He did it....he dried my bra! Gaaaaaaaaa!

Ok, so you ladies are going to get this...men won't.  We want to be so encouraging when you pitch in to help.  We really truly do. God knows how much it means to us.   When you step in to help around the house, we are thrilled, shocked and amazed.  Some men never do.  Other women don't want them to.  As for me, I adore the help.  Housework for me is truly a chore...I do it, but no...I don't like it. It's an evil necessity. Seeing as how I don't like to live in a mess, I have no choice.  Then kind and helpful hubby steps in and throws in a load of laundry.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU,  oh helpful one.  U da bomb & way to go!  Even tosses it in the dryer.  YES!!! ( feet are doing a happy dance right about now) Then I see it.....gasp....."Is that my bra?" ...."In the dryer?" ugh......!
Hubby says "oops...sorry, didn't see that in there".  Contain myself...he's "HELPING!!!"  I say "oh well....no worries". "Little broken wire there...oopsies.  I'll probably never feel that, hun".  hehe  And truth be known....He's pretty good about remembering to hang them....If he washes em.  But then....no...What??? That's not my new Chicos bermuda shorts ....I DON'T DRY THOSE!!! I shudder to remember what I spent on those suckers!  They are just a few weeks old, and noooooo, I LOVE THOSE!!! (interject whiney female voice here.... those are the ones I wear to weight watchers cuz their so thin and light, and ....SHOOT, they're probably not gonna FIT now!!! Ok, I say to myself, calm down.....the goal here is to be grateful here, or 
 he will never help me with laundry again.  So I calmly go in the other room to try them on, (God help him if he has to see me bend over to put them on...NOT a sight I want him to have to endure)  and ...       They fit!  
I had chowder last night....and bread with butter, and dessert.  They fit!  What was I so worried about???  And when he sees me in them...he says "Hey, those look good on you".  Man I love that guy!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

The Terrell Painting/Carpeting Chaos Project is Finished....Whew!!!

Waiting for the chickens!!!

Today marks the final day of what has been a 3month project for Bruce and I.  It started late May, ended today. Whew....we're feeling old and tired, but satisfied with how it all turned out.  Bruce & I began by pulling everything off of the front porch.  Then he began the long process of tearing out all the dry-rotted boards on the front porch, and rebuilding the steps.  Then we sanded and then painted everything, including the little white cupboard, which had to be stripped and nailed back together.  As with everything else, lot's of wear and tear was happening in the salty air of the central coast.  The clean up was long over due.  We decided to paint our front door rather than try to strip and stain it, and are very happy with the black we chose.  We barely finished the front porch, when it was time to start clearing the house out for new carpets.  If any of you have ever carpeted when you live in your home, it's as though you are moving.  Everything out and off the floor, including closets.  Lots of work, 10 hour work days for this old retired pair! But since we had neglected to paint so many of our rooms, before the carpet was installed we wanted to paint, soooo... the next project began.  Painting our Master Bedroom, our walk-in closet, ALL the baseboards & windowsills upstairs, then the family room, office/laundry room, as well as one of the guest rooms!  We had some help a couple of the days from David, son~in~law extraordinaire. It seemed to take forever though, and needless to say, we aren't anxious to pick up another paint brush for a looooong time.  But we are so happy with the end result, it was definitely worth it.  The colors are so soft and pretty, and we have long wanted to eliminate the boring, dreary white walls. One thing I was especially pleased with was how our ceiling fan turned out.  It was a 90's style shiny brass and oak fan.  But we loved how quiet it was, and hated to spend the money needed to buy a new one.  So I decided to take a chance on ruining it, and took it apart to Bruce's horror, and used a $6 can of rustoleum, spray painted it.  Adding new darker fan blades and an inexpensive medallion that also got the spray paint treatment finished it off nicely.  Jerry (bro~in~law) helped Bruce re-install it after I painstakingly put it back together.  A total miracle...it worked!  Just as quietly as before!  Woo~hoo!  Love the change.  Then after the carpeting was installed, (which they did in shifts...upstairs first then 10 days later, the downstairs), we began the process of editing out all the accumulation of 15 years in this home.  Being a bit of a pack rat, I keep waaay to much stuff.  And as I've gotten older, the realization that it is all just "stuff" really settles in.  After the cleaning out of Elma's home when she passed away, then my Mom's stuff, I really don't want my kids to have to deal with it all as we had to.  So begins the process of creating piles for Goodwill. (Many piles actually.)  And learning to live with less clutter and organized closets.  Also, I've come to see that being a shutterbug has it's downside....Sooo many photos that need homes in albums, or scanning for storage on the computer.  Either way, that's another project on the horizon.  But I'm thinking we'll wait for some rainy weather days to tackle that one.  Till then, that rear deck and back yard is calling I think.  But wait....1st things 1st! I'm getting my coop ready.  Bring on the chickens!!!

