Monday, December 17, 2018

December 17, 2018 Monday-3pm

Moving slowly today, but here I am.  
First of all, before I forget, even though I replied to blog comments (since I wasn't feeling well and could use the laptop while in my chair)...wouldn't you know it!  I had a few of them returned as unable to be delivered.  What?!  So now if you don't hear back from me it might not even be because I didn't try--LOL!  It's like Blogger is plotting against me...either that or I've been hearing too much about conspiracy theories on the news for far too long--ROFL!!
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I wasn't up to much at all this past week.  Running the reverse temp, achy, and was happy watching all six episodes of the Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy (with subtitles) before it disappears on Netflix streaming beginning of January.  Since that's so dark, intense, and compelling, interspersing it with episodes of Lark Rise To Candleford on Prime has been refreshing.  I do enjoy my British period shows.
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Monday after we chatted the big box from Amazon arrived via UPS.  Leah had told me to let her know when they got here...
 ...but I didn't expect her to come over so quickly right after she picked Ian up from preschool!  
While the boys played with the bristle blocks (and Liam cried a lot because he hates coming to Gramma's where he gets corralled in the hallway) Leah put together the first chair so we could try it out. 
They weren't difficult to put together.  I just don't have the gripping strength to tighten the screws well.  Aren't they a hoot?!  Bird's Nest chairs. 
I took a short video of the boys testing out the chair.
Liam seemed fascinated by all the holes in them--LOL!
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I may not have been up to much all week but McFamily made a trip down to Minneapolis Thursday through Saturday.  Dagan needed his post surgery new pacemaker checkup (tweaking) on Friday.  That night they went to see Great Grandma's new apartment and took her out for dinner to Baker's Square.  I forgot to ask Leah if she took any pictures.  If she did I can post them next week.
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Before they left Dagan popped by to pick up the warped chair mats from my garage.  On Saturday they stopped at IKEA on the way home and IKEA did take back the awful chair mats!  That night on their way home Dagan ran in quick and we put down the chair mats in the studio!
 Flat as pancakes!  Can hardly tell they are there at all!!
AWESOME!!
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Leah also found me some rolling desk chairs at IKEA that will fit the bill, too.  I wanted one for where I sit every day at the table and one for in the studio by the window there.  Plain, simple, no arms.  They couldn't fit them in the car with the boys' cat seats but Leah said her sister Ariel (lives in Mpls) is coming up for Christmas and will see if she can fit one or two of them in her car.  So that's really exciting!
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Yesterday Dagan agreed to come with for Gramma Day because I wanted to paint up some packing paper to use for wrapping presents.  Wanted to do that the weekend before, but I had to cancel.  I knew I wasn't up to doing it all alone (lots of cleaning up involved and lots of standing over the table) and I was thrilled Dagan said he'd come with and help out.
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The first thing we did, though, was push out the other three chairs to leave by the dumpster.  One had a broken wheel a while ago and already made that trip, as you may recall.  None of them push well unless you are very forceful and all of them are now broken at the base and tilt either forward or to the side.  Hence the new bird's nest chairs (cheap and stackable for this small space) and the wanting a couple cheaper desk chairs that will be more comfy for my old bones.
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I took a pretty sorry video of us rolling the chairs out to the dumpster (couldn't stop laughing) and saying the last goodbyes to my old flowered chairs.
Then we came in and painted and painted for several hours.  Was really fun!  We used Ian's foam rollers and alphabet painting kit...
 ...did mark making with trash I save...
 ...used paint brushes, finger painting, and hand prints...
 ...more mark making with trash and fingers...
 ...paint brushes...
 ...more mark making (used pill bottles, disposable pop cup, empty thread spools, cough syrup cup, tape roll holders, bottle caps, plastic bells that covered some old Christmas lights, straws, and an old Tupperware biscuit cutter)...
