Day 60 - LEAP DAY

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL NEWSLETTER

For the last year and a half I have been putting together our community's monthly newsletter. There are 254 homes in our development and today is a milestone because we will now have them printed in color instead of black and white. I use Publisher to create our newsletter so the people who receive it via email always see it in living color. To keep costs down we have been printing it in black and white but it will now be printed by a nearby Retirement Center in exchange for allowing them to place a flyer with all the newsletters. It's a win-win!

Day 59

PUPPY

No, she isn't mine.....

This Corgi pup is only 2 months old but looks extra large because I'm holding her out front. She belongs to my friends, Mike and Barbara. So sweet! AND Oops!!! I did NOT take this photo.

Day 58

HAILEY TURNS SEVEN!

Today is Hailey's birthday. My, how the years fly by! We went over to Shauna and Pete's to wish her a happy birthday this afternoon. She was excited to show us her skills on her new gymnastics bar. Her friend Evie was spending the day with Hailey and she and Charlotte showed what they could do on the bar as well.

It is wonderful to be able to witness our grandkids growing and maturing, BUT I kind of wish I could just bottle up the early years of the kids. They are all so innocent and funloving. Soon enough the worries and frustrations that plague everyone will fall upon them as well. However, for now, all our grandkids are still sweet and yet precocious. I am able to say that especially since our 10 year old grandson, Saben, just placed 6th in the Whatcom County Math Olympics and his team of 4 placed FIRST!! 

Charlotte, Uncle Jason and Hailey

DAY 57

HELLEBORUS

Lenten Rose

It is that time of year, friends, when the trees and bushes are budding, spring flowers are popping up and the Lenten Rose is in full bloom. I really do like this time of year. New life, sunny days and a promise of summer ahead. Ahhhh, life is good!

Hellebores are one of my favorite plants. You can count on them. Like clockwork. They always seem to survive the most wretched winter. It is a reminder that it is almost Easter Sunday. Christ died for us and yet He lives. Many flowers remind me of the greatness of God, but it is this particular flower that I am most assuredly reminded of God's faithfulness and his undying love for His children.

There are many varieties of Hellebores and they come in several different colors. I wish I had a whole garden bed full of these lovelies. Check out Plant Delights and see if they will thrive in your area:

http://www.plantdelights.com/Hellebores/Helleborus-for-sale/buy-Lenten-Rose/Hellebore-plants/?view_all

Day 56

I NEED TO STAY OUT OF JEWELRY STORES

I bought the most lovely necklace slider at an estate sale for one dollar a few months ago. EVERYONE seems to comment on it and several have suggested that I go to a jewelry store and have someone look at it and find out if it is real. Real diamonds, that is. So, today was the day. I went to the Jewelry Exchange right here in the Renton Highlands. Just as I suspected, though this piece of jewelry is indeed gorgeous, it is not made with real diamonds or real silver either. Doesn't really matter to me because I love it anyway and it only cost me one dollar.

If you know me very well, you would know that I love jewelry. Especially expensive jewelry! The lady who helped me explained why their jewelry is priced so low. It is because they "blah, blah, blah, blah." Look it up for yourself if you want to know! As usual, I had to check out their deals, which were pretty extraordinary  But then, the sales lady said "Oh, come over here....I have to show this beautiful ring."

Sucker! Of course, it fit me beautifully. One carat color enhanced diamond center stone with I forget how many carats of smaller channel set diamonds. It looked just right on my finger. Yup, it was pricey, but no worries. Sigh. No, no, no. I will not be going back to purchase it! But I certainly do know what I like!!

Day 55

MONOPOLY

You can't tell by looking, but it is Monopoly by SAFEWAY

I bet most people have played Monopoly, especially during their childhood. Who doesn't want to pretend to be a big property owner!? I loved to buy properties and houses and hotels and make my opponents pay big bucks for rent.

Here I am again, playing Monopoly. This time for BIG cash prizes! Ooooh,..."shop, play, win!" Maybe I better go back to Safeway and spend more so I will have a bigger chance of winning. I don't know why I am bothering with this game, which Dave brought home after going to the store to pick up 3 items. I usually just toss these in the recycling bin. How many times have we been faced with these Monopoly games from every grocery store and even McDonald's over the last 30 years??