The wrinkle race.....run, Jeri....RUN!

I'm wondering....Is it because these beautiful babies remind me of my own child~like joy for life that I love being with them? When I watch them at play, when I see their delight in the simplest of life's pleasures...It brings me balance. I'm surprised at my own reflection when I on the rare occasion glance in a mirror. Who IS this old lady? Thinning gray hair...mouth wrinkles, eye crinkles. Shoot! Even knee wrinkles after the not so wise choice to bask in Costa Rican sun rays.
If there were a wrinkle race, I'm a contender! But not inside, oh no. Inside I feel sparkly, giggly, and giddy with joy when I share a flower with Felicia, swap smiles with Lilly reading love in her eyes. Or snuggly reading to Caleb his new favorite book...The giving Tree. I cry at the sad parts....and he looks in my eyes and sees. My outside might be relaxing into wrinkles, but my inside...oh my insides are full of little girl. Sometimes she's a bit of a stinker....but I like her too. And she loves, loves, loves, to play with her friends. :)

All my joy...Caleb, Lilly and Felicia's Grandma

All my joy...Caleb, Lilly and Felicia's Grandma

Just returned home from our whirlwind Memorial Wknd camping trip in Monterey, with Jake, Deana, Caleb & Lilly. What a great time we had! Arrived on Friday afternoon in time to make some sandwiches before the kids arrived. Just a slight delay from a tire blowout shortly after setting off. Our hero, AAA, arrived swiftly, and had us on our way. After a round of hugs, we checked out the RV park...nicely situated across from the beautiful Marin beach, but kinda pricey and definitely not green & woodsy as we hoped. But clean, and had all the hookups....then off to our family dinner at Passion Fish restaurant in Monterey...a short 15 min. drive away. Dinner was a~maz~ing! We shared a nibbler of squid marinated in a spicy cilantro-citrus/mango sauce, smoked trout civeche with a cashew pesto, and a butternut squash soup with a dollop of green onion-lime cream, and sprinkled with smoked bacon. Have I got the taste buds salivating yet???...there's more! My entree was the Sea Scallops with tomato truffle butter, and risotto. We indulged with 3 different deserts, all incredibly yummy, but my favorite was the bread pudding with pecan-caramel sauce. The kids were so good, and ate like champs. Saturday we woke up to a pretty day, and enjoyed an outdoor meal of breakfast burritos, and then walked to the beach...just a short hike across the dunes. The walk itself was beautiful, so many textures & colors dotting the "dunescape". At the top of the hill we got the expansive view of miles of beach and crashing surf. Just a few people, and several fisherman with long poles stuck in the sand. We spent a couple of hours out there enjoying the beauty of pristine beach & dunes, with no development out there. Similar to our own Morro Strand from Montana de Oro to Morro Bay, but much longer. So beautiful. Watching Jacob play with his babies pulled on this Grandma's heartstrings....he's such a wonderful Father. He chased them, they squealed and ran as fast as their little legs would fly. He let them bury him to his neck in sand, ugh...but they loved it. Caleb made us all laugh when he said "I'm making you into a mermaid, Dad, and applied sand boobies to Jake about waist level. hee hee Then he gave them a short lesson on dune board surfing, and they slid, and hiked up over and over...such energy! As lunch time and naps were looming, we made our way back to the campsites. After lunch, Bruce read stories to Caleb and Lilly, and one by one, they all had a nice snooze in the tent. Then Bruce snuck out to play some games with Jacob, while Deana and I snuck off for a truly awesome pedicure. Wow, we found a gr8 place, best massages ever, and cheap! Woot! That evening we had a BBQ planned with Jake & Deana's