Grandma's getting younger

G-ma had her birthday today.  Sunday most of the family drove up to Oroville to start the pre-partying.  I got to see most my cousins and G-ma was more excited and happy than I have seen her in a long time.  She was absolutely glowing.

My grandma is amazing.

Roadtripping and re-gifting

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This is the plan for Wednesday - Sunday. It's approximately 2,800 miles and 2 complete days of driving under regular conditions. I'm completely stoked! It looks like it'll be snowing in Yellowstone most of the time we'll be going through it, but I've got chains and we're packing very, VERY warm. I'll also be crossing off 4 more states and finally having the West completed!

RE-GIFTING IS GRANDMA'S FAVORITE

A few years back Gma had come and done Christmas with us. We were all opening our gifts and when my turn came up I chose the gift from Gma. For whatever reason, the item I was opening up seemed familiar. Jeannie Mae looked over at what I'd unwrapped.

"Hey!!! Mom?!?! Isn't that the gift Den & I got you last year?!" Jeannie Mae exclaimed.

"Oohh...I don't know. Maybe. I give her now." Grandma says and points to me.

"You can't just do that."

"Oh. Why not? I no use it. I don't really like it anyway."

(Gma rules)

There's a war around the corner

with no guaranteed winner.
Don't think I'm all political...totally not.  Those are lyrics, don't be silly.


This is the week of domestication apparently.  I'm waking up at or before 8 every day and even making  breakfast.  I tried baking some pies at my house and I don't think it went so well.  They just didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped.  There's something about baking at my folk's place with mom's recipes that just makes everything turn out well.  I feel like I should redeem myself with pies baked at her house!!!  During this pie baking extravaganza I threw in a gluten free pie for Brother and Brother's wife...it looked better than I expected and Amy even said it tasted good.

Last night I also mastered the incredible cable stitch.  It was something I was a little intimidated to do.  I'd tried it once before and failed (probably because I didn't have a cable hook) and refused to try it again, UNTIL last night.  I sat around watching the tele with the 'rents and Jeannie Mae and I knit up a storm while Dennis Lee flipped through the channels and critiqued my cabling.  Hahaha...he just didn't know what they looked like before sweater-form.

I'm pretty impressed my stitches are as consistent as they are.  I'm not used to purling, so I don't think this is toooooo bad.  I see small flaws and I know gma would, but I wouldn't expect any less from a woman who's a self-taught knitter since the age of 5.

I've also got a craft day set up for next week and I'm EXTREMELY excited about it.  It feels good to have friends who are into needle arts to work on stuff with.

Good ol' fashion nightmare

I have so many ideas and so many started projects I keep getting sidetracked by each of them.  I really want to get back into embroidery and have quite a few ideas I would like to come to life.  I also have the baby blankets I need to get done pronto as well as the scarf I'm working on.  Oh yeah...and the cap I've been working on since last year that will only take me about a half hour to finish.  I should probably stop buying yarn and use up what I've got.  I mean...it'd keep me busy for the next year or so.

This weekend went by pretty quickly...picking up Gma and visiting with friends were the extent of my activities.  I've been slacking on some of my exercises and know I need to get with it.  I need to actually make it to the gym and get on that stationary.  Come Wednesday I'll be at 75% and I need to make sure my knee and surrounding muscles are up for the challenge.  Do you know what me being at 75% means?  It means in JUST OVER 2 weeks I'll be WALKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't remember the last time days drug on like this.

I got a call Sunday from an extremely excited friend.  He got the gift I had sent and LOVES it!  The gift was this fantastic robot painting done by my friend Adam.  He's fantastic and is working on a project called 100 Robots.  He's selling each robot for $10 postage paid...you can read more about it on his blog here.

When I feel more like typing I've got another amazing story of Gma fixing mistakes Jeannie Mae's made.  Otherwise, this week looks like it's filling up with errands to run including going to the DMV to get my license renewed.  Who knew you can't get into the bar with an expired license?!  I do now.  Oops!

Grandma gives good advice.

Since Gma was in town, I went over to Mom & Dad's to hang out for a while.  Just as expected, as soon as I got there Gma had her hands on some yarn and a needle.  She was attacking some needlepoint my mom had been working on for a Halloween present.  I asked her why she wasn't working on her own project and she tells me, "Ohh...you know your mom don't do right.  I fix!!!"

Now...my mother is a FANTASTIC craftista.  She can do every possible craft that involves a needle and thread or yarn AND she does it very well.  But whenever Gma comes to visit Mom finds all her latest unfinished projects and other items she couldn't get JUST right.  Then, grandma being grandma...she sees these projects, throws her hands up in the air baffled and goes, "Oh my gosh.  YOU do dat?!"

We concede.  Tell her we'll never be as good as she is (which is ridiculously true) and hand over the project.  Not only did we spend over 2 weeks to start and get to the point where we stopped, but we thought we'd done a pretty good job.  Grandma.  Grandma takes the project...gives it a once-over then tears the entire thing out.  Before she leaves for home (sometimes only a 2 day visit) she hands us back a finished product.  Better than it was when she was first handed the project.

As Mom, Gma and I were sitting around crafting on Saturday night I asked my dad to get me a pair of socks since my foot and toes were on the cold side.  Gma asked if it was circulation that was keeping it blue and I told her it probably was.  She stops and puts the needlework on her lap.  She looks me dead in the face and says, "Then you need to get up and walk around.  Stop be so lazy all da time!!"

"Grandma.  I'm on crutches!"

She starts laaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuughing!!!!!  It was the most darling laugh.  Her and my mother couldn't breathe because they were laughing so hard.  Then again...neither could I.

Grandma's gambling habits

Last night around 9 (WAY after grandma's bedtime) I got a phone call from her number.  I figured it was my uncle Michael solidifying plans for me picking up my gma, but on the other end I hear an asian woman with a thick chinese accent.

"Wiiichoool.  You can't pick me up tomorrow."

"Umm...why not grandma?"

"Because I gamble on Fridays and you pick me up in Quincy means I no gamble.  I need to keep my routine, so you no pick me up.  I go to Oroville and gamble with Michael."

"So do you want me to pick you up in Oroville?  After you're done gambling?"

"Yeaaah.  Yeahh...that sound good."

"Okay!  What time should I get you then?"

"Ohh, I don't know.  I don't know when I run out of money or when I be done.  Maybe you not pick me up at all."

"No grandma...you're coming down to Sacramento tomorrow to stay the weekend.  What time do you want me to pick you up?  4 or 5?"

"Um...yeah.  I get dere around 12 o'clock.  I think that will be enough time for me to gamble.  Maybe I not go to Sacramento at all."

"Grandma, please put Michael on the phone."

After about 15 minutes we figured everything out and I'm picking her up at 6 because she needs to keep her routine of blowing cash on some machines and getting a McDonalds flurry for lunch.