My younger granddaughters have a kid's version of Monopoly which uses one dollar bills, so when I played with them, they would catch me saying "I need my $200 for passing GO." "Grandma, it is TWO DOLLARS!" It is difficult for old habits to die.

Recently I heard that there is a new game of Monopoly being released soon that will not use paper money, but the players will use a "credit card!" Wonder how that will work. Looks like the way we pay for things now is going to be reflected in our games as well.

I do indeed miss the '50's. sigh.

Day 54

PERFECT WEATHER FOR GOLF

Dave, Dave L. and I golfed together today at Maplewood Golf Course. It was a beautiful day and I wish I could have grabbed my cell phone quickly enough to get a photo of the gorgeous bald eagle that flew low right over us! It is not unusual to see bald eagles at the golf course because of all the big old trees on the backside of the course. I also saw a red tail hawk and the seemingly ever resent blue heron, as pictured. I often see deer, racoons and even foxes on the course. I am a huge animal lover and I always feel a surge of enthusiasm when I get an unexpected glimpse of God's great creation.

Day 53

I ALMOST FORGOT

I have lots of projects that I am working on. Last week I bought 3 white leaf shaped doilies. I wasn't thrilled with white so I soaked them in some hot Lipton Tea until they became a nice tan color. Still, not what I envisioned, I used some of my fabric inks to try to make them mottled autumn looking leaves. Too much color, too little color. I fiddled with them and removed most of the obnoxious colors. One looks pretty good but the other two have streaks of color instead of blotches since I hung them to dry. One out of three isn't bad, especially since I purchased them at Goodwill for under $2 for all three! Perhaps in the next few daysI will play with them again and work at getting the splotches of color that I hope for. For now, this is what they look like.

Day 52

ONE MORE MEMORIAL SERVICE

With the huge choir doing a fantastic Hallelujah performance

One would think that a memorial service would be full of sadness and crying. That is the way death and funerals seemed to go in my childhood. I am so blessed to be part of a community of believers. Death is sad because we miss the person, but in many ways it is also a time of great joy and hope. Joy that our loved one is with the Lord, hope that others will turn to God and repent and believe and also a time of remembering the good in the person's life and the legacy that he or she leaves. Such was today's memorial service. And what a fabulous choir we heard!!

Day 51

A FIRST FOR ME

Republican Precinct Caucus

My question is why in the world do we need to attend a caucus in Washington State since we hold a primary vote for president. I got my answer but I'm still a bit befuddled. So I will have to do more research to better understand the entire process.

One thing I did find out is that since my precinct committee chairman didn't show up, and since I was the only person to be there from my precinct, I am now the NEW committee chairman. If I continue on with the County and State caucuses, I could possibly go the the national republican convention in Cleveland. Well, that is certainly not my first venue choice. Cleveland?? Anyway, that is another story.

We finished our meeting in an amazingly short amount of time.....under an hour. I did see 4 others from church who showed up to represent their precincts so it was fun catching up a bit.

I guess I am officially a political activist. Hmmm, now if I could just become a community organizer. Like you know who!

Day 50

I NEED TO MAKE MORE TIME TO READ

I really do like to read, but somewhere within my psyche I always feel like actively "doing" something is more important. Like creating something in my craft/sewing room or writing something on the computer. One of my New Year's resolutions was to read more books this year. I'm off to a rather slow start. I do enjoy a wide variety of books and authors. One of my more recent favorites is Fannie Flagg. This will be the fourth book of hers that I have read. I haven't seen the movie so the book will be fresh for me. Then I hope to see the movie one day after I finish the book and see which I like best.

I especially enjoy reading books by David Baldacci, Preston & Child, Jeffrey Archer, Lee Child and Anne Tyler. There are a few that I won't bother with again like Debbie Macomber and Ridley Pearson. I read some non-fiction interspersed and Christian books, but an entertaining, suspense-filled or funny slice-of-life are my favorites.