 ...and finally hands and fingers for a massive use of the last of the paint!
Ian gets a kick out of the mark making where we recycle trash.  (Except for a few items I do wash and save--like the biscuit cutter.)  He'll print a bit and then hold whatever he's using up in a painty hand and say--"Done!  In the garbage."  It is such fun not to have to clean things and just toss them out.
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We had some snow early in the week.
 Note: The sparrows are not eating out of the bird feeder.
 They come in big flocks so as long as I am putting out food on the patio for The Girls, they prefer to eat together down there.  Can't say as I blame them.  Also--notice how much it has melted this week.  Been in the 30s!  I hope all the snow isn't gone for Christmas!  :( 
Oh, and that small hawk made a surprise visit several days ago when my patio was packed with grouse and sparrows.  It missed and landed in a planter box, but I haven't seen The Girls for days and the sparrows are quite jumpy.  The hawk must still be in the area. 
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I bought myself a Christmas present.  A new red thermos mug.  I love mine so much but it is getting old and I have been afraid that they might discontinue it, you know?  
 You can easily tell which one is the old one I finally ran through the dishwasher.  It peeled.  That is why I have hand washed it all these years and will certainly hand wash the new one, too.  Maybe I need a third one--LOL!  These mugs are so perfect for me.  Easy to open with my poor grip.  Even if you fill them a little too full you can get the cover on without any spillage or dripping.  Ahhh!  Anyways, was a nice present to myself.  ;) 
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And how does Annie like the new chairs?
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Well, at first she was afraid of them.  She jumped up and the cat bed slid on the slippery surface.  She was having none of it.  But she'd stand by my chair and cry in despair.
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  So I got out a piece of the old memory foam mattress pad that I had saved and cut up to make cat beds for Karma years ago but never covered them.  (Good thing because they kind of stick to the chair!)  First I tried the round piece.  It stuck out from the front of the chair and Annie was afraid to jump over it.  If I picked her up and put her in the cat bed she was delighted with the new extra comfy bed, but she would not jump up on it.
So I tried a little square piece.  Nothing juts out over the edge in the front so she will jump over that, no problem.  
Annie is LOVING the memory foam!!  She settles in and sleeps so soundly that she didn't even hear the key in the door when Dagan and Ian came yesterday!  It is normally very difficult to catch Annie unawares.  She normally hears them as they are coming down the hallway!  But she was out like a light.
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Her body language--right this very moment--reveals that she is super relaxed and enjoying the new sleeping spot.  
Annie's normally much jumpier and quick to leave if I am up and down or walking past the chair to get coffee or open the frig, etc.  I have even left to get mail and come back and she hasn't moved--LOL!  Maybe her old bones appreciate something super comfy, too.  ;)
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Anyways, that's it for this past week.  I plan to go over to McFamily's for Christmas next Saturday.  I know!  Do you believe it?!  Before Christmas!  We usually are having our Christmas in January.  Nice!  (That's also why I wanted the paper painted for wrapping done so that I asked Dagan for help.)  
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So--wrapping presents this week.  Since the past two weeks were kind of a bust as far as the new added weekly things, we'll see how this coming week goes.  So far so good...but it's only Monday--ROFL!  I knew this would happen as my health is always on a roller coaster ride--but the thing is--not to give up.  When I start the 12 weeks of Cameron's book come January I do not plan to skip anything.  It might take me longer to get through it, but I will.  However long it takes me, I will get through it.  More time than money, right?  LOL!
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Okay.  I'll be back on Christmas Eve!  Hasn't this year flown by!  I am praying for snow and listening to Christmas music.  See you in a week!  :) :)
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"For myself, I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else."
Winston Churchill