friends, Jeff & Melody and their precious little girls. We had a de-lish tri-tip dinner with Jacob's special green sauce...no I don't remember what's in it, but it's soooo yum! Corn on the cob, baked potatoes, bread...and of course, s'mores! A true camping experience. It would have been perfect, except it started sprinkling...then raining! Yikes! Unfortunately it ended our evening with their good friends earlier than planned, but we consoled ourselves with a couple of games of Catan, our current favorite game. Sunday morning we made use of the left-over tri-tip, and made some yummy eggs, and toast that took waaay to long to "toast". Then we set off to a wonderful park in Monterey, Dennis the Menice park. Watching our grandbabies run, play, hide, slide and climb to their hearts content, made ours feel the same. Then we drove into Monterey along the Cannery area, and rented a 6 seater surry, no fringe, and stuck the kids in the front, each with their own bells. "Lord have Mercy on our ears!" hehe We biked along the path to Pacific Grove and back, then to Fisherman's Wharf and back. It was a spectacular day, sunny, slight breeze, ahhh...perfect! I had several moments of sheer joy, and a couple of good whacks to the ankle from not being able to keep up with my son's peddling. After our ride, we wandered into a candy store just to ensure the sugar level remained at an all time high for us all, and then off to lunch at Gianni's pizza, sooo good! Back to the camp in time for naps, and another round of Catan for the big kids. Jake and Deana had a wedding to attend in Monterey that evening so they readied themselves for the event, and I drove them to and from so that a glass or two of wine wouldn't be a problem. While I was gone, Bruce tried to wrangle the kiddos, along with Willie, who decided his "issues" with abondonment were @ peak neurosis levels, and scooted off in search of the beloved master...aka, Jake. I returned to find them all safely tucked inside, playing nicely, so I wonder if it was all a ruse to make me feel guilty for my 20 min. stopover shopping extravaganza at wal-mart. Hmmmm??? Anywho...we had a nice evening indulging our grandbabies in much sticker craft, fake cupcake decorating, a game of hide and seek (not too difficult to find them in a short 2 room trailer, but their 3 & 4 and easy to convince.) and then waterlogged them in the teeny tub long enough for them to prune-up sufficiently. When their energy peaked, and ours had long since waned, we fired up the DVD player, and snuggled in for the Disney movie "Tangled" (very cute), which they had seen, but we hadn't. They didn't make it 1/2 way through before they opted out, choosing bed and blankies over two old toots. Monday morning breakfast of poppish (oatmeal) satisfied our tummies, then it was time to break camp, and say goodbye. Long hugs and many kisses later, we waved our parting, and I still feel their little arms around my neck. We're home, we're pooped out, but happy and content with our new memories. And don't tell Bruce, but there's a chocolate bar left over from the s'mores, and it has my name on it! Woot! :)

Caleb, Lilly & Felicia's Grandma: Ari's Graduation announcement

Caleb, Lilly & Felicia's Grandma: Ari's Graduation announcement

Our Costa Rican Adventure

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I'm baaaack!

Ah....too long I have procrastinated with this blog. I've missed so many opportunities to capture moments of time into word memories. I just read the last post, and it helped me to remember that day in the snow that my memory alone couldn't recall. I resolve to use this blog as a way to enjoy those special moments more fully. My Felicia, Lillian & Caleb are now 1, 3 & 4. It begins anew...

Ari's Graduation announcement

Four Years Gold Graduation Announcement

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