Day 49

LATE VALENTINE'S DINNER

with our friends the Bantells

We always have a fun time with Marv and Merrely and tonight was no exception. Dave and I had not been to the Outback for many years and it did not live up to our expectations. Bottom line is we will not be making a return trip. It will be back to the Melrose Grill in Renton for our next steak dinner at a restaurant. They have THE BEST steaks!! 

We laughed at Dave's topknot! But it isn't his hair but some unknown "thing" in back of us.

Day 48

LYNDA'S 70th BIRTHDAY LUNCH

at Goldberg's Deli

Cell Phone madness....Sharron, Lynda and Dorene

Trying to improve my selfie photo taking ability

Day 47

WE NEED YOUNGER FRIENDS

Contact me if qualified

This afternoon we attended a memorial service at church for a friend who was only one year older than we are. We have known this couple for around 30 years. She died from Lewy Body Dementia which is similar to alzheimers. Then on Sunday we will be attending another memorial service for one of our former music pastors who also recently passed away from alzheimers. 

After the memorial service we learned that another of our friends (member of our bible study group on the far right in yesterday's photo) was in the hospital! My, my. Are last night's homemade chocolate chip cookies toxic?? Just kidding. Anyway, I called the hospital and sure enough he had been admitted, so we drove straight from church to the hospital to visit Stan. Hopefully he will come home tomorrow afternoon after more tests, but he was in good spirits and all seems as good as one could hope.

And that, my friends, is why we need to find some younger ones to fellowship with. There will only be more of this in our future! I suppose we should have thought of this years ago and been on the lookout for that younger crowd to hang out with, but then they would one day be saying "We need younger friends!" And so it goes. They call it the circle of life, but I see a finish line, so perhaps it is not a circle at all.

Day 46

BIBLE STUDY

Dave and I have been hosting our bible study group at our house for the month of February. We are down to a small group (only 8 of us) right now as 3 couples are snowbirds in Arizona. We are studying the book of Zechariah and boy is it ever challenging!! Prophecy can be tricky trying to figure out!

Day 45

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

My dear, sweet husband knows I love chocolate and that I've been "hounding" him for a puppy, so he gave me a yummy box of chocolates this morning with puppies on the lid. Ah well, no puppy for me, but I will try to be content knowing my husband loves me. Even if he doesn't want another dog around!

Day 44

Uh Oh, I almost forgot!

It's true, I almost forgot...so I took a photo just a minute ago. But then I remembered that I had actually taken another photo or two earlier today. I guess I wanted to forget! Only about 1/2 mile from home, driving our 1999 pickup truck, I ran into another vehicle as I was making a left turn into the grocery store. Traffic had stopped because of a red light so two lanes of traffic left me a space to squeeze through and lo and behold, I had forgotten about that 3rd lane and couldn't see a car coming. Boom! I did very little damage to our truck but since she was moving and I couldn't quite get stopped in time (almost!) my bumper scraped along her driver & passenger doors. As it turned out, I couldn't have run into nicer people! I totally was in the wrong and they were very understanding and said they would have done the same thing if they were me. That made me feel much better.

Luckily no one was hurt and I called Dave to come and see what had happened. We decided that yes we should report it to our insurance company...,.that is why we have insurance after all! It will all get taken care of and I was so pleased that the driver and passenger of the other vehicle were such nice ladies. I have no defense, but the traffic was absolutely horrible this morning and the grocery store was a zoo!! Too bad I didn't just skip the trip. Oh well, I made a delicious pot roast for dinner so all is good. :)

Here is a photo of the other car:

Day 43

PINOCHLE AND LEOTARD

Nope, it's not the name of a law firm, or a couple of delinquents, but rather it sums up what I did today. It was pinochle day with the ladies from 12:30 until 3:30. My partner and I had double pinochle so we each took home $2.00 which is $.50 more than the buy in. It's all good!

I decided I should get Hailey's leotard stitched up so that is what I worked on this morning and this evening. I have some matching lycra shorts cut out and ready to sew up as well. That will be tomorrow's project! Have I mentioned how much I love all my sewing machinery? Well, I do!!