18 comments:

Rita said...

Comment to get comments. :)

Far Side of Fifty said...

Cute video of the old chairs! I hope you have a good week and get everything done that you want to! :)

Bonnie said...

I love your new chairs! The tree design is so pretty and if you can stack them that's another plus. It looks like you and Ian had a lot of fun making the Christmas paper. I used to love doing things like that with my grandchildren. Annie does look comfy with that memory foam. Animals get arthritis and aches just like we do and I bet that helps her sleep better. I sure hope you feel better everyday for the holidays!

jinxxxygirl said...

So fun catching up with you Rita! LOVE those chairs but not sure they would be comfortable with the holes.. Awww look at Annie... My fingers are crossed you have a good week. Thank you so much for the lovely comment on the blog post i made. Hugs! deb

Jon said...

Sorry to hear that you're having blog comment trouble. Blogger is always plotting against us - often at different times and in different ways.

I really like those bird's nest chairs. They are so unique! And I always love the photos of Annie

It looks Christmasy with all that snow. The snow here in TN melted quickly and - unfortunately - there isn't any more in the near-future forecast.

DJan said...

Annie sure does look happy now. She's such a scaredy cat, so this is a great thing to see: she is in heaven on that memory foam. :-)

Divers and Sundry said...

Conspiracy theories are the gift that keeps on giving lol but they can add some fun to an otherwise baffling problem. The chairs are cute as can be, and I'm glad you found a way to accommodate Annie. All the fun with artistic creation! Hawks are beautiful to watch, and I love seeing them, but they do scare off the other birds. It sounds like you've made a real commitment to that project for next year. I'm listening to Christmas music, too, on various Spotify playlists :) I hope you get snow, just as much as you want :) We won't get any here in Memphis lol Enjoy your week!

TammyVitale said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE those chairs! and am glad Annie finally settled in. And I feel likewise about the wrapping paper. I've never considered that and have already bought mine this year but I think I might have to in coming years. I think it's quite glorious and definitely good for getting in the mood. I haven't really started wrapping yet. Or baking (my "new" house oven doesn't work well. i only need it for baking since we don't eat meat. I can't decide whether or not I want to mess with it). Hope you feel wonderful for the holiday celebration (early! I'm good if I can do it day of ... running behind this year because...I don't even know why!). BTW my sparrows do the same thing. They'd much rather be on the ground. The house finches love the feeder tho.

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

I liked the clips
I like seeing the snow, as no snow here
Annie is so cute

Desiree said...

oh Annie loves the chairs! :) Also I loved the Dragon Girl Book series and loved the original Swedish versions. I still have not seen the Americanized version and doubt I ever will. ((HUGS))

Anonymous said...

Aches & pains notwithstanding, it looks like your week went pretty well. Those handsome boys are growing so fast. I love your new chairs. I hope Annie continues to enjoy her bed. Happy holidays to you & yours!!

froebelsternchen said...

Gosh you are so lucky with this lovely family and those sweet boys grow so quickly! AMAZING! Merry Christmas dear Rita! Take good care of you! Hugs, Susi

Feral Turtle said...

Sorry to hear you've been feeling poorly Rita. My how cute those little guys are! Such a lovely family. Love your new chairs too! Merry Christmas to you and your family. xo

Jenny Woolf said...

Those are wonderful chairs! Glad Annie seems to feel she can lie on them and doesn't get spooked by the holes! LOL! And I liked your ideas of "mark making". So many things I used to do with my kids that i never think of these days (I think I'm fussier about the carpet too maybe - which if true, is not good! hmmm, I will think more about that!). I am sorry you've been feeling bad, but I'm glad you have some fun things to watch on TV. As for the comments, I always love your comments but I do understand when you can't leave them.

Dee said...

Dear Rita, thanks for the Churchill quote. I so agree with him. Your two grandsons must just look forward so eagerly to coming to your home. They get to really play the way children like to play. What a great grandmother you are.

Where did you get the memory foam? I'll look on amazon and see if I can find it. I think the three felines here would love it too! Peace.

Lady Fi said...

I do love those chairs! And Annie sure looks comfortable.

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

I love the bird nest chairs! That's such a clever design. As I'm typing this, I can hear a hawk calling outside. Needless to say, our bird feeders aren't seeing many birds while the hawk is prowling around.

The gift wrap papers looks like they were fun to make! What creativity! Ian must have had so much fun creating them.

The rolling mats look nice. Beautiful color combination!

Intense Guy said...

Happiness is a comfy cat.