Swimming and violin

DQ took another swim test (they test every 2 weeks) and she is now in the 3rd level. She is a fish. It is amazing to see how well she is doing. This week I am looking into renting a violin for DQ as she has expressed interest. Actually we asked her what instrument she would like to play, she at first said saxophone then changed to violin. So it looks like Rick is going to teach her for a while. Of course we can't think of playing the violin without remembering my mother-in-law, who was an amazing violin teacher. DQ remembers Grandma Sharon showing her the bunny hold and "te te te te ta ta", the only thing is I still get choked up when I hear "Twinkle". I remember standing on the front lawn of my in-laws house when moms students gave her a surprise concert (this was a few months before she passed away) Lainie and I were bawling our eyes out when the kids started playing "twinkle". I really miss mom, I wish she could have seen GB and told me how much he is like Rick and all sorts of stories of "when Ricky was that age....." I am sure that the rest of the family will contribute to the stories and I look forward to hearing them.

It is not that I haven't had anything to write about over the past week it is just I can't seem to form coherent sentences. We had a great time last week when Rick went with the kids and I to the beach, DQ had fun showing off her new swimming skills. We also went to a kids concert on Thursday evening, in our downtown area they have free summertime concerts. The "zucchini Brothers" were a really cool group that played original music. The kids favorites include "The Green Tooth Monster" (about brushing your teeth) and "You are What You Eat" which has the line "... if you drink a lot of soda you might exploda". My favorite part was watching the kids dance around and be completely silly (GB was really jamming on his air guitar). We all had a wonderful time.

I have kind of taken the past month off from doing any sewing jobs and now I need to get back in the swing of things. I just repaired a motorcycle jacket and pants that had been ripped during an accident, no one was hurt in the accident. Thank goodness. I have started to make new cushions for a rocking chair, although I need to get more needles because I have already broken two. I am using denim fabric and the cushions have cording and banding, so I am going through almost 10 layers of fabric which is over 1/4 inch thick. My machine is holding up just fine, just this problem with the needles. Oh well!

Stupidity

Here is Rick with a shirt I got him to wear to work. Well, maybe he will just think about wearing it.

DQ

It was an exciting day for DQ, she advanced to the next level in her swim classes. This means that she can float on her back and front, put her face in the water and kick, and go under water for a little bit. This is an amazing thing because 2 weeks ago she would get freaked out if her face got wet. So in honor of her achievement we are having a special dessert tonight, KRINGLE, it has been in the freezer since our last trip to Wisconsin. DQ saw it sitting out on the counter and did her "Happy Kringle" dance (which varies slightly from her "Going to Grandma's" dance and her "Staying up late to watch a movie with mom and dad" dance).

A sewing fool

Sometimes I just get in the mood to sew. Usually I will make a dress for DQ, but today I decided to make something for myself. I made this shirt out of fabric that came from my grandma. She passed away a couple of months ago and I inherited a lot of her sewing stuff. I just love vintage fabrics and there were a few nice pieces. This particular fabric is polyester/acetate, and I am guessing it is from the 60's. I have a few more fabrics that are REALLY wild, I am just waiting to find the right pattern.

The kids "camp"

Her are Goofball, Drama Queen and Kirsten (the doll) at there "camp". They suckered me into giving them some marshmallows.

Nothing

It seems that there hasn't been much going on. The kids and I have been hanging out at the beach for DQ's swim lessons. She has been doing a fantastic job. I think that by the end of the lessons she will be able to swim, at least a little bit, which is a far cry from a few weeks ago when she would get freaked out if her face got wet. Rick went to the beach with us yesterday, which is his day off, we had lunch and threw the kids around in the water for a while. They, of course, loved it. It was a really nice day. Right now Rick is taking a nap before he heads off to work tonight, and the kids are playing "camping". Which means they have a ''tent" under the piano (we have a baby grand) with a blue blanket on the ground that is "water". They have set up a lincoln log fire pit and I know any minute now they are going to ask me for marshmallows. I love their imagination.

Rick's birthday

Well, yesterday was Rick's 32nd birthday. We didn't do anything exciting, since Rick had to work and sleep all day, we only had a couple of hours in the evening. We did have caramel apple pie for dessert, so that was pretty special. I always say that apple pie was how I "caught" Rick (that and a dining room table, but that is another story). When I first met Rick he was living in Saratoga with a couple of other single Navy guys, needless to say there kitchen was probably only used for Coke and Frosted Flakes. I figured I could wow him with an apple pie, I did get a blue ribbon from the county fair for the recipe. So I made a HUGE pie, it had over 6 lbs of apples, and I told him he could give me the pie plate back whenever he was done, I got the empty pie plate back the next day. I guess it was a hit. Anyway, I did not make the apple pie for his birthday yesterday, we figured we would try out the pie from the bakery at Costco. It was the best pie ever, definitely worthy of a blue ribbon.