Day 42

SAD AFTERNOON IN OUR COMMUNITY

Be sure to hug your loved ones

Unfortunately mid afternoon today we discovered a backup of cars trying to go out our main gate but there were police cars, yellow crime tape across the entry, fire truck, aid car and no one allowed in or out. One of our residents had walked up to the gate and shot himself in the head. I'm sure he didn't want to do this in his house, where his wife was and he likely wanted to be found quickly. He was suffering from aging issues and depression. His wife is a friend of mine and what a shocking situation. I went to visit her but obviously she is still processing everything and meeting with the police chaplain so I

was not able to stay long. 

My take away from this is to remember to be sensitive to those in your life. You never know what kind of stress and emotional difficulties people are dealing with. Also, when tragedy strikes, be available to comfort and lend aid.

Here is the scene from the front patio of our home.

Day 41

GYMNASTICS CLASS

What a workout for Hailey!

Dave and I drove to Issaquah's Gymnastics East this evening to watch Hailey's pre-team class. What an amazing facility they have for kids who are serious about progressing and competing in gymnastics. Hailey is now in the team facility, across the street from her regular class. Her class was from 6:00 to 7:30 pm and was filled with all sorts of strength exercises including L sits, doing a chin-up and pulling her legs over the bar FIVE TIMES (!) pushups, splits, etc, etc, etc. Dave was feeling sorry for her because as much fun as gymnastics class has been for her, she now needs to actually WORK And FOCUS.

Each of the 7 girls in her class needs to prove that they can perform certain moves in order to be selected to continue on as part of a team. If they can't, then they revert back to regular gymnastics. It remains to be seen whether Hailey has the maturity (at almost 7) and drive to continue. She does love gymnastics but she may need to wait a bit and try again. We'll see!

It was amazing to see all the difficult moves that the older team members are working on and the strength that they have developed is just mind boggling! Dave wishes he had had some of this equipment back in the day when he competed in gymnastics in high school.

Yesterday Hailey wasn't enthused about having to go to her class today, but she wanted Grandma and Grandpa to go watch her today AND she wondered where her blue leotard was that I told her I would make for her. I had stopped working on it because she didn't seem all that eager to continue and I thought, "Why bother." But perhaps tomorrow or over the weekend I will get it finished for her. Kids! You never really know what goes on in their head!

Day 40

ICE SKATING WITH CHARLOTTE

No, we didn't actually ice skate with Charlotte. We took both Hailey and Charlotte to the Ice Skating Rink so Charlotte could have her lesson. Their parents went to the local elementary school to get Charlotte signed up for kindergarten next fall, so we had the joy of being with the girls. It was fun watching Charlotte learn how to propel herself backwards on skates and by the end of the hour she was able to increase her speed going forward. It sure looked like fun and I would love to get out on the ice myself, BUT both Dave and I were feeling like we might fall and break something if we tried. We still may show up for a free skate one day and just see if we can still move on the ice! Aging is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. 

Day 39

TODAY'S FUN PROJECT

Sewing AND Crafting Combo

Love, love, love when I can spend a good part of the day playing with my toys. I finished this neat heart art and I like the way it turned out. A little coloring with fabric ink and watercolor pencils and then couching decorative threads using invisible thread so just the couched threads show up. I've painted the fabric for a 2nd one (thought I might make 3 and hang them together, but so far #2 is not a hit with me. Probably because it has blue in it. I really am not a fan of blue, except in the sky! Perhaps when it is done I will be able to appreciate it.

Day 38

RAH RAH SHISH BOOM BLAH

Sandy's Superbowl Analysis

You may know how much I dislike football. Ho hum. Nothing new there. We have a tradition of going to some friends' home to watch the game with a small group of people. I forgot to take a photo of our gathering which included dinner and snacks. As a non football watcher, I napped a bit, knitted a bit, talked a bit and ate more than I should have. Typically the commercials are the hit of the day for me but this year was just plain ol' boring! Boring game, boring halftime, boring commercials. The only good thing is the friends we were with. I would like a big glass of wine, but since I ate more than I should have, I will forgo having a glass of wine and instead post this photo of one of our wine bottles.

Day 37

ANOTHER NEW EXERCISE REGIME

(And I HATE exercise!)

