Sunday-12:15pm

Remember the cute baby cottontail bunny?

Now it is all grown up.  Well, at least a gangly teenager--LOL! 

I forgot to take pictures when I was over at McFamily's.  Dagan and Leah are helping me to switch banks, so I guess I was thinking about all those details...and just plain enjoying the company too much to remember.  :)  

****

Dagan brought me over to Gate City Bank (local bank that McFamily uses) on Thursday to open a checking account.  I'm finally switching from Wells Fargo which I've had since I moved here in 1999 (and been unhappy with since before I moved--long story).  The lady at Gate City even called and switched over my social security check deposit for me while I was there!  I just needed to talk with them to verify who I was.  How nice of them to do that!

****

Anyways, I am borrowing enough from Dagan and Leah to cover a month so that I have time to switch everything over and make sure all is coming out of the new account...then I can close out at Wells Fargo and pay back the loan.  Their generous idea.  Plus Leah said she'd help me go through and switch bank accounts on the automatic withdrawal payments...and set it up so the bank can mail checks for me to the companies that don't have automatic withdrawal.  I'd be almost paperless with my bills!  Feels weird.  Half of mine I write checks for and mail...or did.  

****

I went back over to their place Friday night--with paperwork and my laptop--and Leah worked on the switching over.  I still have a few to go.  I'm waiting for call back from Federal Housing (correct address for bank to mail rent check), apartment insurance has to be done over the phone (some companies won't allow it done online), and two more I need to double check on whether they have auto pay or get a correct address to mail a check to.  Goodness.  Honestly--I would never have done this on my own.  Leah's been encouraging me to switch banks since I moved and I never would have done it without her help.  Just soooo many details to change.

****

It's not like the old days when you physically deposited your check from work and you wrote out and mailed all your checks for bills.  You just switched.  Nobody you paid cared which bank was on the check, you know?  And there was no such thing as automatic withdrawals or automatic deposits...or online shopping, for that matter.  So, I'll be finishing up this coming week.  Whew!  We were working till 11:30pm when Liam was loudly sick and tired of waiting for Mama to feed him (Daddy couldn't distract any longer) and Gramma was too tired to continue--LOL!  I'll be so glad when everything is switched over, I'm basically paperless, and can close my Wells Fargo account!  :)

****

Oh, and I sent an email to Petco that included the picture.  They offered to replace or refund the kitty litter, but said if I wanted a replacement that it would be shipped in the same manner.  I opted for a refund.  They were quick to respond, but I still am leery about ordering from them again.  Nice they gave me a refund, though.  And they even included tax!

****

I got the pre-ordered drawing book yesterday (Amazon-from last month).  It is a beautiful book.  Can you see the gold embossing on the cover? 

Pretty. 

But there is not as much detail in the step-by-step instructions, as you can see. 

Some of them do have a couple more steps... 

...but she still jumps quickly from no detail to a LOT of detail, as you can see.

There are blank pages for practicing and the paper is thick-- almost glossy.

There aren't as many examples in this book, but they are much more intricate and realistic.  I will certainly be trying these.

****

Sorry about the shadows on these pictures.  Has been dark and damp here lately and my camera always makes a shadow.  BUT--I almost forgot to show you what I had done with those last two drawing books. 

 I took a Clairfontaine Triomphe writing tablet and copied a flower or leaf from the books down on the bottom of each page and colored it. 

I only have three sheets left to show you. 

I forgot to take pictures and all the rest of the pages have been written on and mailed away.  Now it's time to get out the drawing books, a new tablet, and do it again.  :)  And, no--I haven't done any decorating in my bullet yet.  Talk about moving slowly lately, eh? 

****

I do have to do some Gramma bragging, though.  When I was there on Friday late I got to go up and help Daddy put Ian to bed.  Ian showed me how he brushes his teeth and gets his own pajamas on...and then it was time for a bedtime story.  Well, Dagan had told me how Ian has a book memorized--but I was thinking it was like Red Fish, Blue Fish--something simple like that, right?  

****

Ian "read" to me--told me the story--clearly--word for word--Night-Night, Forest Friends!!  Which has pages like:  

"Papa Rabbit whispers, 'Hush,' and tucks his babies into beds of brush."

(Which Gramma had to look up on Amazon because she can't remember, of course--see link above.)

**** 

Leah told me Ian has another longer book memorized, too, but so many of the pages begin similarly (good morning, good afternoon, etc) that he forgets which one starts which page sometimes but he knows the rest by heart.  Can we say Gramma was very, very impressed!!  I believe Gramma's mouth was hanging open for most of the story--ROFL!  ;)

****

Anyways, was so stiff and sore yesterday from being out and about two days in a row that I had a total R&R day--caught up on Shameless on Netflix but that was about it.  Today--better.  Am doing laundry.  It's a chilly day, sun is shining, washer is churning, Annie is hiding behind the end table waiting for the birds to come back so she can jump out at them again, feels like fall, and I am off to do some calligraphy drills.  Have a great week.  :)

****

"Help me to be less fearful of the measure of time, and more fully alive in the time that simply is.  Help me to live time, not just to simply use it: to breathe it in, and return it in acts of love and presence."

Avis Crowe