Lone Ranger Puppy

We went back to the beach again yesterday for swim lessons and GB stayed in the water with only his head sticking up and whenever a person would come close to him he would pull out his web hand and "blast them". Really the spray of water never got close to the other people, but it was hilarious to sit on the side and watch. I could see the evil goofy grin from across the beach. DQ has been doing really well in the lessons, she has already made some big improvements.

Rick has added a guest book to the blog, so everyone can sign in so I know who visits me. Also if you view the guestbook you can see the comment that Rick wrote. Well this is the picture I wanted to post, GB as the "Lone Ranger Puppy". To funny.

Goggles

After our day at the beach yesterday, the kids decided they needed goggles. Well, DQ got some that were hot pink, but has since decided that she swims better without them. Oh well, we can use them in the shower. On the other hand, GB found a spiderman set and I couldn't get him out of the water. The right hand glove thing has a water squirter in it. He had the best time shooting everyone with his "web".

Busy day

The kids are completely exhausted. We started out this morning at 10 and went to the mall for a "Kidz Camp". Every Tuesday during the summer the mall has a performance and craft geared for the kids. Today there was a guy singing a bunch of kid participation songs, like the hokey pokey and the chicken dance. The kids seemed to enjoy. Instead of a craft, the mall gave passes to everyone to go to the fair that is set up in the mall parking lot. So the kids got to ride as many rides as they wanted. DQ loved the big slide and the fun house while GB enjoyed ramming into his sister on the bumper cars. Did I mention that this "kidz camp" is a free thing? Miss Cheapskate strikes again.

After the fair DQ had her first swimming lesson at the town beach. Within 5 minutes the instructor had her jumping in the water and going under. This is the girl who still wants her hair washed with a watering can and washcloth over her eyes. I think the lessons are going to be a big success. GB played in the sand and wandered out in the water, but kept getting his feet hurt on the rocks in the water. So this evening we bought the kids water shoes, now they should be all set.

All in all we had a great day, but we are completely wiped out. So early to bed before the tempers get out of hand.

The blogging obsession

It seems that if I put forth an effort I can accomplish things in the morning. Yesterday I cleaned and today I did 2 miles on the treadmill, changed the sheets, took a shower, and read the newspaper. Of course that means I can sit around the rest of the day reading a book and not feel guilty about it. I will probably find some energy again when it is dinner time. At least enough energy to throw some chicken on the grill.

According to the newspaper this morning it seems there is an new obsession with blogging. A site that tracks how many blogs are created have said they are seeing 30,000 new blogs and 500,000 new posts every day. WOW!!! On that note, I have added a new link. It seems my sister-in-law, Amy, has caught onto the craze. Amy is married to my brother and they have 3 wonderfully crazy children. This picture was taken in March when Amy and the kids came for a visit. Just before we were leaving to the portrait studio we raided my kids dress up box and found all the makings for this "Little house" picture. I did make the dresses the girls are wearing and the chaps and vest the boys have on was from some leftover fabric from a chair I recovered last year. Goofball is the one in the vest and Drama Queen is holding the ukulele, you can visit Amy's blog to learn about her kids.

Amazing and all before 9 AM

I feel like I have accomplished something today. I picked up the living room and dining room and actually vacuumed. Amazing and all before 9 AM. With the heat and humidity being so bad the past few weeks, any housework needs to get done in the morning or late at night. Needless to say that makes for a wonderful excuse to procrastinate.

DQ is trying to teach her little brother to read. It is quite adorable. She went through her bookshelf and gave all of her beginning reading books to GB, and this morning they were snuggled up on the bed looking at the pictures with the boy yelling out the words. Of course he wasn't reading the word, just shouting out what the pictures were, but DQ has declared him a genius. It will be fun to see if the rest of the day is as productive as this morning, but how can you beat a clean living room and a genius child?

Just to let everyone know, I have changed my blog settings so that anyone can leave a comment. Just click on the word "comments" at the end of each post and write whatever you like (as long as it is wonderful stuff about me, come on use your imagination). I have also added a counter to the sidebar so you can see how many people have visited the site. I have already run it up to 9 so you see how obsessed I am about checking my comments. Plus I am trying to change my links section. I am adding my sister-in-law, Karin, who introduced me to this wonderful idea of blogging. Karin is Ricks sister and lives out in Oregon so we don't get to see each other very much, and since I am a terrible communicator we don't talk all that much either. These blogs have been great to keep updated on what is up with her and her family. If anyone would like to start there own blog, just click on the phrase "get your own blog" at the top of the page. It is free, you know me "Miss Cheapskate". If anyone does start a blog, just let me know and I will add you to my links list. I am also adding a picture of me to my profile. I have been trying to get a decent picture of me but it seems I have this habit of always closing my eyes, and that makes me look like a zombie. Granted I may be a little sleep deprived, but I don't need to look like an extra from a horror movie. I think I finally got a pic that will pass.