So I will try again. I usually stick with an exercise routine for a relatively short amount of time. Walking? It is raining, it's too early, it's too late, I don't have time, I don't want to take the time, I'd rather eat chocolate. Ugh. But here I am trying it one more time. My daughter-in-law, Kari, recommended this book awhile back and I decided I should get it out since I did pay real money for it and do the first set of exercises. Obviously they are not meant for cardiovascular exercise, but I sure would like to stem the tide of aches and pains! I may even go for a walk. We'll see.

Day 36

ALTERATIONS

my least favorite part of sewing

My daughter, Shauna, went to Africa a couple of weeks ago and had a dress "made-to-fit" for a mere $10. Not a bad buy, BUT it was a little tight on top and the arm holes were too small. "Mom, can you fix this dress so it fits?" "Why OF COURSE I CAN!"

Big mistake. This dress is sewn by amateurs that's for sure. The lining on the top is super flimsy. I ripped it apart and sewed it back up TWICE. What was I thinking? I could have made the entire dress in less time that it took to alter it. And I can only hope it fits. Ah well....the things we do for our daughters!

Day 35

TEMPTATION

Tonight I went to the Issaquah Sew Fun. Each month Quality Sew and Vac holds a special class to showcase a variety of new or interesting items and show items that the instructors have sewn as examples. There is always a drawing for prizes although this time I didn't win anything. I try to go each month because it is a a good way to keep motivated. Tonight I was tempted and I almost succumbed. When I saw this quilt made up I was ready to plunk down my credit card for the book and special template used to create the following quilt. 

It took me a minute to come to my senses and realize that I have lots of half finished projects and that I should just focus on what is already paid for in my craft room! One day maybe I will make this quilt but for now I am content to appreciate it and move on. 

Day 34

GOODWILL WEDNESDAY

Senior Day!! 20% discount if you are over 62

What a fun time I had at the Goodwill today. I will show just one of my treasures. Sometimes I go and find nothing at all to bring home. This afternoon was different. Oh My Goodness! They had lots of Chico brand clothing (my favorite.) Some time later I may actually show you what wonderful clothing I manage to find but not now. Besides my special finds are now in the dryer. I even found some great shirts for Dave. I always look at the label and examine every inch of an item of clothing. I have learned from experience that the eye can miss seeing boo boos. I had to remove some articles of clothing from my closet to make room for the newish items and BOY is that tough!! But, but, but...I may wear this again although it really isn't my style, doesn't fit properly or is a bad color. But purge I must to make my closet workable. Dave keeps telling me "Don't buy me more shirts!!" Not that he doesn't appreciate it but he has lots of shirts and our closet is only so big. Me bad. I hate to pass up a good buy. 

On Mondays at the Goodwill everything marked with a certain color tag will be $1.79. I WISH I could find things I like on Mondays with that certain color tag but I almost never come home with anything. I guess I've got more expensive taste, like in the $3.99 to $7.99 range!

Here is one of my finds today. This cute tiny teapot is perfect for my sewing room. Of course, I don't plan on using it for tea or anything else for that matter, but I so like crazy teapots and this one made me giggle and it was only $1.99 and 20% off of that. Paint was chipped just a bit on the spout so I used my black Sharpie and colored it in. You can't even tell there was ever a problem.

Pretty tiny isn't it?? Maybe 3/4 cup of tea!

Day 33

WHAT A BLAH DAY!

For some reason I wasn't motivated to do much of anything. I did go get some more procurement forms for the Partners Global Network Mission Auction that will be held on April 30th. I've had some success in finding businesses to donate and will probably spend part of Thursday and Friday getting out and hitting some more stores. I did go to Target today and spent almost $100 for our donation to this auction. I bought lots of newborn baby items to go into a big basket. I also have an afghan that I made up a few years ago that I will probably include. I've been saving it. But maybe it is time for me to give it up.  I think I will make another one just like it, because I can....and I like it.....and maybe I will need a handmade baby afghan somewhere down the line.

Fun stuff! Of course all the stuffed animals except the little white lamb are mine.

Day 32

COFFEE WITH FRIENDS

Every couple of months or so Merrely, Tamie and I meet at Starbucks for coffee. It is always fun to catch up and encourage each other.Today was typical, two hours sped by like lightening. I am so very thankful to have such caring female friends in my life. Thank you, Lord!