been rocking it as the "cafeteria supervisor." Monday has turned into "mac 'n cheese Monday" but on Thursdays, he steps it up. And we decided "cafeteria trays" would be fun. So we found some on Amazon that looked like they would work. This is today's lunch: cheeseburgers, frozen grapes, pluots and homemade applesauce. Yummy.

When we have free time in the afternoon, sometimes we do crafting projects. And by "we," I mean Gabe and I. He brought over his stuffed penguin a couple of weeks ago with very defined ideas of making a Harry Potter outfit for him. Fortunately, I have a big stack of felt. We made a cape (with a hood) and a crest on the front, glasses and a zigzag for the scar.

Ella brought her dog and wanted a rock star costume. So I made a blue jacket, a star-shaped eyepatch and what was supposed to look like a studded neck collar.
Gabe and I also began working on a zipper pouch with a vinyl window in the front. He sewed the patchwork panels for the front, sewed them to the vinyl and did a most excellent job of top stitching. It was tricky figuring out the rest of the pattern for some reason, so I ended up doing the finish work. But I was so proud of him and the good work that he did.
He also made a striped scarf for the Harry Potter penguin. That stack of felt that has sat neglected for a couple of years is getting a good workout and it's nice to have it handy for these projects.

A couple of months ago, when we were rearranging the office spaces in our house, we reluctantly needed to get rid of a beautiful handmade desk and storage unit that my father made for me when I was in eighth grade--out of solid maple. We gave it to our next door neighbor, and she sent this picture over today. One of her daughters now has her own room and the desk combo is perfect for her. It makes my heart so happy to see something in use that my father made for me about 55 years ago. 

This is a not-uncommon conversation at our house...
The "Gruber's Girls" had a Zoom sewing day last Saturday. I set my little laptop on the corner of my sewing table, and sewed away. Those sessions give me such a needed boost.

And that's about it for the last two weeks. I've been doing a lot of sewing, and one of these days I'll get around to sharing that too.






9 comments:

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Charlotte M. said... #

I'm happy to see you are back to sewing Cindy. And Gabe is so creative. Must have gotten that from his grandmother :)

Anne / Springleaf Studios said... #

I've been thinking about you a lot with all the fires. I'm glad to know you are doing ok and managing the home school situation with a sense of humor. Not sure I would manage as well. I can certainly relate to the first 2 memes. Sometimes I can't believe another week has gone by let alone adding an extra hour to the year. Stay safe and enjoy your sewing time.

Needled Mom said... #

LOVE the time change meme! I’ll bet secretly the kids get a kick out of the school bus driver. Great idea and the cafeteria trays are perfect. So glad your desk is being put to great use.

FlourishingPalms said... #

Your posts are always interesting, Cindy. I'm glad that you and Mark are able to help your kids by handling a couple days of the virtual school thing. There's no doubt it's challenging for parents. And I love how you and Mark are trying to make it fun, as a bus driver, and how you offer school lunches. It's also fabulous that you can sew and craft with your grandies! I know what you mean about needing to spend time with friends, and it's great that your Gruber's group can get together to sew. I have the same set-up with my laptop next to my sewing machine. Makes me so glad we decided to go the portable route a number of years ago. I've seen the limitations some quilters have because they're tied down to a desk computer with a tower. Ugh. Keep sewing and making. For me, that and Bible study are the ONLY things keeping me sane.

French 75 said... #

It's always good to read your updates. I enjoy seeing Gabe and Ella's crafting projects. I'm sure they will tell stories about how you and Mark made getting through COVID home schooling at least bearable. I continue to hope that Lakeview Cottages survive, so we can spend another picnic there together. (That was a memorable day!) xo

OPQuilt said... #

Your fire pictures are so dramatic--so scary! I'm sad about all that was burned, because I was bound and determined to try out the Cowboy Cabin (is that gone, too?). Love that you are zooming with your Gruber Gals--such a great idea. And I totally had a full day of doing not much. That is the sign for me today!

Andee Neff said... #

The fires suck! I am glad you are trying to make school at home fun and memorable. Love the school bus and lunch trays! I also am enjoying Zooming Time with a few sewing buddies. Makes the isolation more bearable!

Robby said... #

I'm so far behind, but I think of you when they start talking about the fires out there. We have one bad one that they've concluded is going to require snowfall to really put an end to it. That's not great news since we haven't been getting any moisture after the surprise snow in the first week of September. On a separate note, I think it's a law of nature that adults think things are amusing that are dramatically under appreciated by their younger relatives. Take care.

Onalarc2quiltlady said... #

I just found your blog and really enjoyed reading it. I didn’t quite catch where you found the kids to play school with but I love their sense of humor! We are all trying to make the best of our worst year. I wish you all good health and safety. Please make time to get out and vote early if you can and keep thinking positive. You are creating a safe, nurturing place for children that are very scared deep down. You also lifted my spirits today!